US House of Representatives

The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday approved a bipartisan marijuana research bill that’s meant to streamline studies into cannabis, in part by allowing scientists to access products from state-legal dispensaries.

This comes days after the chamber separately approved a bill to federally legalize marijuana for the second time in history. And it also follows the Senate’s unanimous approval of a similar cannabis research bill last month.

Each of New Jersey's Democratic House members voted in favor of a proposed federal law that would decriminalize marijuana on Friday. The state's two Republican congress members voted no on the bill.

It was the MORE Act, a similarly comprehensive piece of legislation first introduced in 2019. The U.S. House has approved this bill before, but it’s still heartening to see it progress once again through the committee process.

“By advancing the MORE Act, the House will demonstrate that the majority of our political leaders are ready to correct this injustice and enact cannabis policy reform that undoes the harms that have been inflicted upon millions of otherwise law-abiding citizens,” NORML Political Director Justin Strekal said in a public statement.

The federal marijuana legalization bill passed in a historic vote last week by the U.S. House of Representatives would generate about $13.7 billion in net revenue for the U.S. treasury over the next decade, according to a new report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). It would also cut federal prison spending by nearly $1 billion.

The U.S. House of Representative is scheduled this week to take up legislation to legalize marijuana federally, a landmark step that could mark the first time a full congressional chamber has voted to end the federal government’s MJ prohibition.

The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act would remove marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act and open up the industry to multibillion-dollar business opportunities and interstate commerce over time.

Despite a delay in the U.S. House of Representatives vote for a bill that would seek to legalize cannabis at the national level, the legal cannabis market in the U.S. still stands to substantially grow as more states plan to let voters decide whether they want to legalize it.

The MORE Act, a bill that would deschedule marijuana and thereby legalize it federally – with massive business implications – is scheduled to be considered by the full U.S. House of Representatives the week of Sept. 21, according to an email sent by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, discussed the plans in a Monday email providing colleagues an update on the House floor schedule for September. On Friday, House leaders signaled a September vote but details were uncertain.

The House will vote on legalizing marijuana next month.

States would still have to vote to legalize the drug. Marijuana is already legal in 11 states.

The MORE Act would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and erase some cannabis criminal records. The vote will come during the September work period, according to an email Majority Whip Jim Clyburn’s (D-S.C.) office that was sent to members Friday.

The email also asked members to indicate if they would support the MORE Act by Sept. 3.

The House of Representatives on Thursday voted in favor of an amendment to protect all state, territory and tribal marijuana programs from federal interference.

The measure, which would prevent the Department of Justice from using its funds to impede the implementation of cannabis legalization laws, passed in a 254-163 vote on the floor. Earlier in the day, it had been approved in an initial voice vote.

Three dozen members of the House of Representatives introduced a resolution on Tuesday calling for an inquiry into the possible impeachment of Attorney General William Barr because he “abused the power of his office” to improperly investigate marijuana businesses and allegedly engaged in other unlawful conduct.