The bill would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and allow states to set their own policies. Biden has not specifically mentioned his position on the bill, but his aides say he opposes legalization while advocating more limited steps toward decriminalization. The law on opportunity, reinvestment and marijuana eradication (MORE) passed 220-204. Two Democrats voted against it and only three Republicans voted in favor. Some Republicans have argued that Congress should focus on more pressing issues, such as rising inflation – while other Republicans, including some proponents of marijuana reform, have challenged the bill’s policies. A recent Gallup poll found that 68 percent of Americans, including half Republicans, support pot legalization, and federal legitimacy is widely seen as inevitable due to overwhelming support among younger adults. Since 2012, 18 states, two territories and Washington, DC, have legalized recreational marijuana under local law. Most other states allow the possession of marijuana for medical purposes. Biden wrote some of the nation’s toughest drug laws during his 36 years in the Senate, but eased his stance during the 2020 presidential campaign.EPA / SHAWN THEW The bill’s sponsor, Jerry Nandler (D-NY), urged colleagues to support the law MORE, saying on Friday: he should not be in prison. “ However, MP Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said Democrats called the vote because they “could not tackle” other problems, such as inflation and illegal immigration, both at a four-decade high. “Do you know why they are dealing with this today? “Because they can not face the real problems facing the American people,” said Jordan. “The left will not let the Democrats do what needs to be done to help the employment problem, the energy problems, the problem of illegal immigration on our southern border. So what did they do? They legalize drugs. “ The bill would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and allow states to set their own policies.ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images However, spokesman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) Said the measure was overdue and that “48 states already have some form of legitimacy”, although the federal ban makes it difficult for state-owned law firms to access banking services and researchers study the pot because it is in the highly restricted Federal Program I. Some longtime Republican cannabis supporters have opposed the bill. Libertarian Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) Wrote on Twitter: “The MORE Act is supposed to make MARIJANA MORE legal, but it creates: MORE marijuana crimes, MORE federal taxes, more taxes, more “Why not get the federals out of it?” The law on opportunity, reinvestment and elimination of marijuana (MORE) passed 220-204.AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite Representative Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), co-chair of the Caucus Congress on cannabis, also opposed the bill, writing in an article that he wanted the bill to do more to create a federal regulatory framework. Joyce added, “MORE law is a bill for messages at best and at worst, irresponsibly.” The bill had previously been passed by Parliament in December 2020, but this feat was overshadowed by the then raging COVID-19 pandemic and a controversial post-election presidential transition. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is an ardent supporter of pottery legitimacy, but few Senate Democrats oppose it, which means he probably does not have the 60 votes needed to move forward. Outraged by marijuana supporters, the White House proposed a federal budget this week that would maintain a long-term ban that would bar local officials in DC from taking steps to regulate flower pots. Biden, who turns 80 this year, wrote some of the nation’s toughest drug laws during his 36 years in the Senate, but eased his stance during the 2020 presidential campaign. In a qualifying debate for the 2019 presidential election, Biden said that if elected, he wanted to release “everyone” in prison for marijuana. But after more than a year in power, he has not yet used his leniency powers to free anyone from prison. The president laughed when asked by The Post in November whether he would release prisoners with marijuana – saying it would be “just turkeys” before Thanksgiving. Some people are still serving life sentences in federal prison for large-scale marijuana operations, including Ismael Lira, 44, and Pedro Moreno, 62, who were convicted of distributing marijuana imported from Mexico. Another federal inmate, Luke Scarmatzo, 41, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for running a medical marijuana business in California. Last year, President Donald Trump reduced the sentences of seven people sentenced to life in prison for marijuana – including two men who were released without parole under the three-strike strike by Biden’s 1994 criminal law. Trump in 2018 approved a different bill on federal marijuana policy. This bill, drafted by the then senator. Corey Gardner (R-Colo.) Did not pass. Voters in Colorado and Washington passed the nation’s first legitimacy measures in 2012. A different group of other states followed, such as Alaska, California, Illinois, Montana, New York and Virginia. Federal prosecutors generally adhere to state policies, although owning a flowerpot remains a federal crime. Voters in a 19th state – South Dakota – voted in favor of legalizing the pot but the ballot was overturned in court.
