Still, Friday`s vote gave lawmakers an opportunity to voice their views on a decriminalization campaign that appears to enjoy broad support among voters across the country. Lawmakers approved the measure by a vote of 220 to 204 in a largely bipartisan vote. Republicans Tom McClintock of California and Matt Gaetz and Brian Mast of Florida voted for the bill, while Democrats Chris Pappas of New Hampshire and Henry Cueller of Texas voted against it. But the Democrats` quest for their perfect bill worries some lawmakers and pro-cannabis advocates who don`t see a clear path for sweeping Republican-led drug policy changes in both chambers — particularly in the Senate. Given that Democrats may not control both houses of Congress in January, the window for a change in cannabis policy at the federal level may not be open much longer. Nevertheless, beginning in 1996 with California, when voters accepted Proposition 215 with a 56% to 44% majority, states moved away from the federal approach to cannabis. Over the next 25 years, legalization spread across U.S. states as doctors and patients began to insist on access to medical marijuana as an alternative to opioids to mitigate the catastrophic effects of diseases such as cancer, Crohn`s disease, epilepsy and PTSD, as well as palliative care for other illnesses that cause severe chronic pain. Over the past decade, several states, led by Colorado and Washington State, went further in 2012 and legalized marijuana for all purposes, including recreational and medical use. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to introduce his own cannabis bill soon, but currently doesn`t have the votes of Democrats to pass it, let alone Republicans overcoming a filibuster. The House of Representatives on Friday passed a bill to legalize marijuana by a vote of 220 to 204, largely along party lines and still with no real path to President Joe Biden`s office.
In the November 2020 election, cannabis referendums were on the ballot in five states. Voters in those five states — Arizona, New Jersey, South Dakota, Montana and Mississippi — have approved measures to legalize a form of marijuana use. The margins were large: 67% of New Jersey voters, 57% of Montana voters, 53% of South Dakota voters, and 60% of Arizona voters voted for it. Now, there are 15 states where the drug is legal for recreational use, meaning about one in three Americans now live in a state where recreational marijuana is legal. As a result, 34 states and two territories have now legalized some form of medical marijuana, and 15 states as well as two territories and Washington, D.C. have legalized recreational cannabis. At the state level, a dynamic of change has developed. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia legalized recreational use in February, while a total of 37 states and D.C. legalized medical marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Friday`s vote marks the first time a full house of Congress has addressed the issue of decriminalizing cannabis at the federal level.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter, who introduced the House banking bill, said he sees a way forward, but he`s not sure there are enough votes for broader legislation like the MORE bill passed by the House on Friday. “They won`t be able to get Republicans on board. how the MORE Act is implemented,” said Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who last year introduced a bill that decriminalizes cannabis and removes some records, but does not create federal grant programs. The federal government`s efforts to promote social justice were one of the main reasons for its “no” vote on Friday. “You have to have Republicans on board if we want to have a chance of getting to the Senate.” Conspicuously absent from Friday`s “Ayes” were some of the pro-cannabis Republicans on Capitol Hill, including Mace and Rep. Dave Joyce of Ohio, co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. Joyce`s office distributed a memo to Republicans earlier this week outlining his criticism of the MORE bill and why he intended to vote against it — and inviting a discussion of Republican approaches to marijuana policy. The House of Representatives approved the bill Friday by a vote of 220 to 204.
