Federal cannabis reform is once again on the move in Congress.
On Friday, April 1, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed
the latest iteration of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and
Expungement (MORE) Act. This is Congress's oldest comprehensive
measure, and it aims to decriminalize cannabis on the federal level
by removing it from the list of controlled substances while
providing certain social reforms to address the detrimental
repercussions of the War on Drugs.1
Passing with a vote of 220-204, the MORE Act does not have
overwhelming bipartisan support, with only 3 Republican
representatives backing the bill. The MORE Act will face certain
opposition in the Senate, especially if the past is any indication
- the last time the House passed this bill, the Senate subsequently
left it on the floor without calling for vote. Additionally, the
Senate has its own comprehensive bill, the Cannabis Administrative
and Opportunity ("CAO") Act, spearheaded by