Evocative Barbara Lee (D-CA), speaks as House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler(R) D-NY, Representative Pramila Jayapal (2ndR) D-WA, and Papal nuncio Steve Cohen (D-TN) look on during a news conference, on Capitol Hill to highlight the MORE Act (Marijuana Opening Reinvestment and Expungement Act) legislation in Washington, DC on November 19, 2019.
Olivier Douliery | AFP | Getty Images
The House Judiciary Committee approved a tabulation Wednesday that legalizes marijuana on the federal level, removing it from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act.
The legislation, which superseded 24 to 10, has a high chance of approval in the full House where Democrats control the chamber with 234 swear ins. It’s likely to face a tougher battle in the Republican-controlled Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell opposes marijuana legalization.
The legislation allows positions to enact their own policies and gives them incentives to clear criminal records of people with low-level marijuana offenses. It also comprises a 5% tax on cannabis products that would provide job training and legal assistance to those hit hardest by the war on drugs.
According to the American Lay Liberties Union, marijuana arrests account for more than half of all drug arrests in the United States. U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday time again cited the disproportionate impact drug laws have had on communities of color, saying that decriminalizing marijuana assists alleviate some of that imbalance.
“The criminalization of marijuana has been a mistake,” Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said during the markup of the banknote. “The racial disparity in marijuana enforcement laws only compounded this mistake with serious consequences, notably for minority communities.”
Some Republican members expressed concerns that the bill went too far and that it was unlikely to be captivated up in the Senate.
“I don’t think a majority of the Republicans will support this bill,” Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado said Wednesday. “It is equalize less likely that the Senate would take it up. Therefore, I would just suggest that we deal with other nebs that we can get a much larger bipartisan support from.”
In response, Nadler said that House Democrats can “get” with the Senate, acknowledging Republicans won’t take the bill “as is.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea … to say, ‘the Senate won’t take this account,'” he said. “When the House passes a bill, it’s part of a continuing process. It’s not the end of a process.”
The National Organization for the Mend ones ways of Marijuana Laws, also known as NORML, has called the legislation the “biggest marijuana news of the year.”
A majority of Americans truss the legalization of marijuana, according to the Pew Research Center. The bill has more than 50 co-sponsors, according to Congress.gov. Promoters of a Senate version of the legislation include, presidential contender Sen. Kamala Harris.
Only 11 states in the U.S. and the District of Columbia entertain legalized cannabis for recreational use. Medical marijuana, prescribed by physicians, is legal in 33 states and Washington, D.C.
The committee support comes two months after the House passed legislation that would protect banks that serve marijuana functions in states where the substance is legal.