House Schedules MORE Act Vote

At the end of August, email correspondence from Majority Whip Jim Clyburn’s (D-S.C.) office disclosed that members of the U.S. House of Representatives will be voting September on historic legislation to decriminalize cannabis.¹ In a letter from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) on August 31, upcoming House sessions were confirmed on various legislative issues, including a vote on the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement Act (“MORE Act”).²

According to Marijuana Moment, Hoyer stated: “I’m pleased to bring the MORE Act to the House Floor next month to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. This legislation is an important step to correct the disproportionate impact our criminal justice system has had on communities of color.”³

Proposed last July by House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and vice-presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), the MORE Act looks to remove marijuana from the list of scheduled substances under by the Controlled Substances Act, and remove criminal penalties for individuals who manufacture, distribute, or possess marijuana. If enacted, the bill will additionally:

• replace statutory references to “marijuana” and “marihuana” with “cannabis;”
• require the Bureau of Labor Statistics to regularly publish demographic data on cannabis business owners and employees;
• imposes a 5% tax on cannabis products and require revenues to be deposited into a trust fund established to support various programs and services for individuals and businesses in communities impacted by the war on drugs;
• establish a process to expunge convictions and conduct sentencing review hearings related to federal cannabis offenses; and
• extend Small Business Administration loans and services available to entities that are cannabis-related legitimate businesses or service providers, among other things.

In the past, the MORE Act has generated bipartisan support – it passed the House Judiciary Committee last November in a 24-10 vote, with support from Representatives Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Tom McClintock (R-CA)⁴. That said, it’s current odds in the Republican-held Senate remain slim.

The House is expected to vote on the MORE Act during the week of September 21, 2020.

For more on the House of Representatives’ current legislative session, click here.

1. Fertig, Natalie. “House Set to Vote on Marijuana Legalization,” August 28, 2020. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/28/marijuana-legalization-house-vote-404455
2. Jaeger, Kyle. “Top House Democrat Announces Federal Marijuana Legalization Vote Details,” August 31, 2020. https://www.marijuanamoment.net/top-house-democrat-talks-marijuana-reform-with-major-cannabis-company/
3. Jaeger, Kyle. “Top House Democrat Announces Federal Marijuana Legalization Vote Details.”
4. Axelrod, Tal. “House to Vote on Removing Cannabis from List of Controlled Substances.” The Hill. Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., August 29, 2020. https://thehill.com/homenews/house/514237-house-to-vote-on-a-bill-to-remove-cannabis-from-list-of-controlled-substances

Author: Nadav Aschner

The information in this blog post (the “Blog” or “Post”) is provided as news and/or commentary for general informational purposes only. The information herein does not, and shall never, constitute legal advice and therefore cannot be relied upon as a legal opinion. Nothing in this Blog constitutes attorney communication and is not privileged information. Nothing in the Post or on this website creates any kind of attorney-client relationship or privilege of any kind.

Originally published at https://therodmanlawgroup.com on September 10, 2020.