Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act

Hozzl · 2023-03-09T17:47:48Z

Explore the details of House Bill 3617 Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act currently in Congress. Get insights into its purpose, current status, sponsors, and potential impact on Crime and Law Enforcement. Stay informed on legislative developments.

3/9/2023, 5:47 PM

Summary of Bill HR 3617

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, also known as Bill 117 HR 3617, is a piece of legislation introduced in the US Congress. The main goal of this bill is to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level and address the racial disparities in marijuana enforcement.

Under this bill, marijuana would be removed from the list of controlled substances, allowing states to regulate it as they see fit. The bill also includes provisions to expunge prior marijuana convictions and provide for resentencing of individuals currently serving time for marijuana-related offenses.

Additionally, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act aims to create opportunities for individuals and communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs. This includes establishing a fund to support job training, reentry services, and other programs to help those affected by marijuana criminalization. Overall, the bill seeks to address the social and economic injustices caused by marijuana prohibition and create a more equitable and just system for all individuals involved.

Congressional Summary of HR 3617

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 a cannabis-related event (e.g., conduct or a conviction),
establishes a process to expunge convictions and conduct sentencing review hearings related to federal cannabis offenses,
directs the Government Accountability Office to study the societal impact of state legalization of recreational cannabis,
directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to study methods for determining whether a driver is impaired by marijuana,
directs the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to study the impact of state legalization of recreational cannabis on the workplace, and
directs the Department of Education to study the impact of state legalization of recreational cannabis on schools and school-aged children.

Read the Full Bill

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Current Status of Bill HR 3617

Bill HR 3617 is currently in the status of Introduced to Senate since April 4, 2022. Bill HR 3617 was introduced during Congress 117 and was introduced to the House on May 28, 2021. Bill HR 3617's most recent activity was Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. as of April 4, 2022

Bipartisan Support of Bill HR 3617

Total Number of Sponsors

Democrat Sponsors

Republican Sponsors

Unaffiliated Sponsors

Total Number of Cosponsors

228

Democrat Cosponsors

226

Republican Cosponsors

Unaffiliated Cosponsors

Policy Area and Potential Impact of Bill HR 3617

Primary Policy Focus

Crime and Law Enforcement

Potential Impact Areas

- Business records

- Census and government statistics

- Child health

- Congressional oversight

- Criminal procedure and sentencing

- Department of Justice

- Drug trafficking and controlled substances

- Drug, alcohol, tobacco use

- Educational facilities and institutions

- Elementary and secondary education

- Executive agency funding and structure

- Government information and archives

- Government lending and loan guarantees

- Government studies and investigations

- Government trust funds

- Health programs administration and funding

- Immigration status and procedures

- Licensing and registrations

- Poverty and welfare assistance

- Roads and highways

- Sales and excise taxes

- School administration

- Small business

- State and local government operations

- Transportation safety and security

- Worker safety and health

Alternate Title(s) of Bill HR 3617

Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act

MORE Act

To decriminalize and deschedule cannabis, to provide for reinvestment in certain persons adversely impacted by the War on Drugs, to provide for expungement of certain cannabis offenses, and for other purposes.

MORE Act

Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act

MORE Act of 2021

Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2021