The House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill that seeks to scrape off cannabis from the list of controlled substances and legalize it at the federal level.
According to USA Today, the Democratic-majority House intends to vote on the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE) of 2019 after the vote was postponed in September.
A letter presented by House Majority Leader Stenny Hoyer to House representatives outlined the legislative’s schedule for the lame-duck November and December session.
While the letter confirmed that the House would vote on the bill, it did not specify which date the voting will take place. However, the House expects to resume sessions between December 1st to 4th and December 7th to 10th.
Part of Hoyer’s letter reads that the House would vote on the MORE Act to decriminalize cannabis and expunge non-violent cannabis convictions that have prevented many Americans from getting jobs, applying for credit and loans, and accessing opportunities that propel economic growth.
Advocates for the bill believe that the vote would be very symbolic even though the Republican-controlled Senate may not back it. A recent poll conducted by Gallup shows that the policy for legalizing marijuana has gained tremendous popularity as a third of Americans now live in states with fully legalized marijuana sectors. The same poll recorded a 68 percent support for federal cannabis legalization by Americans.
The recent elections saw five states approve referendums for legalizing medical and recreational marijuana. Among these included traditionally conservative states of Montana and South Dakota, making the total number of states where cannabis is legal fifteen.
So far, eleven states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational cannabis. Thirty-three states, including the US Virgin Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, have legalized medical marijuana.
A tweet by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday said it’s time to repeal federal restrictions on cannabis, adding that the success of marijuana ballot measures across the country during last week’s elections is more important than ever for Congress to catch up.
