Historic Victory in the House: The MORE Act

by Madeline Grant, NCIA’s Government Relations Manager

Last Friday, the House of Representatives voted to approve the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act, H.R. 3884. With a vote of 228-164, the MORE Act passed the House and this is an historic victory, one that we’ve never seen the likes of before. There were five Republicans who voted in favor of the MORE Act: Reps. Gaetz (FL), McClintock (CA), Mast (FL), Riggleman (VA), and Young (AK), while there were six Democrats that went against their parties’ favorable YES vote; Reps. Bustos (IL), Cuellar (TX), Lamb (PA), Lipinski (IL), Pappas (NH), and Peterson (MN). 

The MORE Act would remove marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act and work to repair the social and personal harms caused by federal marijuana enforcement. This is the first time since marijuana was made federally illegal that either chamber of Congress has held a floor vote on – or approved – a bill to make the substance legal again. 

This monumental victory shows just how far Congress has come, but it’s important to note there is more work to be done. Although the House passed the MORE Act, a different story continues to play out on the Senate side. The House passed the SAFE Banking Act last September and the SAFE Banking language provisions in the COVID-19 relief packages, however, there has been little activity on these topics in the Senate. Senators have repeatedly spoken out in opposition of bringing up cannabis policy amidst the pandemic, stating that it’s not the time or place. But as I mentioned before, it’s also important to note that the House has passed not one, but two COVID relief packages in the last 6+ months that the Senate (namely, Leader McConnell) has refused to take up. That being said, despite a global pandemic, support for cannabis reform remains strong, a recent Gallup poll showed a record 68% of Americans support making cannabis legal. On Election Day, voters in Arizona, Montana, and New Jersey approved measures to regulate cannabis for adults, while Mississippians overwhelmingly approved a medical cannabis referendum, and voters in South Dakota passed both adult-use and medical initiatives. The vote and passage of the MORE Act on the House shows that House leadership is listening. 

The MORE Act, sponsored by the House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and 120 cosponsors, would not only mitigate the federal-state conflict by removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, but it would also require the expungement of past federal cannabis convictions. The bill would also establish a Cannabis Justice Office to administer a program to reinvest resources in the communities that have been most heavily impacted by prohibition, funded by a tax on state-legal cannabis commerce. It would also allow the Small Business Administration to provide loans and grants to cannabis-related businesses and support state and local equity licensing programs, permit doctors within the Veterans Affairs states to recommend medical cannabis to patients in accordance with applicable state laws, and prevent discrimination based on cannabis consumption during immigration proceedings. 

Now, as we near the end of the 116th Congress, the NCIA team will continue to work and strategize various ways forward in Washington, D.C. As we see more and more legislative victories each Congress, it is important to relish in our success and continue to propel the momentum forward (we could all use a moment to celebrate after 2020!). The MORE Act vote, being the most comprehensive cannabis bill on Capitol Hill, gives us momentum to accomplish more in the next congressional session. Thank you to each and everyone one of you who took the time to call your Representative. Stay tuned for the 117th Congress!