Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, also known as the MORE Act is proposed 2019 United States federal legislation to legalize cannabis and expunge prior convictions, called "historic" in reaching "farther in the legislation process than any other such bill since prohibition" of cannabis in the 1930s,[1] and "the first time in history a congressional committee has approved a bill to end federal marijuana prohibition".[2]

Provisions

The act would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and tax cannabis products at 5 percent to establish trust funds for various purposes.[3] The legislation prohibits the denial of any federal public benefits, like housing, on the basis of cannabis use and states that use or possession of marijuana would have no adverse impact under immigration laws.[4] According to USA Today, "The trust funds the Act would create include the Community Reinvestment Grant, which would provide funding for services such as job training, re-entry services and legal aid; the Cannabis Opportunity Grant, which would provides funds to assist small businesses in the pot industry; and the Equitable Licensing Grant, which minimizes barriers to gain access to marijuana licensing and employment for those most impacted by the so-called war on drugs."[5] The act would also establish a Cannabis Justice Office within the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, responsible for administering the grants.[6][7]

History

Matching bills were introduced to the House of Representatives by Jerry Nadler and to the Senate by Kamala Harris on July 23, 2019. Harris was a 2020 Democratic Party candidate for United States President at the time.[8][9]

The act was approved by the House Judiciary Committee following markup on November 20, 2019.[10][11] It was scheduled for a January 15, 2020 hearing titled "Cannabis Policies For The New Decade" by the House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health.[12][13]

References
  1. Donohue, Caitlin (November 20, 2019). "House Judiciary Committee Approves Historic MORE Act – The cannabis legalization bill will now move to a floor vote in the House". High Times.
  2. Angell, Tom (November 20, 2019). "Marijuana legalization bill approved by congressional committee in historic vote". The Boston Globe.
  3. "Historic: Judiciary Committee Introduces Bill To End Federal Marijuana Prohibition". CityWatch Los Angeles.
  4. Jasmine Wright and Kyung Lah. "Kamala Harris and Jerry Nadler team on plan to decriminalize pot, expunge convictions". CNN.
  5. Morin, Rebecca. "Kamala Harris once opposed legalizing marijuana. Now she wants to decriminalize it". USA TODAY.
  6. Sullum, Jacob (July 23, 2019), "The Harris-Nadler Marijuana Bill Goes Further Than Others in Ways Good and Bad", Reason
  7. Text of S.2227, govtrack.us, accessed November 18, 2019
  8. LaVito, Angelica (July 23, 2019). "Nadler, Harris to introduce bill decriminalizing pot, expunge marijuana convictions". CNBC.
  9. Christopher Cadelago (July 23, 2019). "Harris and Nadler team up on bill to decriminalize marijuana". Politico.
  10. Budryk, Zack (November 18, 2019). "House to hold markup Wednesday on marijuana decriminalization bill". The Hill.
  11. Lovelace, Berkeley Jr. (November 20, 2019). "House committee approves landmark bill legalizing marijuana at the federal level". CNBC.
  12. Jon Blistein (January 14, 2020), "Hot Box the House: Inside the Marijuana Bills Congress Will Debate This Week", Rolling Stone
  13. "Cannabis Policies For The New Decade". official website (energycommerce.house.gov). United States House of Representatives Committee on Energy & Commerce. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
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