May 28, 2021 John,
I’ll keep this Friday email short and to the point: Less than 6 months ago, for the first time ever, the House of Representatives advanced legislation: HR 3884, known as The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act, to repeal the federal prohibition and criminalization of marijuana. The final tally was a bipartisan vote of 228-164.
It. Was. Historic.
Unfortunately, under the leadership of then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Upper Chamber did not consider the legislation prior to the close of the 116th congressional session.
So, now we need to pass this legislation once again.
Since we last made history together:
-
The new session of Congress has been seated;
-
Our allies who shepherded the MORE Act through the House have received more feedback from the cannabis community;
-
The Senate underwent a partisan power shift;
-
New Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has publicly announced his own intentions to work with Senators Ron Wyden and Cory Booker to introduce and move their own legislation to repeal prohibition.
And last but certainly not least: Today, the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jerry Nadler, along with Cannabis Caucus co-Chairs Earl Blumenauer and Barbara Lee have reintroduced The MORE Act.
It’s time to step up our efforts. We must continue pressuring those members of Congress who voted ‘yes’ on the bill last year, as well as those who voted ‘no.’ Further, the newly elected members of Congress must hear from you.
During the last Congressional session, NORML members drove in hundreds of thousands of messages in support of the MORE Act. We cannot let up. We need you to send a message to your lawmakers now.
We’ll provide you with additional information next week. But before you begin your holiday weekend, contact your member of Congress now and tell them to support and cosponsor MORE!
Thanks for all you do,
Justin Strekal
NORML Political Director
P.S. If you’re in a position to do so, we’d really appreciate your financial support to keep working to represent consumers, not the marijuana industry. Sign up to become a sustaining NORML member by chipping in 5, 10, or 20 bucks a month so we can continue to grow our efforts.
