House Passes Bill Decriminalizing Marijuana at the Federal Level

The House passed a bill that would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. The Senate is unlikely to pass the measure, CBS News reports.

The bill would remove marijuana from the list of federally controlled substances. The measure, called the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, is designed to reduce racial disparities in drug arrests. It would expunge nonviolent federal marijuana convictions and arrests.

The measure passed by a vote of 228 to 164. Six Democrats voted against it and five Republicans voted for it.

“This long-overdue legislation would reverse the failed policy of criminalizing marijuana on the federal level and would take steps to address the heavy toll this policy has taken across the country, particularly on communities of color,” House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler, who introduced the bill, said in a statement after the bill was passed.