federally decriminalize marijuana. The bill passed with a slight bipartisan majority, the votes being 220 to 204. Two Democrats, Henry Cuellar of Texas and Chris Pappas of New Hampshire voted against the bill while three Republicans, Tom McClintock of California, Brian Mast and Matt Gaetz of Florida voted for the bill. 

The passing of what’s being called the “MORE Act” in the House, by many accounts, was long overdue. According to Pew Research, 91% of American adults believe that weed should be legal for medical and recreational use, and the passing of this bill reflects the values of the majority of the country. With the U.S. one step closer to decriminalization of marijuana, cannabis dispensaries like 710 pipes smoke shop are sure to see a major boom in revenue. 

History of Cannabis in th U.S.

Under federal law, the use, sale, and possession of cannabis over 0.3% THC is illegal. Marijuana over 0.3% THC is considered a Schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Marijuana is considered under federal law to have a high potential for abuse and physical or psychological dependence and have no accepted medical use. There have been multiple attempts to reschedule cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act that have all failed. The United States Supreme Court has ruled most recently in Gonzales v. Raich (2005) that the federal government has the right to regulate and criminalize marijuana. This means that any weed dispensaries are licensed by each state and cannabis products are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

 Although it is considered federally illegal, many states have laws permitting exemptions for various uses of marijuana such as medical, industrial, and recreational use. Under the 2018 Farm Bill, growing cannabis for industrial use (hemp) is permitted under the Hemp Farming act. As of 2021, thirty-seven states, four U.S. territories and D.C. have legalized the medical use of marijuana. Eighteen states, two U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational use of cannabis. 

This may soon change as the House passed the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act.

Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement Act

The MORE Act was sponsored Democratic Representative Jerry Nadler of New York on May 28, 2021. The House passed the bill for the second time on April 1, 2022. The most noteworthy part of the bill is the federal legalization of weed by removing marijuana and THC from the Controlled Substances Act. The MORE Act would also achieve numerous social justice and criminal reforms that are related to cannabis.

The illegality of marijuana has negatively affected many Americans and still haunts them to this day. More than 600,000 Americans are arrested every year on marijuana charges. This bill will not only decriminalize weed, it will also expunge the records of people previously convicted of nonviolent cannabis charges. This will positively impact many Americans, especially minority groups, who are more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession. Expunging previous marijuana convictions will help many lives and make it easier for people to find employment, housing, access to federal benefits, and give them back the right to vote. 

President Biden received a letter relating to this issue in September of 2021  This letter was signed by more than 150 celebrities, politicians, and other notable figures, including Drake, Meek Mill, and Kevin Garnett. The letter urged President Biden to pardon all people with non-violent federal marijuana convictions. The MORE Act would help in achieving this goal. If this bill is passed by the Senate and signed into legislation by the President, many may now just “Smoke Weed Everyday,” as quoted by the famous Hip-Hop star Warren G.

The MORE Act will also influence social justice reform in a major way. The Act prevents the denial of federal benefits based on recipient’s use or possession of weed or on previous convictions for a cannabis offense. This means that there would be no denial of any Federal public benefit such as loans, grants, welfare, unemployment and food assistance.

Under this bill, there would be a tax on cannabis products produced in or imported into the United States. This would help in establishing a trust fund such as the Community Reinvestment Grant Program that would provide services for people that were negatively affected by the War on Drugs. The Cannabis Opportunity Program is another program supported by the trust fund that would provide funds for eligible states to make loans that would help small businesses in the marijuana industry that are owned by socially and economically disadvantaged people.