Bill Approved by House Judiciary Committee Could End Federal Marijuana Prohibition

On Wednesday November 20th, a 24-10 vote from a congressional committee approved a bill to make cannabis legal. 

For those affected by the federal marijuana prohibition (aka-everyone) this comes as exciting news. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2019 has the potential to not only remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, but also could expunge past federal cannabis convictions. 

If this bill becomes law, a 5% tax on state-legal cannabis commerce will provide resources for communities that were negatively impacted by the prohibition. Such resources would be overseen by a new Cannabis Justice Office.

In his opening remarks, Nadler (D-NY) said, “These steps are long overdue. For far too long we’ve treated marijuana as a criminal justice problem instead of a matter of personal choice and public health.” 

In a statement by Marijuana Moment, “Many observers expect the MORE Act to receive a favorable vote if it reaches the House floor.” Whether it will receive that same favorable vote in the Senate is less sure. 

During the committee meeting reviewing the bill, several amendments were added to the bill, including one that Forbes describes as, “the addition of language contained in the Realizing Equitable & Sustainable Participation in Emerging Cannabis Trades (RESPECT) Resolution...” 

That RESPECT resolution was the inspiration for a paper published by the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) to ensure “fairness and equal representation in the cannabis industry.” As legalization looms, we hope that fairness and equal representation are key features of the MORE Act. 

As advocates of cannabis derived terpenes, Abstrax is thrilled at the possibility of the marijuana prohibition being lifted. Not only does this create more opportunities for commerce, but also for research into the potential medical benefits from cannabis and cannabis terpenes.