Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Friday said arguments against legalizing marijuana are increasingly unpopular, urging members of his party to switch their positions.
Gaetz was one of five Republicans to vote for the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which the House passed on Friday.
The bill would remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances and would expunge certain marijuana convictions. It's the first time either chamber of Congress has taken such a step.
Gaetz said arguments against the measure from GOP colleagues “are overwhelmingly losing with the American people.”
He pointed out that every state that had a marijuana referendum on the ballot in the Nov. 3 election passed those measures.
“The only thing that I know is more popular than getting out of the war on drugs is getting out of the war in Afghanistan,” Gaetz said.