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Law and JusticeUnited States of America

US House passes bill to decriminalize marijuana

April 1, 2022

Lawmakers in the US have voted to decriminalize marijuana. Though it may have passed in the House of Representatives, the legislation is not expected to make it through the Senate.

https://p.dw.com/p/49MJ8
Picture showing cannabis plants
The bill passed by the House of Representatives must now make it past the SenatImage: Brad Horrigan/Hartford Courant/TNS/abaca/picture alliance

The US House of Representatives on Friday voted in favor of a bill that would end a federal ban on marijuana.

The vote on the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE Act) passed by a margin of 220 votes to 204.

Surveys show that Americans overwhelmingly support decriminalization. However, the legislation is unlikely to become law since it is not expected to find enough support in the Senate.

What is the MORE Act?

The legislation would see marijuana removed from its current standing alongside controlled substances such as heroin and cocaine. Punishment for people growing, distributing or possessing it would be scrapped. The bill also authorizes a 5% sales tax on marijuana and marijuana products that would be used for grant programs focused on job training and substance abuse treatment

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, one of the bill's sponsors, said it was high time government realize the benefits of the drug.

"If states are the laboratories of democracy, it is long past time for the federal government to recognize that this experiment in legalization has been a resounding success," Nadler said.

Democratic Representative Ed Perlmutter said the bill would "end decades of failed and unjust marijuana policy." He added that the bill does not force any state to legalize marijuana.

Republican Representative Michelle Fischbach called the legislation "not only flawed but dangerous," arguing that it did not protect minors and would encourage people to open marijuana businesses.

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Bills uncertain next step despite popular sentiment

Decriminalization advocates have argued that cannabis causes relatively low harm and that legalization would dissuade violent growers and traffickers. 

Currently 37 states in the US have legalized marijuana in some form, but it remains banned in 13 states.

According to a 2021 Pew Research Center poll, 91% of Americans feel that medical or recreational use of marijuana should be allowed.

The bill must now go before the Senate, where its fate is far from certain. Democrats would need 10 Republican votes to make it past the 60-vote mark.

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kb/nm (Reuters,AFP)