Harris, Nadler Introduce Comprehensive Federal Cannabis Reform Bill

House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jerry Nadler and Sen. Kamala Harris filed a comprehensive marijuana reform bill that would, among other things, federally decriminalize marijuana and aims to right some of the damage done by the war on drugs.

Under The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, of MORE Act, cannabis would be taken off the Controlled Substances Act. In doing so, it would require marijuana convictions to be expunged or otherwise resentenced.

If made the law, those found to be using cannabis could not be excluded from receiving federal agency benefits and would establish a grant for low income areas and minorities via a 5% sales tax on marijuana products. The federal government would also be barred from deporting a person for a cannabis conviction.

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In a statement, Nadler said “Racially motivated enforcement of marijuana laws has disproportionately impacted communities of color...It’s past time to right this wrong nationwide and work to view marijuana use as an issue of personal choice and public health, not criminal behavior.”

The bill comes at a time when Harris, a leading candidate in the Democratic Presidential primaries, has been urged to elaborate on key policy issues.

For Nadler, the introduction of the bill comes during a particularly busy week with former special counsel Robert Mueller set to testify on the Russia investigation on Wednesday.

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