As the House prepares to vote on a bill to federally legalize marijuana this week, lawmakers from both major parties have continued to file amendments that will be taken up by the House Rules Committee on Wednesday before the legislation reaches the floor. Most of the proposed revisions to the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act would impose additional restrictions on the reform measure, including by making legalization contingent on the completion of certain studies, barring federal funding to states that permit certain cannabis products, maintaining penalties and limiting expungement provisions. One filed amendment, however, would have far-reaching implications by providing relief for people who have been denied a security clearance over marijuana at any point over the past half-century. The Rules Committee will determine at a meeting scheduled for 1:00 PM ET whether or not to make any of the amendments in order for floor consideration. When the MORE Act reaches the floor, it will mark the second time in history that cannabis legalization legislation has been taken up by a full chamber of Congress. An earlier version of the bill passed the House in 2020 but stalled in the Senate.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 03/30/2022 12:15:00