U.S. Congress: Legislation to Deschedule Cannabis Reaches 75 Sponsors
- Representative Marilyn Strickland has become the 75th sponsor of the MORE Act, which aims to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, following a recent DOJ rescheduling order.
- The MORE Act seeks to deschedule marijuana federally, allowing states to maintain their own laws, and includes criminal justice reforms like expunging certain federal marijuana convictions and allowing resentencing.
- The bill also prohibits marijuana-related activity from being used to deny federal benefits, immigration status, or security clearances, and enables marijuana businesses to access Small Business Administration programs if compliant with state laws.
- Revenue from a federal excise tax on marijuana would fund community reinvestment, substance use treatment, job training, legal aid, and services for communities affected by prohibition, but the bill has yet to pass the Senate despite twice clearing the House.
Federal legislation to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act has gained another sponsor in the U.S. House.
Representative Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) signed on Tuesday as a sponsor of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, bringing the proposal to 75 total sponsors. Strickland is the 13th lawmaker to add their name to the bill since the Department of Justice signed its order to reschedule certain marijuana products in April.
Strickland, who represents Washington’s 10th Congressional District, previously voted in favor of the MORE Act when an earlier version passed the House in 2022.
The MORE Act would fully deschedule marijuana at the federal level, ending federal prohibition while allowing states to continue setting their own laws for legal, medical or prohibited marijuana markets.
The bill would also establish several criminal justice reforms, including procedures to expunge certain federal marijuana convictions and allow resentencing for some individuals currently serving sentences for federal marijuana-related offenses.
In addition, the measure would prevent marijuana-related activity from being used as the sole basis for denying federal benefits, immigration protections or security clearances. It would also open access to Small Business Administration programs for marijuana businesses operating in accordance with state law.
The legislation includes a federal excise tax on marijuana products, with revenue directed to community reinvestment programs, substance use treatment, job training, legal aid and services for communities harmed by prohibition-era enforcement.
The MORE Act has passed the House twice in previous sessions of Congress, but has never cleared the Senate. Its growing sponsor count comes as federal marijuana policy remains in flux, with rescheduling proceedings ongoing and lawmakers continuing to push competing approaches to reform.