House of Representatives Plans September Vote On Marijuana Decriminalization Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives is planning a September vote on a bill that would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level and allow the states to create their own cannabis policies. If passed, the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act (H.R. 3884) would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act.

In a statement, House Majority Whip Rep. James E. Clyburn of South Carolina wrote that during the week of September 21, “the House will take up Chairman Nadler’s MORE Act to help restore justice to millions by decriminalizing marijuana and expunging records of nonviolent federal cannabis convictions.”

The MORE Act

The MORE Act was introduced in the House in July 2019 by Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Democrat from New York who serves as the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. The Senate’s version of the bill was introduced at the same time by Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democrat from California who is her party’s nominee for Vice President in this November’s election. The bill has 87 co-sponsors in the House, including Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, the co-Chairman of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus.