Federal Marijuana Reform: You Can’t Always Get What You Want?

The Proposed Reform EffortsA group of Congressional Democrats have announced a plan to push an ambitious set of cannabis reform proposals this spring. The reform proposals include:The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act would seek to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substance Act and purge records for those convicted of using marijuana. The Medical Marijuana Research Act would remove restrictions to federal researchers studying marijuana to ensure that researchers have access to quality product. Likelihood of Passage of Reform MeasuresAs of the time of this writing, I believe there are sufficient votes in both houses of Congress – including Republican votes – to pass cannabis reform efforts. If that happens, we will see whether the most strident supporters of cannabis reform are willing to take a narrower victory or if they will insist on an all-or-nothing approach.