{"id":53969,"date":"2022-03-31T08:59:41","date_gmt":"2022-03-31T16:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/03\/31\/house-formally-advances-federal-marijuana-legalization-bill-for-floor-vote-with-praise-from-pelosi\/"},"modified":"2022-03-31T17:46:17","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T01:46:17","slug":"house-formally-advances-federal-marijuana-legalization-bill-for-floor-vote-with-praise-from-pelosi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/03\/31\/house-formally-advances-federal-marijuana-legalization-bill-for-floor-vote-with-praise-from-pelosi\/","title":{"rendered":"House Formally Advances Federal Marijuana Legalization Bill For Floor Vote, With Praise From Pelosi"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved the final rule to advance a bill to federally legalize marijuana<\/a> to a floor vote, which is expected to happen on Friday.<\/p>\n

Members on both sides of the aisle were given the chance to debate the final rule for the process to consider the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act that was approved by the House Rules Committee<\/a> on Wednesday. And Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), who served as manager of the rule for the floor debate, took the opportunity to put pressure on the Senate to finally act on cannabis reform.<\/p>\n

That Rules Committee made in order several amendments for floor consideration and rejected others that would have placed additional restrictions on the reform measure from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). This is the second time in history that a chamber of Congress will be voting on ending the decades-long prohibition on marijuana.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe House is acting again this week to urge the Senate to finally pass meaningful cannabis reform legislation,\u201d Perlmutter said, adding that the House has passed his more incremental marijuana banking reform bill six times without seeing action in the opposite chamber.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe House will pass the MORE Act this week,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is clear that Congress needs to reform our broken cannabis laws to better respond to the 47 states across the country who have [legalized] some level of marijuana use.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Earlier in the debate, Perlmutter stated definitively that it is \u201cclear prohibition is over,\u201d referring to the growing number of states enacting legalization.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday we have an opportunity to chart a new path forward on federal cannabis policy that actually makes sense. The MORE Act is about justice, safety, equity and states rights,\u201d he said. \u201cThe time to pass the MORE Act and right the injustices in our community is now.\u201d<\/p>\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) echoed that point near the close of the floor debate, saying that \u201cfor far too long, failed federal drug policies have torn apart families and devastated communities of color.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTragically, the communities most harmed by criminalization are benefiting the least from legal cannabis marketplaces, as prior cannabis convictions are barring too many of them from entering the industry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeanwhile, more than 600,000 Americans are still arrested each year on cannabis charges, threatening to perpetuate this vicious cycle. With the MORE Act, which the Democratic House proudly passed last Congress, we take strong actions to correct these injustices,\u201d the speaker continued. \u201cThis landmark legislation is one of the most important criminal justice reform bills in recent history\u2014delivering justice for those harmed by the brutal, unfair consequences of criminalization, opening the doors of opportunity for all to participate in this rapidly growing industry and decriminalizing cannabis at the federal level so we do not repeat the grave mistakes of our past.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahead of the floor debate on the rule, Pelosi said she is \u201call for\u201d the legalization bill at a press briefing, stressing that \u201cmany states have already\u201d enacted the policy change and so \u201cthis is consistent with is happening in many states across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt also addresses the injustice of it because of what penalties had been before some of this decriminalization took place,\u201d the speaker said. \u201cThere\u2019s so many discussions that have gone on over the years about the use of marijuana or cannabis. The fact is, it exists. It\u2019s being used. We\u2019ve got to address how it is treated legally\u2014and not in a way that mistreats people in the lower income scale.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to have an equitable approach that does not create a situation where \u201cif you\u2019re wealthy you can be engaged in all of this, but if you\u2019re not there are barriers to getting banking services in order to do it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s a fact of life that needed appropriate public policy to address it,\u201d Pelosi said.<\/p>\n

The House approved the rule covering the the MORE Act an unrelated piece of legislation dealing with insulin pricing by a vote of 219-202.<\/p>\n

