Posted on 04/04/2022 12:35:39 PM PDT by Red Badger
The House on Wednesday passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement, or MORE Act, which removes cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and requires courts to expunge convictions of nonviolent marijuana offenders. It passed by a vote of 220-204. Its chances of success are far slimmer in the Senate, where it would need the support of all 50 Democrats and at least 10 Republicans to pass.
Democrats in the Senate are actually working on their own similar bill, the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which is expected to be introduced near the end of April.
Three-quarters of US states have legalized marijuana to some extent: The recreational market alone hit nearly $15 billion in 2021 and is on target to surpass $25 billion by 2025. But the use, possession or sale of cannabis is still prohibited by federal statute. That's created a significant disconnect that many lawmakers are eager to reconcile.
Here's what to know about marijuana legalization, including what happens to the MORE Act next, which states have legalized weed and how Americans feel about the issue.
Which states have legalized medical marijuana?
As of April 2022, 37 states have legalized the medical use of cannabis: Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.
In addition, the District of Columbia and the territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the US Virgin Islands have all legalized medical marijuana.
Each jurisdiction has its own criteria regarding what conditions cannabis can be prescribed for, at what amounts and what the process is for issuing medical marijuana licenses to qualified residents.
Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming have medical allowances for the legal possession of CBD (cannabidiol) products containing low levels of THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, generally less than 3%. Most legal dispensaries sell products with THC percentages of 25% and above.
Which states have legalized recreational marijuana? According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 18 states have legalized the adult use of marijuana for recreational purposes (and medical uses, as well): Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
In addition, recreational cannabis is legal in Washington, DC, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
After months of negotiations, Rhode Island introduced legislation for adult use of marijuana in March 2022.
In South Dakota last year, the state Supreme Court struck down an amendment to the state constitution to legalize recreational cannabis that voters passed with a 54% majority in 2020.
What does federal law say about marijuana?
Under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, the Drug Enforcement Agency still classifies cannabis as a Schedule I drug, "with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse." (Other Schedule I drugs include heroin and LSD, while cocaine is listed as a Schedule II drug.)
In 2013, President Barack Obama directed the Justice Department to defer to state authorities in jurisdictions that had legalized marijuana, "based on assurances that those states will impose an appropriately strict regulatory system."
Known as the Cole Memorandum, this guidance was rescinded in 2018 by Jeff Sessions, attorney general under President Donald Trump. Marijuana legalization advocates have encouraged President Joe Biden to direct current Attorney General Merrick Garland to reinstate the Cole memorandum.
medical marijuana
Thirty-seven states in all have legalized marijuana for medical purposes.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images What is the Marijuana Opportunity and Reinvestment Expungement Act? Now heading to the Senate, the MORE Act would abolish federal criminal penalties for those growing, possessing or distributing cannabis and expunge nonviolent cannabis convictions. It would also institute a tax on marijuana sales, with proceeds funding programs to help communities impacted by the "war on drugs."
It doesn't require states to legalize cannabis, however. Regulation would be left up to state lawmakers.
The bill initially passed the House in December 2020, the first time either chamber approved repealing federal marijuana prohibition. Then-Sen. Kamala Harris of California, a Democrat, introduced a matching bill in the Senate, though it wasn't taken up for consideration.
The same thing may happen this time: Even if it does come up for a vote in the upper chamber, it would need 10 Republicans and all Democrats to give their support.
"It is unlikely to pass the Senate in its current form," Michael S. Lavery, a senior research analyst at financial services firm Piper Sandler, told clients, according to Yahoo Finance.
What is the proposed Senate bill to legalize marijuana? The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act is a separate marijuana-legalization bill being drafted in the Senate. It would end the federal ban on cannabis and give state-compliant cannabis businesses access to financial services like bank accounts, business loans and credit card transactions.
In a letter sent in February, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Senate Finance Committee Chair Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Cory Booker invited their colleagues in the upper chamber to help finalize the legislation.
"Hundreds of millions of Americans live in states that have legalized cannabis in some form while it remains illegal at the federal level," the lawmakers wrote. That discrepancy "breeds confusion and uncertainty," they said, and raises questions in areas from small-business growth to public safety.
In a February press conference, Schumer said he was hoping to introduce a bill by April. "As majority leader, I can set priorities. This is a priority for me," Schumer said, according to Bloomberg.
Per NJ Cannabis Insider, Booker said that the bill is nearly written and he hopes to introduce it in the Senate by April 20, the unofficial holiday for marijuana.
Are there other marijuana legalization efforts in Congress? As more states legalize medical and recreational marijuana, more lawmakers want to square up federal laws so they don't conflict with state regulations.
In late March, the Senate unanimously approved the Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act, which would streamline the application process for researchers who want to study the medicinal value of cannabis and related products.
"This important legislation will cut the red tape around the research process, helping get FDA-approved, marijuana-derived medications safely to patients," Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, a sponsor of the bill, said in a March 24 statement.
On Feb. 4, the House passed the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act, which would grant state-licensed marijuana businesses access to financial services. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, a Democrat from Colorado, first introduced the bill in 2019. He said he's confident it will finally clear the Senate this session.
