Lee, Nadler, Blumenauer, Jackson Lee and Velázquez Reintroduce Comprehensive Marijuana Reform Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congressional Cannabis Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), along with House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Representatives Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) reintroduced the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act (HR 5601), one of the most comprehensive marijuana reform bills ever introduced in the U.S. Congress.
Following efforts led by states across the nation, the MORE Act decriminalizes marijuana at the federal level. The bill also aims to correct the historical injustices of failed drug policies that have disproportionately impacted communities of color and low-income communities by requiring resentencing and expungement of prior convictions. This will create new opportunities for individuals as they work to advance their careers, education, and overall quality of life. The MORE Act also ensures that all benefits in the law are available to juvenile offenders.
“It’s no secret that our federal cannabis laws are outdated and out-of-touch,” said Rep. Lee, co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. “Cannabis is now a multi-billion dollar industry, and yet Congress continues to lag behind the 38 states that have legalized either adult-use or medical cannabis. But we can’t just stop with decriminalization. I am proud to co-lead a bill that represents the most progressive, comprehensive piece of cannabis legislation in US history: not only would it decriminalize marijuana, it would expunge marijuana convictions and reinvest in our communities—especially Black communities and those most impacted by the War on Drugs. As Co-Chair of the Cannabis Caucus, I urge my colleagues to support this bill to advance racial justice and bring the federal government into the 21st century.”
“I am proud to reintroduce the MORE Act. As more states continue to legalize marijuana, we must change federal law to reverse failed policies criminalizing marijuana,” said Judiciary Committee Ranking Member, Jerrold Nadler. “The MORE Act would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, remove the needless burden of marijuana convictions on so many Americans, and invest in the communities that have been disproportionately harmed by the War on Drugs. I thank my colleagues, Representatives Barbara Lee and Earl Blumenauer, Co-Chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, as well as Representatives Sheila Jackson Lee and Nydia Velázquez for their work on this legislation as we continue to push for this much-needed change.”
“After fifty years of the failed war on drugs, it is past time for the federal government to catch up with majority of states who have legalized cannabis in some form,” said Congressman Earl Blumenauer, founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. “The MORE Act is the only comprehensive cannabis reform that has passed either chamber of Congress—twice. It is the gold-standard, reflecting the concerns of businesses, researchers and impacted communities alike.”
“The MORE Act would provide a long-overdue corrective to drug policies that have exacerbated mass incarceration and disproportionately harmed communities of color,” said Rep. Jackson Lee, Ranking Member of the Crime Subcommittee. “The MORE Act goes beyond merely decriminalizing marijuana by also providing a path to expungement and investing in communities, taking critical steps to reverse past harms.”
"For far too long, our communities of color have been over-policed by racially biased practices that have led to a disproportionate amount of unjust marijuana-related arrests," said Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY). "It is past time that we right the wrongs of the past by decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level and help heal the communities most hurt by the War on Drugs. I am proud to co-lead the reintroduction of the MORE Act because it will restore justice to our most marginalized communities, and boost our economy."
The MORE Act:
- Decriminalizes marijuana at the federal level by removing the substance from the Controlled Substances Act. This applies retroactively to prior and pending convictions, and enables states to set their own policy.
- Requires federal courts to expunge prior convictions, allows prior offenders to request expungement, and requires courts, on motion, to conduct re-sentencing hearings for those still under supervision.
- Authorizes the assessment of a 5% sales tax on marijuana and marijuana products to create an Opportunity Trust Fund, which includes three grant programs:
- The Community Reinvestment Grant Program: Provides services to the individuals most adversely impacted by the War on Drugs, including job training, re-entry services, legal aid, literacy programs, youth recreation, mentoring, and substance use treatment.
- The Cannabis Opportunity Grant Program: Provides funds for loans to assist small businesses in the marijuana industry that are owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
- The Equitable Licensing Grant Program: Provides funds for programs that minimize barriers to marijuana licensing and employment for the individuals most adversely impacted by the War on Drugs.
- Opens up Small Business Administration funding for legitimate cannabis-related businesses and service providers.
- Provides non-discrimination protections for marijuana use or possession, and for prior convictions for a marijuana offense:
- Prohibits the denial of any federal public benefit (including housing) based on the use or possession of marijuana, or prior conviction for a marijuana offense.
- Provides that the use or possession of marijuana, or prior conviction for a marijuana offense, will have no adverse impact under the immigration laws.
- Requires the Bureau of Labor Statistics to collect data on the demographics of the industry to ensure people of color and those who are economically disadvantaged are participating in the industry.
The MORE Act has the support of a broad coalition of civil rights, criminal justice, drug policy, and immigration groups, including: the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Drug Policy Alliance, NORML, Better Organizing to Win Legalization, and Minorities for Medical Marijuana, the Center for American Progress and Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
To view the text of the MORE Act, click here.
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Congresswoman Lee is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. She serves as Co-Chair of the Steering and Policy Committee, former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Chair Emeritus of the Progressive Caucus, Co-Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Health Task Force, and Co-Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus. She also serves as Chair of the Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity. As a member of the House Democratic Leadership, she is the highest-ranking Black woman appointed to House Leadership.