With all the headlines explaining the proposed Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) this summer, it was nice to see some action on cannabis reform from a high-profile U.S. House committee this week. But it wasn’t the CAOA, which has yet to be formally introduced in Congress. It was the MORE Act, a similarly comprehensive piece of legislation first introduced in 2019. The U.S. House has approved this bill before, but it’s still heartening to see it progress once again through the committee process. “By advancing the MORE Act, the House will demonstrate that the majority of our political leaders are ready to correct this injustice and enact cannabis policy reform that undoes the harms that have been inflicted upon millions of otherwise law-abiding citizens,” NORML Political Director Justin Strekal said in a public statement. Indeed. This is more than mere symbolism, but the symbolism is still important. That idea that the House “will demonstrate” the political inclinations of the people is vital to the ongoing rush of the progress our industry has seen in recent years. It’s not a done deal by any means, and it’s far from a unanimous rallying cry for federally legal cannabis industry. Support for legalization among the U.S. electorate is up—way up—but the rest of the story has yet to be told. This week’s major MORE Act vote is just one more step forward.
Cannabis Business Times, 10/02/2021 07:10:00
Open article: http://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/week-in-review-october-1-2021-more-act