House passes bill legalizing marijuana [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• With a 228-164 vote, the US House of Representatives, for the first time, passed a measure on Friday that aimed at legalizing the use of marijuana on a nationwide scope.
• The bill was heavily supported by Democratic lawmakers, who dominated the House in numbers.
• President-elect Joe Biden expressed support in legalizing the medical use of marijuana while allowing the states to decide on its recreational use mandate.

For the first time in the US legislature, Congress through the House of Representatives dominated by Democratic lawmakers passed a bill that legalizes marijuana at a federal level on Friday.

Spearheaded by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), the act aims to exclude marijuana as part of substances that are being regulated. It also plans to exterminate some criminal cases related to the use of the cannabis drug.

In his statement, Nadler said that the measure would be conducive in addressing the “mistake” of the substance’s criminalization as well as its “racially disparate enforcement.”

The congressman said that the “long-overdue legislation would reverse the failed policy of criminalizing marijuana on the federal level and would take steps to address the heavy toll this policy has taken across the country, particularly on communities of color.”

As the only Republican who co-sponsored the bill, Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla.) said that the bill was needed since the existing marijuana restrictions at the federal level “constrains” the states.

“If we were measuring the success in the ‘war on drugs,’ it would be hard to conclude anything other than the fact that drugs have won because Americans no longer supported harsh laws on drugs,” Gaetz said.

The MORE Act was passed in largely party-line voting of 228-164, led by the Democrats. The bill, however, would unlikely get passed in the GOP-controlled senate.

For groups supporting the legalization of cannabis, the vote was considered a step closer toward “justice.”

According to Drug Policy Alliance national affairs director Maritza Perez, the act proves that the “Congress is recognizing the disproportionate impact enforcement has had on our communities and calling for the unjust status quo to be disrupted.”

In an analysis report of marijuana-related arrests from 2010 to 2018, an Americal Civil Liberties Union found out that Black people were 3.64 times more likely to be arrested than white people on illegal possession of marijuana.

The bill follows as more states have decriminalized the use of marijuana and the popular opinion have now shifted towards the advantage of passing such reform.

In 36 states, the use of cannabis for medical purposes is allowed. Meanwhile, 15 states have authorized the recreational use of marijuana for adults, after four states voted to legalized its use during last month’s election.

While supporting marijuana’s decriminalization and abolishing of cannabis-related charges, President-elect Joe Biden was hesitant about legalizing its use during the Democratic presidential primary. In his campaign website, Biden said that he promoted medical marijuana use at the federal level. For its recreational use, meanwhile, he entrusts the decision to the states.

Source: USA Today