MORE Act

Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act or the MORE Act

This bill decriminalizes marijuana.

Specifically, it removes marijuana from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act and eliminates criminal penalties for an individual who manufactures, distributes, or possesses marijuana.

The bill also makes other changes, including the following:

• replaces statutory references to marijuana and marihuana with cannabis,
• requires the Bureau of Labor Statistics to regularly publish demographic data on cannabis business owners and employees,
• establishes a trust fund to support various programs and services for individuals and businesses in communities impacted by the war on drugs,
• imposes an excise tax on cannabis products produced in or imported into the United States and an occupational tax on cannabis production facilities and export warehouses,
• makes Small Business Administration loans and services available to entities that are cannabis-related legitimate businesses or service providers,
• prohibits the denial of federal public benefits to a person on the basis of certain cannabis-related conduct or convictions,
• prohibits the denial of benefits and protections under immigration laws on the basis of an event (e.g., conduct or conviction) relating to possession or use of cannabis that is no longer prohibited under the bill,
• establishes a process to expunge convictions and conduct sentencing review hearings related to federal cannabis offenses, and
• directs the Government Accountability Office to study the societal impact of cannabis legalization.

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, also known as Bill 118 hr 5601, is a piece of legislation introduced in the US Congress. The main goal of the MORE Act is to decriminalize and deschedule marijuana at the federal level. This means that marijuana would no longer be classified as a controlled substance, allowing states to set their own marijuana policies without interference from the federal government.

In addition to descheduling marijuana, the MORE Act also includes provisions to expunge prior marijuana convictions, reinvest in communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs, and provide opportunities for individuals who have been adversely affected by marijuana prohibition to participate in the legal marijuana industry.

The MORE Act was first introduced in the House of Representatives in 2019 and passed the House in December 2020. However, the bill did not advance in the Senate at that time. The reintroduction of the MORE Act in the current Congress signals renewed efforts to address marijuana reform at the federal level. Supporters of the MORE Act argue that it is a necessary step towards ending the failed War on Drugs and addressing the racial disparities in marijuana enforcement. Critics, on the other hand, raise concerns about the potential impact of legalizing marijuana on public health and safety. Overall, the MORE Act represents a significant effort to reform federal marijuana laws and address the social and economic injustices caused by marijuana prohibition. Its fate in the current Congress remains uncertain, but it has sparked important conversations about the future of marijuana policy in the United States.