"I think this is the bill that's going to break the ice, and then other things can be added or advocated for, over the course of the next few months or years," Perlmutter told Yahoo News.
Does President Biden support legalizing weed? During the 2020 presidential campaign, then-candidate Biden promised to "decriminalize cannabis use and automatically expunge prior convictions."
According to Biden's campaign website, "No one should be in jail because of cannabis use."
While campaigning for president, Joe Biden said he supported legalizing medical marijuana and leaving regulation of recreational weed up to the states.
The site promised that, as president, Biden would "support the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes, leave decisions regarding legalization for recreational use up to the states, and reschedule cannabis as a Schedule II drug so researchers can study its positive and negative impacts."
While the president can't repeal federal marijuana laws on his own, he can grant amnesty to people with federal convictions for nonviolent marijuana-related crimes. He can also reinstate Obama-era guidance to the Justice Department not to prosecute low-level marijuana offenses or interfere with state marijuana laws
Biden could also throw his weight behind the current congressional legislation and similar bills. "Biden and his party both are in need of political wins, and relaxing marijuana laws -- or fully legalizing the drug -- is extremely popular," Alex Shepard wrote for the New Republic in December.
How do Americans feel about legal marijuana? According to a 2021 Pew Research poll, 91% of Americans believe cannabis should be legalized to some degree -- 31% for medical use and 60% for both medical and recreational use.
Only 8% of respondents said marijuana should not be legal at all.
Support for decriminalization crosses party affiliation, with 47% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents favoring legalizing marijuana for both medical and recreational use and an additional 40% for medical use alone.
That's compared with the 72% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents who back legalization for both medical and recreational use and an additional 23% who want it legalized only for medical use.
The shift has grown through the generations, with 70% of Americans aged 18 to 29 backing legalization for recreational and medical use, compared with 46% of those 65 and older.
What's the difference between legalization and decriminalization? Many states that have legalized marijuana initially decriminalized possession of a small amount. Broadly speaking, cannabis "legalization" means passing laws that allow the buying, selling and possession of marijuana, usually with restrictions on the age of the consumer and the amount purchased.
Decriminalization, on the other hand, typically means that violating certain marijuana laws can still result in fines or other penalties but not criminal charges or jail time.
While neither Nebraska nor North Carolina has legalized cannabis for recreational or medicinal purposes, both states have decriminalized low-level marijuana offenses.
In North Carolina, possession of half an ounce of marijuana or less is considered a Class 3 misdemeanor punishable by a $200 fine, "but any sentence of imprisonment imposed must be suspended."
In Nebraska, the first-offense possession of an ounce or less is punishable by a maximum fine of $300 and a possible requirement to complete a drug education course. A second conviction is considered a misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum fine of $500. Subsequent convictions are also misdemeanors, punishable by a maximum fine of $500 and up to seven days in jail.
The US Virgin Islands decriminalized recreational marijuana in 2014, decreasing penalties for possession of an ounce or less from a $5,000 fine and a year in jail to a maximum $200 fine and no jail time.
Legalize pot? That’s reefer madness !!
That’s a pipe dream.
enough pussyfootin around=- legalize heroine so that we can all nod off at inappropriate times-
As long as it’s pot laced with fentanyl, I’m good with it.
Well, that’s different.
Going fine here in IL. I don’t mind paying a little more for clean, tested weed sold in safe, clean stores. You don’t like it, don’t smoke it.
Well, you touch on the issue of whether legalizing marijuana will lead to legalizing other drugs, and where lines are drawn on such issues.
Does it make you feel good to wish people harm?
New users without self-control will toke themselves into befuddled unemployability. Their habituation will be declared a disease, as alcoholism has, and they’ll harvest our tax dollars in the form of benefits with which to seek the perfect high.
It means all the Senators/coingressmen have already bought all the marijuana stocks, now they can make it legal.
Yes; here in New Jersey they're legalizing use, but it will remain illegal to grow your own. Follow the money.
Remember when the Federal Government’s power was so limited it had to use a Constitutional amendment to outlaw Alcohol? Yep. Those were the days.
I'm all for people inhaling or snorting whatever they want. Just don't make the rest of us pay the bills for other people's stupidity -- be they medical bills or buying groceries or paying the power bills for people too high to work or think straight.
“I only hope if they do legalize it, the law prevents the federal government or state governments from taking a single cent in taxes from it.“
This is exactly why they WANT to legalize it - so they CAN tax the living heck out of it - growth, processing, sales, etc..
After all, this is the US Government we’re talking about..
Not possible. The Supreme Court decided that marijuana is subject to federal regulation under the Commerce Clause. The decision was based on a decision that ruled FDR could regulate a farmer's cultivation of wheat even though not a single bushel was commercially sold.
So, Congress has to act. Sometimes the law really is an ass.
Pot users should beware this bill. The purpose is not to remove marijuana from the controlled substance list but to usurp state and local regulatory control and taxation. Basically the fed pigs see money in pot and want to take it. This will be bad even for those that want to legalize pot.
Now, if only Fedzilla could figure out a way to tax unnatural sexual acts . . .
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