Two weeks ago, Trump announced that his administration would consider rescheduling marijuana. This news came after a prolonged period of silence on the matter from the president despite campaign promises to enact reform. In the midst of waiting for an update on if the plant will be rescheduled, Congressional Democrats have filed a bill to deschedule—thus, legalize—it.
RELATED: CEO claims Trump promised to reschedule weed
On Friday, Rep. Jared Nadler (D-NY) reintroduced for the fourth consecutive time the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act. It passed the House in April of 2022, but has since been stalled as the GOP took control.
In addition to removing marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, the bill proposes eliminating “criminal penalties for an individual who manufactures, distributes, or possesses marijuana.” It would also replace statutory references to ‘marijuana’ or ‘marihuana’ with ‘cannabis,” as well as establish a trust to support services for people and businesses impacted by the war on drugs.
Perhaps most importantly, the bill would kickstart the “process to expunge convictions and conduct sentencing review hearings related to federal cannabis offenses.”
In a 2023 press release, Nadler said, “As more states continue to legalize marijuana and public support increases, federal laws must catch up and reverse failed policies criminalizing marijuana.”
Cosponsors of the bill include Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Lou Correa (D-CA), and hundreds more over the years of it being introduced.
While some in the weed space are satisfied with rescheduling, other activists are adamant that legalization is the only way forward to chip away at the harm caused by prohibition and to advance racial and economic equity.
“For decades, marijuana criminalization has disproportionately targeted people of color and low-income communities. This…has led to mass incarceration, family separation, deportation, and lost economic opportunities,” said Martiza Perez Medina, director of federal affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), to Marijuana Moment.
The bill will have to make its way through both the Republican-controlled House and Senate, which will be far from easy. The president has given little indication that he intends to federally legalize the plant, and states across the country are seeing bills that propose prohibition.
Kat Murti, executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), told Marijuana Moment, “Young people deserve a future free from the lifelong harms of prohibition, and we urge Congress to act swiftly to pass this legislation and begin repairing the injustices caused by decades of criminalization.”
RELATED: Federal marijuana legalization: how far away is it?
While passing the MORE Act will be an uphill battle, advocates are dedicated to the prospect of beginning to undo the harms of prohibition.