First Time House Passes Bill To Decriminalize Marijuana On Federal Level
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The House voted Friday, December 4, 2020, for the first time to legalize marijuana at the federal level, but the bill has little chance of being considered in the Republican-controlled Senate. The House of Representatives voted 228-164 to pass the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, the first time either chamber of Congress has ever voted to decriminalize marijuana. It would remove marijuana from federal drug schedules under the Controlled Substances Act and expunge convictions for marijuana offenses. The bill would also put a 5% excise tax on cannabis and use the funds to help individuals who have been punished for drug offenses.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, who introduced the bill, said “This long overdue legislation would reverse the failed policy of criminalizing marijuana on the federal level and would take steps to address the heavy toll this policy has taken across the country, particularly on communities of color.”
The House of Representatives has voted to pass a bill to decriminalize and tax marijuana on the federal level, along mostly partisan lines. The bill will now move to the Senate, where it is unlikely to become law, in the video “House Passes Bill To Decriminalize Marijuana, Katy Tur, MSNBC“, below:
In the video “House passes bill decriminalizing marijuana“, below:
About 70% of Americans now live in states that permit recreational or medical marijuana. According to New Frontier Data, legal cannabis sales are estimated at approximately $19.1 billion this year. According to a Gallup poll of November, about 68% of Americans say they support legalizing marijuana. Enforcement of marijuana laws have increasingly been de-emphasized and possession has been decriminalized in several states. Separately, the National Basketball Association said Friday it would suspend random marijuana testing for the rest of the 2020-21 season, league spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement. The league would focus on testing for “performance-enhancing products and drugs of abuse,” the statement said.
Despite strong public support and approval from some GOP states, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he has no plans to bring up the legislation. That could change if Democrats are able to secure both Senate seats in the January runoff election in Georgia. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said this bill would “address inequities in criminal justice, business and more.”
Let’s take a look at the history of marijuana to better understand why it is considered illegal in some states. Twenty-nine states have legalized the use of medical marijuana by April of 2018, and on top of that, nine states and Washington, D.C. have legalized recreational pot. But the question is, why was it illegal in the first place? In the video “The surprising history of marijuana and why it’s illegal“, below:
Marijuana is getting more and more popular every year. Public sentiment is shifting and states across the U.S. have begun legalizing pot for medical and recreational use. But what does marijuana do to your brain? How does weed work in your body? What are the possible risks and benefits of marijuana use? In this episode of Neuro Transmissions, Alie Astrocyte explains what we understand about the effects of cannabis – and what we still have yet to figure out. We’ll describe the endocannabinoid system, what causes the difference between sativa and indica strains, side effects, and what your brain on drugs really looks like, in the video “How does marijuana affect your brain?” below:
Gathered, written, and posted by Windermere Sun-Susan Sun Nunamaker More about the community at www.WindermereSun.com
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