Despite the fact that the vast majority of Americans are in favor of legal marijuana, there were plenty of naysayers in the House. Bentz said legalization has been a disaster for Oregon, explaining that drug cartels are stealing water and threatening locals. The Biden administration, however, has not made the progress many expected on cannabis reform, and its actions suggest a stance that is still very anti-cannabis. It passed the House 220 yea votes to 204 nay votes. If passed, the legislation would end cannabis prohibition by the federal government. If the House passes the MORE Act, the next step would be to move the bill to the Senate. To add to the other comment, the MORE Act (H.R.3884) expired at the end of the 116th Congress. 3617 (117th) in the House. Democratic senators leading a push to legalize marijuana say they are now on track to introduce legislation before recess in August, after initially announcing plans to file a comprehensive reform . He also said that he used to support tough-on-marijuana policies earlier in his political career. Sales are expected to continue to rise this year. Phil Scott is raising the red flag on the Affordable Heat Act. Oscar Renautt did his part by starting the Unity Fund, an organization that helps put gay and trans people in office. By. Cannabis is legal for adult use in 19 states and for medical use in 36 states. dozens of bills introduced since the 1970s, Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The last time the House passed the bill the Senate did not take it up to a vote. Breaking the Link New Developments on U.S. On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act in a 220-204 vote. And because the Senate plans to take the House bill and simply amend it, versus senators introducing an entirely new bill. Litigation Setback for Employers Under Illinois Biometric Information Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Future of Low Carbon Transportation North Carolina Senate Passes Compassionate Care Act at Exactly 4:20 States and Feds Signal Big Changes to Telehealth Prescribing. 1. There are many scholarly articles related medical benefits of cannabis ranging from cancer treatments, to mental health aides, to dermatology use cases. Congress will vote on the MORE Act to decriminalize marijuana Friday. Just last year, "legal" US cannabis sales grew 30% to $22 billion last year, surpassing the amount Americans spent on wine, according to data from Euromonitor. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. WASHINGTON The House of Representatives on Friday voted to federally legalize marijuana, but the bill faces long odds in the Senate and a . Will the U.S. Supreme Court Make Marijuana Legal? Good News for American Businesses: H1-B Denial Rates Plummet Under USCIS Extends Comment Period for Proposed Fee Increases, OFCCP Rescinds Trump-Era Religious Exemption Rule. The Senate last held a vote-a-rama a year ago when it adopted a budget resolution for fiscal year 2022. Schumer also faces a tall task in unifing Democrats on a path forward to legalization, as a few in his party have continued to express reservations about recreational marijuana. He agrees that we need to rethink our approach, including to address the racial disparities and systemic inequities in our criminal justice system, broaden research on the effects of marijuana and support the safe use of marijuana for medical purposes. She then added We look forward to working with Congress to achieve our shared goalsand well continue having discussions with them about this objective.. the House only has to vote to accept the changes to their bill versus starting the process over again. An Opportunity Trust Fund would be created, where half of the tax revenue would support a Community Reinvestment Grant Program, ten percent would support substance abuse programs, and forty percent would go the federal Small Business Administration to support implementation of a newly created equitable licensing grant program. The measure failed a procedural test in the Senate Tuesday, as Republicans voted against starting debate on it. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a key centrist, told The Hill he is very much supportive of medical marijuana, though he still has concerns about legalizing recreational marijuana.. The National Law Review - National Law Forum LLC 3 Grant Square #141 Hinsdale, IL 60521 Telephone (708) 357-3317 ortollfree(877)357-3317. On Monday, the Senate will reconvene after the Thanksgiving . If both the COAA and the MORE Act pass, the House and the Senate would then need to reconcile the two legalization bills into one bill to send on for President Bidens approval. Steven Palazzo, a Republican from Mississippi, raised concerns over how decriminalizing marijuana on the federal level would hurt kids. Finally, decriminalizing cannabis would allow cannabis providers to practice safer business practices and partake in federally regulated business activities. In addition, Perez notes that Biden had an opportunity to reduce cannabis restrictions in Washington, DC, but didnt do so. In terms of timing on the marriage equality bill, the Senate is expected to vote on it later this week, per the source familiar with negotiations. The Basics of Californias Outside Salesperson Exemption. