Support the Legalization of Marijuana - Passed House
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UPDATE (04/01/22): With a 220-204 vote, the House has passed H.R. 3617. The legislation now moves to the Senate for consideration.
A staggering 91% of Americans support legalizing some degree of marijuana use in the United States, with 60% supporting full recreational and medical legalization and 31% supporting legalization for medical purposes only.
Consistent with shifting public opinion, a growing number of states have legalized marijuana. As of 2022, 38 states and Washington, DC have legalized medical marijuana use, with 18 of these states and Washington, DC also legalizing recreational use. However, states’ efforts to relax marijuana laws conflict with the Federal Controlled Substances Act, which classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug with no accepted medical use.
To reconcile federal and state laws, Representative Jerry Nadler has introduced the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act (HR 3617). The MORE Act legalizes marijuana by removing both marijuana and its active ingredient THC from the Controlled Substances Act. The bill retroactively expunges marijuana use and possession convictions, including for people currently serving time for such convictions. Lastly, the bill establishes a fund to invest in communities most affected by the federal government’s war on drugs.
Urge your members of Congress to support this overdue legislation to end the costly and harmful prosecution of a socially accepted medical and recreational drug.
