The US House will vote this week on a bill that is expected to bring in resounding changes to the country’s drug policy by deletion of marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act. The bill has been named as Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act OF 2019, and the Democratic members of the House are prepared to vote on the bill.
The US Housse Judiciary Committee approved of the measure last November. If this is made into a law, it will open up business opportunities for legal marijuana. However, several steps need to be taken to transform this into law. If the measure passes the House, it could stall in the Republican-controlled Senate. The state of Utah has worked extensively on the state’s medical-marijuana program since the voters approved a proposal in 2008. However, since its inception, the project has hit quite a few roadblocks.
The voting is expected to take place sometime in September, and this will be the first time that a chamber of Congress will vote for the removal of marijuana from the Controlled Substances List. In 1970, Cannabis was included as a Schedule I drug in the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule I drugs are those who have no medical benefit and have a high potential for abuse. Some of the other drugs on the list are Peyote, Ecstasy, and LSD.
As discussed earlier, the MORE Act will aim to create grant opportunities for people who have suffered due to the criminalization of marijuana. Although the federal authorities have classified marijuana as a Schedule I drug, it is already legal in 11 states. The Senate’s majority leader believes that the odds of the bill passing the Senate are very slim. There is apprehension that even if the MORE Act passes both chambers of Congress, the sale of marijuana will never become legal. It will be the discretion of the states to decide how to regulate marijuana.