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The bill would end federal prohibition of marijuana by removing it from the list of banned controlled substances. Because cannabis is technically still illegal at a federal level, it is still technically illegal to medically research cannabis. While the 228-115 House vote was a win for the bill's supporters, the 2020 Act and its Senate companion bill ultimately died in the Republican-controlled Senate. Ill be voting when the votes are called, he told HuffPost. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the MORE Act, a bill that would end the federal prohibition on cannabis by removing it from the list of banned controlled substances. Discovery sues Paramount in South Park streaming fight. ADVANCED! Nov 14, 2022, 04:22 PM EST | Updated Nov 14, 2022 The Senate is expected to vote this week on legislation to codify same-sex marriage and, more importantly, the bill has enough GOP support to pass, HuffPost has learned. "We've waited four decades for this," said Samantha Rogers, a transgender activist, who started the nonprofit Teaching Detroit. Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on EDUCATION COMMITTEE- HOUSE. Her bill, the first comprehensive Republican version to end cannabis prohibition, is expected to have its own hearing in April. The MORE Act is thought to have an uphill battle in the Senate. There are also competing bills within the House. Market Realist is a registered trademark. ), whose state haslegalizedrecreational marijuana in recent years, also said he doesnt support legalization, citing serious drug problems in Montana.. Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 09:27 AM EST. But with midterms looming, advocates think the timing may finally be right for Congress to take action. US Executive Branch Update February 27, 2023. Labor Board Flip-Flops Again on Severance FRB Governor Bowman Speaks on Bank Regulation and Supervision. Past Roll Call Votes Voting Statistics Cloture Motions Senators Who Have Cast More than 10,000 Votes It also updated rules earlier this month that could deny security clearances to prospective job candidates who invested in legal cannabis companies. During his opening statement, Nadler said that the bill, if made into law, would reverse decades of injustices waged on Americans, and especially those from communities of color. Following narrow victories by Georgia's two Democratic candidates for the Senate during this week's runoff election, Democrats are expected to take control of the U.S. Senate in 2021, opening up the MORE Act and other federal cannabis bills to a vote. The revenue generated by this federal tax would fund support restorative justice, public health programs, and safety research. Senate Democrats released the draft plan in July, whilealso askingfor feedback from the public and stakeholders as well as government and state officials. The bill is expected to pass in Congress but not the Senate. Among other things, the MORE Act would remove marijuana from the schedules of controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), legalizing many marijuana-related activities at the federal level. The vote fell largely along party lines, with 6 Democrats voting against the bill and 5 Republicans voting . Backers havesaidthe plan seeks to build upon the text seen in the MORE Act, with proposals aimed at addressing items like drugged driving and safety standards, among other measures. The Cannabis Administrative and Opportunity (CAO) Act, Cannabis would be removed from the list of drugs regulated by the Controlled Substances Act, Criminal penalties for federal cannabis offenses would be eliminated, Past federal cannabis convictions would be expunged. Businesses that do choose to bank with a business who offer a cannabis program have to pay whatever premium banks impose. Sessions versus Marijuana: What Are His Options? Baldwin also released an overview of what the Senate proposal will do. That means the Senate bill needs at least 10 Republicans to support it, too, in order to overcome a filibuster. When Congress adjourned at the end of 2020, all unpassed bills effectively died. Other business practices that could become available to cannabis companies if this passes is advertising on Google ads, sending business related SMS, leveraging social media for advertising, and more. , but that proposal stalled in the Senate, where some Republicans raised concerns that it would stifle religious liberty. Do Issuers Fail To File Form Ds Because They Fear Trolls? In that instance, senators offered up 43 amendments for a vote, leading to a session. Unfortunately, with no Republican support on record the prospects for the MORE Act are not promising. The bill, dubbed the MORE Act, was passed mostly along party lines by a vote of 220-204. THE HILL 1625 K STREET, NW SUITE 900 WASHINGTON DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 TEL | 202-628-8503 FAX. ), a member of GOP leadership, cast doubt on its chances. The first draft of the CAO had a 10% cannabis sales tax increasing to 25% over 5 years, much higher than the 5-8% proposed in the MORE Act. Ordered immediately transmitted to the House. 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when will senate vote on more act