IN THE BACK
CANNABITCH
Get M.O.R.E.
Proposed decriminalization law set to go in front of House By Jackie Bryant
O
n Wednesday, November 20, the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would federally decriminalize cannabis. Called the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019 (M.O.R.E. Act), it passed 24-10 after a lively two-hour debate. Most importantly, the bill would remove cannabis from the list of federally controlled substances. It would also require federal courts to expunge prior convictions for cannabis expenses, prevent cannabis convictions from affecting immigration status
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and allow states to set their own cannabis policies. The bill also proposes levying a 5% tax on cannabis products, which is intended to establish a trust fund for programs that will help people disproportionately affected by the “war on drugs.” “With today’s mark-up of the M.O.R.E. Act, the United
States is coming one step closer to ending the devastating harms of marijuana prohibition, which have fallen so heavily on black and brown people,” says Drug Policy Alliance Executive Director Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno in a statement. “This legislation won’t make up for the full scale of harm that prohibition has caused to its victims. It’s not going to return anyone their lost dreams, time lost at the mercy of the criminal justice system or the years spent away from their families. But this legislation is the closest we’ve come yet to not only ending those harms at the federal level, but also beginning to repair them.”
Representatives from all segments of the industry are delighted by the news, as well, all of whom applaud the efforts the bill makes to tackle some of the serious social justice issues that plague the cannabis industry. “Today’s vote marks a turning point for federal cannabis policy, and is truly a sign that prohibition’s days are numbered,” says Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) in a statement. “Thanks to the diligent efforts of advocates and lawmakers from across the political spectrum, we’ve seen more progress in this Congress than ever before. Supermajority public support for legalization, increasing recognition of
the devastating impacts of prohibition on marginalized communities and people of color, and the undeniable success of state cannabis programs throughout the country are all helping to build momentum for comprehensive change in the foreseeable future.” McFarland SanchezMoreno sums it up thusly. “The M.O.R.E. Act recognizes that marijuana reform is fundamentally a matter of justice,” she says, adding, “I’m so pleased that it is now coming up for a mark-up, and I encourage all members of Congress to support it.” Next up for the M.O.R.E. Act? A vote in front of the full House of Representatives.
NOVEMBER 27, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15