On Friday, April 1, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to decriminalize cannabis on the federal level, allow for the expungement of certain marijuana convictions, and offer loan opportunities to cannabis businesses. The House passed The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (“MORE”) Act by a vote of 220-204, and would have the following changes:
- Remove marijuana from the list of scheduled substances so that growing, selling, or possessing the drug would no longer carry criminal penalties;
- Allow the federal government to offer loans to cannabis businesses and impose a tax on cannabis products, which the revenue would be used for grant programs focused on helping disadvantaged small businesses get into the marijuana industry; and
- Create an expungement process for non-violent cannabis convictions and review criminal sentences for offenders.
While the MORE Act was passed by the House, the bill must still be passed by the U.S. Senate, and signed by President Biden. If you have any questions, please contact Paul Mallon or your Fraser Trebilcock attorney.
Paul C. Mallon, Jr. is Shareholder and Chair of Fraser Trebilcock’s cannabis law practice. You can reach him at pmallon@fraserlawfirm.com or (313) 965-9043.