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The House adopted H.Res. 1017 by a vote of 219-202. https:\/\/t.co\/RA3OYgWEDD<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 House Press Gallery (@HouseDailyPress) March 31, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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During the rule debate on the floor, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) said legalization is a \u201crare win-win scenario for everyone\u2014government, businesses, patients and consumers. However, the ongoing conflict between our state and federal laws creates daily legal issues for businesses, banks, doctors and consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) also spoke in favor of reform, noting that \u201cpublic support for legalization of marijuana has surged in the past two decades.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must reform the banking aspect of [the issue]. We need to open the door to research\u2014 therapeutic treatment for veterans\u2014better banking and tax laws, and we need to help fuel the economic growth within the industry,\u201d the congresswoman said.<\/p>\n

Also his closing remarks, Perlmutter reiterated that Congress is \u201clong past due for the reforms in the MORE Act.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must decriminalize marijuana at the federal level and take meaningful steps to address the effects the war on drugs have had, particularly in minority and disadvantaged communities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Republican lawmakers like Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) and Rep. John Joyce (R-PA), meanwhile, challenged Democrats for prioritizing marijuana reform, contending that Congress should instead be addressing issues like rising gas prices.<\/p>\n

After House leadership confirmed the chamber would again be voting on the MORE Act, the majority and minority leaders of the Judiciary Committee released a nearly 500-page report<\/a>\u00a0on what the legislation would accomplish and outlining arguments for and against the reform.<\/p>\n

Also, following the Rules Committee vote on Wednesday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report finding that enacting the MORE Act would add billions in revenues and reduce prison costs<\/a> over the next decade.<\/p>\n

The move to hold another vote on the cannabis legalization bill comes weeks after\u00a0congressional Democrats held a closed-to-press session at a party retreat<\/a>\u00a0that included a panel that largely centered on the reform legislation.<\/p>\n

Insiders expect the MORE Act to pass on the floor this week, though it will likely clear the chamber in largely partisan fashion. A spokesperson for Rep. Matt Gaetz (R), the sole GOP cosponsor of the bill, told Marijuana Moment that he would vote in favor of the legislation again. He was one of five Republican members to vote \u201cyes\u201d on the MORE Act last session.<\/p>\n

However, a pro-legalization GOP congressman who serves as co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, Rep. Dave Joyce (R), is set to vote against it. His office circulated a letter to other Republican offices ahead of the Rules Committee meeting offering resources on navigating cannabis policy issues but\u00a0expressing opposition to the MORE Act as drafted<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Joyce separately sent a letter to Nadler last month, expressing his willingness to work with the bill sponsor on revisions to build bipartisan support.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, advocates and stakeholders are eagerly awaiting the formal introduction of a separate Senate legalization bill that\u2019s being finalized by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and colleagues. Schumer\u00a0recently said the plan is to file that bill<\/a>\u2014the\u00a0Cannabis Administration & Opportunity Act (CAOA)\u2014in April.<\/p>\n

Also in Congress, a separate bill to tax and regulate marijuana is also in play this session. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) is sponsoring that legislation, and she said in a recent interview that she\u2019s received assurances from Democratic leaders that\u00a0her States Reform Act will receive a hearing<\/a>\u00a0following the MORE Act floor vote.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, on the same day that it was announced that the MORE Act would be heading to the floor again, the Senate unanimously approved\u00a0a bipartisan bill meant to promote research into marijuana<\/a>, in part by streamlining the application process for researchers who want to study the plant and to encourage the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to develop cannabis-derived medicines.<\/p>\n

Congressional researchers separately released a report recently that\u00a0details the challenges posed by ongoing federal prohibition<\/a>\u00a0and the options that lawmakers have available to address them.<\/p>\n

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Federal Marijuana Legalization Bill Would Add Billions In Revenue And Reduce Prison Costs, Congressional Budget Office Says<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post House Formally Advances Federal Marijuana Legalization Bill For Floor Vote, With Praise From Pelosi<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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