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At the end of March, the House of Representatives approved the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act. House Judiciary Chairman, Jerrold Nadler, even tweeted, “This bill will reverse decades of failed federal policies based on the criminalization of marijuana.” He continued by saying, “For far too long, we have treated marijuana as a criminal justice problem instead of as a matter of personal choice and public health.
While there is absolutely reason to celebrate, this move doesn’t necessarily equal complete legalization at the federal level. That being said, if it passes in the senate, it may pave the way for positive changes in the cannabis industry.
Read on to learn what the MORE Act really is, who it will impact, and what it spells for federal cannabis legalization.
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Need a quick rundown? No problem!
In the simplest sense, the MORE act will decriminalize cannabis, remove it from the list of scheduled substances, and eliminate criminal penalties for those who manufacture, distribute, or possess cannabis. Additionally, the summary from congress states that the MORE act:
The excise tax, in particular, has caused some confusion. According to the actual text, there will be a 5% excise tax on cannabis products for the first two years. Each year after that, the tax will increase by 1% until it ultimately reaches an 8% excise tax.
Technically, no. While the provisions in the MORE act are historic and essential, they only decriminalize cannabis instead of fully legalizing it. If you look at the actual text, the word “legalize” doesn’t appear even once.
Essentially, cannabis will still be prohibited by law, but the legal system won’t prosecute or criminalize someone for manufacturing, distributing, or possessing under a certain amount of cannabis. It also won’t require states to legalize cannabis and leaves regulatory discretion up to states as well.
This isn’t the first time the MORE act has passed in the House. A nearly identical version passed in 2020 but never moved beyond the Senate. The most recent version of the MORE act will need to undergo the same process and some are doubtful it will acquire senate approval.
Doubts are even more understandable considering how narrowly the MORE act passed in the house (220-204 with only three republicans supporting and two democrats opposing). Some members see legalization as inevitable while others still view the MORE act as flawed.
Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-OR) opposed the bill saying “What’s deeply and truly disturbing, however, about this bill is its failure to address the clear consequences of legalization.” He argued that the passage will negatively impact children and lead to additional traffic accidents. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) opposed reform because of concerns about increased potency in cannabis products. He called it “reckless” due to the lack of THC limits.
It’s important to remember, however, that the MORE Act could increase revenue by billions of dollars while reducing prison costs. Additionally, the Senate recently approved a bipartisan bill that promotes cannabis research. Clearly, the overall attitude towards cannabis is changing.
NCIA Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, Aaron Smith, even said in a statement “With voter support for legal cannabis at an all-time high and more and more states moving away from prohibition, we commend the House for once again taking this step to modernize our federal marijuana policies. Now is the time for the Senate to act on sensible reform legislation so that we can finally end the failure of prohibition and foster a well regulated marketplace for cannabis.”
While the practical applications for our terpenes extend beyond cannabis, our passion for this science was birthed from the cannabis industry. We genuinely want to see a thriving and successful cannabis industry, so we’ll always be keeping an eye out for important industry news. Follow us for all the latest updates.