NewsNational News

Actions

House set to vote on marijuana legalization bill Friday

If the bill passes both the House and Senate it would impose a federal tax on marijuana sales.
Marijuana Native Americans
Posted

Marijuana is still illegal on the federal level, but that could change this week. 

The House will vote on the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, also known as "MORE," on Friday. 

The bill would remove marijuana from the list of scheduled controlled substances, requiring courts to clear prior marijuana-related convictions from criminal records. Additionally, the bill would impose a federal tax on marijuana sales. 

If the bill passes the House, it will then head to the Senate where it would need 60 votes, including the support of at least 10 Republican senators if every Democratic senator backed it, in order for it to advance. 

The bill was authored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler from New York, as The Hill reported. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland said the bill aims to “restore justice to communities that have been disproportionately impacted by harsh penalties for possessing even small amounts of marijuana.”

Newsy is the nation’s only free 24/7 national news network. You can find Newsy using your TV’s digital antenna or stream for free. See all the ways you can watch Newsy here