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| Friend, Last week we made history when the U.S. House passed the MORE Act by a vote of 228-164. Although it won’t move in the Senate this year, it’s time to follow up with House members and encourage them to pass an even stronger version of the bill next year. Take action here to see how your Representative voted on the MORE Act and send them a quick message. The MORE Act is the most far-reaching marijuana legalization bill to ever be considered at the federal level. The House vote is a major milestone — the first time a chamber of Congress has ever approved legislation that deschedules marijuana and centers reparative justice. A new Congressional Budget Office report estimates the MORE Act will generate nearly $14 billion in federal revenue over the next decade with a proportion going towards job training, legal aid, small business grants, and services to aid communities adversely impacted by marijuana prohibition. It’s also estimated to save 73,000 years of time served and more than $1 billion in federal prison spending. And a recent poll found that two-thirds majority of Americans — including 51 percent of Republicans — support the House’s vote to deschedule marijuana. It’s encouraging to see lawmakers start to catch up with the public which overwhelmingly supports legalization. And it’s also promising that they’re finally acknowledging how the criminalization of marijuana is a cornerstone of the racist war on drugs which disproportionately impacts Black and Brown people. Although we just took an unprecedented step forward, our work is far from over. Problematic provisions were added to the final version of the bill excluding people with marijuana convictions from potentially fully participating in the industry and limiting resentencing and expungement relief to people with “nonviolent” marijuana offenses. We are committed to removing these provisions and improving the bill to be more inclusive in the next Congress. Please contact your Representative to help us keep up the momentum and lay the groundwork for an even stronger push for marijuana justice next year.
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