History was made today as the US House bill, the MORE Act, Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, H.R. 3884, has passed, recieving a vote of 228-164 on Friday, Dec. 4 at 1:10pm.
This is a victory both symbolically as it means that the US government is finally listening to the people, and historically as this is the first major positive cannabis legislation to be brought forth since the 1930s. This bill has been a long time effort since the early days of cannabis activism at the state level, starting in California back in 1996.
This bill will remove Cannabis from the list of federally controlled substances as identified in the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, establish a federal excise tax on cannabis, expunge and conceal federal marijuana arrests and convictions, and several other major wins for cannabis users.
There is still a tough journey ahead as the bill now has to go to the Senate where it is expected to be blocked by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). There is a chance at the bill passing, but for now we are playing a waiting game.
It should be noted that this bill only addresses the federal level of cannabis and its classification. The states will have to choose how to handle their laws much like they've been doing already. This means that, while it may be federally legal, states like Idaho may not change their laws, making Marijuanna possession illegal in the state.
