The US House of Representatives has voted to decriminalize marijuana

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The US House of Representatives voted Friday to decriminalize cannabis at the federal level. It is the first step towards making the drug legal and trying to reverse some of the damage done by drug laws. The voting happened along party lines, with 220 votes in favor and 204 against. The bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate, but advocates say with Democrats controlling both houses of Congress, they are more hopeful that the legislation will finally become law.

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement would remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances and impose a federal tax on cannabis products. Expunge convictions and review sentences for past federal cannabis convictions would be established.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is required to conduct a study on the impact of the legalization of recreational cannabis by states on the workplace. The one that was rejected on Friday would have denied a federal security clearance if it had been revoked because of cannabis use.

The House passed an earlier version of the bill in December of 2020, but it didn't make it to the Senate. The timing may be right for Congress to take action.

Maritza Perez, director of the Drug Policy Action office for national affairs, said in an interview that she was more optimistic than she was last time.

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The recent wave of state legalization efforts has put pressure on Congress to act according to House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler. He hopes the Senate will pass the MORE Act so the federal government can join dozens of states in ending these unfair and outdated policies.

The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act was introduced in the Senate last summer, but the fate of the MORE Act is uncertain.

The actions of the Biden administration suggest a stance that is still very anti-cannabis, despite the fact that it has not made the progress many expected on cannabis reform. The White House asked staff who tested positive for marijuana to resign or work from home. Prospective job candidates who invested in legal cannabis companies could be denied security clearances. Perez said earlier that he hoped Vice President Harris would influence the president.

Biden had an opportunity to reduce cannabis restrictions in Washington, DC, but didn't, according to Perez. Even though the DC city council voted to decriminalize marijuana possession in 2014, the president's budget proposal keeps the rider that blocks DC from selling marijuana.

The budget is an area where he could make a statement, she said.

The MORE Act would address our nation's failed approach to the war on drugs, according to Chairman Jim McGovern.

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden said he would seek to change cannabis to a Schedule II drug so researchers could study its positive and negative impacts.