U.S. Congress: Legislation to End Federal Marijuana Prohibition and Allow Expungements Gains Three New Sponsors, Reaching 65 Total
- The MORE Act gained three new sponsors—Reps. Joaquin Castro, Kweisi Mfume, and James McGovern—bringing total House backers to 65, the first new additions since February.
- The bill seeks to deschedule marijuana federally, ending prohibition while allowing states to maintain their own marijuana laws.
- The act includes criminal justice reforms such as expungements and resentencing for marijuana offenses, plus reinvestment programs for communities affected by prohibition.
- It proposes a federal excise tax on marijuana sales, with revenues funding social programs, and aims to remove marijuana convictions as barriers to housing, loans, and federal benefits, also enabling marijuana businesses to access SBA programs.
The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act gained three new sponsors today, bringing the total number of backers in the U.S. House to 65.
The new sponsors are Reps. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) and James McGovern (D-MA). Their support marks the first new sponsors for the bill since February, and it comes a day after the Trump Administration moved forward with a plan to reschedule cannabis, moving it to Schedule III.
The MORE Act would remove marijuana entirely from the federal Controlled Substances Act (aka deschedule), ending federal prohibition while allowing states to continue setting their own marijuana policies.
The measure also includes several criminal justice provisions, including expungements for certain federal marijuana convictions and resentencing opportunities for some people still incarcerated for marijuana-related offenses. It would also create reinvestment programs meant to support communities disproportionately impacted by prohibition.
In addition, the legislation would establish a federal excise tax on marijuana sales, with revenue directed toward programs such as job training, youth services and re-entry support. The bill would also prevent marijuana-related convictions from being used to deny federal housing, loans or public benefits, while allowing marijuana businesses to access Small Business Administration programs.
The MORE Act has previously passed the House twice, both times when Democrats controlled the chamber. Despite its growing sponsor count, the bill currently has no Republican sponsors. A separate proposal, the STATES 2.0 Act, does have bipartisan support, but notably less sponsors at eight.