Congress unveil de MORE Act of 2021
The new legislation will bring the legalization of Cannabis to a national level.
Is marijuana legalization about to go federal? Congress leaders took the massive and potentially historic first step on Friday when they unveiled the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement Act of 2021, or "The MORE Act of 2021". The stated purpose of the MORE Act of 2021: "To decriminalize and de-stigmatize cannabis, to ensure reinvestment in certain people affected by the war on drugs, to provide for the erasure of certain cannabis offenses and for other purposes." The legislation was introduced by the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jerry Nadler, longtime Democrat from New York, along with members of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. The importance of the proposal cannot be overestimated. If passed, it would end the nationwide ban on marijuana - something a growing number of cities and states across the country have already done. "Since I tabled the MORE Act in the last Congress, numerous states across the country, including my home state New York, have begun legalizing marijuana. Our federal laws must keep up with this pace," Nadler said in a statement. "I am proud to reintroduce the MORE Act to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, remove the unnecessary burden of marijuana convictions for so many Americans, and invest in communities disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs. " The MORE Act of 2021 places great emphasis on eradicating the racial injustices of the war on drugs, with the bill stating that "communities most harmed by cannabis prohibition benefit least from the legal marijuana market" and that "The legacy of racial and ethnic injustices, compounded by the disproportionate collateral consequences of 80 years of cannabis prohibition, now limits participation in the industry." Along with the removal of marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act, the bill requires that "federal courts delete previous convictions, allow previous offenders to request deletion, and require the courts, if requested, to re-hear convictions for those that are still under supervision. " The MORE Act of 2021 also authorizes "the imposition of 5% sales tax on marijuana and marijuana products to create an Opportunity Trust Fund," which includes three grant programs that focus on providing training to "those working on Most affected by the war on drugs are "focus," funds for loans to support small businesses in the marijuana industry owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged people, "and" funds for programs that support the Minimize barriers to marijuana licensing and the employment of those hardest hit by the war on drugs. " From the sweeping marijuana reforms implemented at the state level to public polls showing a large majority in favor of legalization, there are many reasons to be positive about the law's outlook. Political will to pass the law on Capitol Hill is also crucial. In April, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer made it clear that he and his fellow Democrats want to drive legalization forward - even if President Joe Biden has been reluctant to back up politics. "We will go forward," said Schumer at the time. "\[Biden\] said he was studying the subject, so \[I\] obviously want to give him a little time to study. I want to present my arguments to him, as do many other proponents. But at some point we will move forward go, period. Schumer said his own development on this issue has been shaped by the changes at the state level. “In 2018, I was the first member of the Democratic leadership to speak out in favor of ending the federal ban. I'm sure you're asking,“ Well, what has changed? ”Well, my thinking has evolved. As a couple of the early states - Oregon and Colorado - wanted to legalize all opponents of the Parade of Horrors: Crime would increase. Drug use would increase. Anything bad would happen, "Schumer said.