By Reggie Snyder In early 2020, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, cannabis reform efforts were making steady progress on Capitol Hill. By all objective metrics, 2020 was initially shaping up to be a banner year for the cannabis industry at the federal and state level. However, after the coronavirus spread rapidly across the country, cannabis-related […]
MORE ACT
Bill decriminalizing marijuana ‘great step’ but ‘largely symbolic,’ says cannabis COO
This week became historic for the “legalize marijuana” movement, with the House of Representatives passing the MORE Act by a vote of 228-164 on Friday. The bill would decriminalize cannabis and marks the first time that Congress has ever voted on the issue. The MORE Act would erase non-violent federal marijuana convictions. It stands almost no chance […]
House votes to decriminalize marijuana as GOP resists national shift on pot
The House endorsed a landmark retreat in the nation’s decades-long war on drugs Friday, voting to remove marijuana from the federal schedule of controlled substances and provide for the regulation and taxation of legal cannabis sales. The vote was 228-to-164 and marked the first time either chamber of Congress has voted on the issue of […]
House will vote on cannabis legalization bill in December
A bill to remove federal penalties on marijuana and scrap some cannabis-related records will receive a vote on the House floor in December, according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. In a letter to colleagues Monday, Hoyer outlined the legislative schedule for the lame-duck session in November and December. “The House will vote on the MORE Act to decriminalize […]
House vote on marijuana legalization bill postponed after backlash from moderate lawmakers
Democrats in the House of Representatives postponed a planned vote next week on marijuana legalization following a backlash from moderate Democrats. The legislation, the MORE Act, would legalize marijuana at the federal level and expunge some marijuana-related criminal records, though it left the decision on the sale of marijuana up to the states. According to a […]
Moderate Democrats push leadership to pull marijuana legislation
Centrist Democrats are pushing House Democratic leadership to pull legislation expected to reach the House floor next week that would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. The Democrats are expressing frustrations the bill is slated to come up for a vote before other pressing matters. Specifically, a number of front-line members have raised concerns about […]
Marijuana vote poses November risk for Democrats
Democrats are taking an unprecedented gamble this month: voting to legalize cannabis at the federal level. The MORE Act would remove the penalties for marijuana, erase some criminal records and create grant programs for people hit especially hard by the war on drugs. Democrats say the timing is perfect: Support has been building for loosening […]
(Meaningless?) Federal Vote on Marijuana Legalization is on the Horizon
By Hilary Bricken, Co-founder Harris Bricken I’ve been practicing corporate, transactional, and regulatory law in the marijuana industry for going on 10 years now. I’ve never understood exactly why folks get excited about, or even remotely interested, when various lifetime politicians in Congress push bills on the federal legalization/rescheduling of marijuana. Why? Because these bills […]
Bill to decriminalize marijuana at federal level up for House vote next month
A landmark bill that would decriminalize marijuana use at the federal level is up for vote soon. The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on the legislation in September, according to an email sent out on Friday by Majority Whip James Clyburn. Politico first reported on the pending vote. The “Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019” — also called […]
Cannabis legalization: Five highlights of the MORE Act and what you need to know about it
Cannabis by Caltabiano Everyone knows the legal cannabis sector is seemingly unstoppable as an emergent business sector. Everyone also knows it is a business space in the U.S. that is defined by complex and challenging regulations and legalities that restrict the industry’s full potential to expand economically and even scientifically. The vast majority of today’s […]
