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UPDATED 3:00 PM PT – Friday, December 4, 2020
A bill to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level is headed to the Senate after clearing the House.
On Friday, the lower chamber approved the ‘MORE Act,’ which removes cannabis from the controlled substances act and expunges previous pot convictions.
There it is. The House will pass the MORE Act to federally decriminalize marijuana by a simple majority. pic.twitter.com/h9dUA7u5VX
— Jeremy Berke (@jfberke) December 4, 2020
This came as Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota recently voted to legalize marijuana. Pot is now legal in 15 states, while medical marijuana is allowed in 38 states.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say the historic vote has been a long time coming.
“The federal government has lied to the people of this country about marijuana for a generation,” Rep. Gaetz (R-Fla.) stated. “We have seen a generation – particularly of black and brown youth – locked up for offenses that should have not resulted in any incarceration whatsoever.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) looks on during the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law hearing on Online Platforms and Market Power in the Rayburn House Office Building in Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Photo by Graeme Jennings-Pool/Getty Images)
While the bill garnered bipartisan support, top House Republicans condemned Speaker Nancy Pelosi for prioritizing the marijuana bill over coronavirus relief.
The bill is not expected to clear the Senate.
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