House of Representatives Passes MORE Act: Would Federally Decriminalize Cannabis, Regulate Legal Cannabis Businesses
A bipartisan majority of the House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which would decriminalize cannabis at the federal level, impose certain federal regulations and taxes on legal cannabis businesses, and provide for federal grants and other benefits for individuals previously harmed by cannabis prohibition. While this bill is unlikely to be taken up by the Senate before the end of the year, it is the most far-reaching cannabis reform proposal to receive the support of either house of Congress and sets the tone for further reform efforts in the new Congress and under the Biden administration.
Related Knowledge Center: Cannabis: a legal overview
Spurred by legalization approved by referenda in Colorado and Washington state in 2012, a growing number of states have legalized adult recreational use of cannabis — 14 (and the District of Columbia) to date, as well as an additional 20 that permit sale of cannabis prescribed for medicinal purposes. More are expected to follow: All cannabis legalization initiatives on the ballot in 2020 — four recreational and two medical — were approved by voters. Other states have taken the more limited step of decriminalization.
Meanwhile, the conflict between these state laws and federal policy — cannabis remains illegal under federal law — remains unresolved: the Justice and Treasury departments have adopted informal policies of non-interference with state laws.