(NewsReady.com) – Although the majority of states have legalized marijuana in some form, the federal government has not removed it from the Controlled Substance Act (CSA). In fact, it remains a Schedule 1 narcotic, a classification also shared with heroin, ecstasy, and LSD. A new bill could change that.
#Pelosi poised to pass legislation legalizing marijuana https://t.co/Y0vpmTyZt8
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) March 30, 2022
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will allow a vote on the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act. According to the Washington Times, the Democratic leader called the vote a “momentous step” that will help end the “injustices of the criminalization” of weed that has allegedly impacted communities of color and poor communities the hardest.
The legislation will set up a process to expunge the records of people convicted for selling and possessing pot. It also seeks to eliminate all penalties for the same crimes. The legislation requires judges to review and reduce sentences for those currently in prison for crimes related to the drug. And, it also fully legalizes the manufacturing and sales of the drug.
Although the legislation will likely pass the House, it’s unlikely to clear 60 votes to overcome a Senate filibuster.
The midterm elections are just months away, and experts predict Republicans are going to make massive gains. President Joe Biden’s poll numbers are in the toilet, inflation is up, the immigration crisis is raging, and the American people are seemingly unhappy with leadership in Washington, DC. Is the marjuana bill a last ditch effort to win over voters?
Copyright 2022, NewsReady.com
