It's time to end the federal war on marijuana & repair the harms of prohibition

Tell your Members of Congress to support the MORE Act

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE Act) is the most sweeping marijuana reform bill ever in Congress.

It would de-schedule marijuana at the federal level to let states set their own policies without interference and begin to repair the extensive damage done by prohibition. It goes further than any other federal marijuana bill by helping to ensure reparative justice and equity in legalization.

The MORE Act would end federal marijuana prohibition in a fair and just way by prioritizing and reinvesting in those who have been most affected by our failed marijuana laws.

Tell your Members of Congress to support the MORE Act to advance marijuana legalization – and justice – for all.

Take Action

Your Message

Subject

Dear Member of Congress,

Message Body

As your constituent, I urge you to support and cosponsor the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE Act) which was introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA). This bill would de-schedule marijuana at the federal level and begin to rectify the extensive damage done by prohibition.

The MORE Act is the most comprehensive marijuana reform bill ever introduced in the US Congress and is backed by a broad coalition of civil rights, criminal justice, drug policy, and immigration groups.

If enacted, the bill would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, thus decriminalizing the substance at the federal level and enable states to set their own policy. Descheduling will also allow the existing state-legal marijuana industry to no longer be barred in accessing financial services or standard tax treatment as every other legal business. Similarly, veterans will have better access to medical marijuana with VA doctors no longer risking federal prosecution for filling out state-legal medical recommendations.

The bill has a heavy emphasis on reparative justice and acknowledging those who have been impacted under criminalization. To ensure this, the bill instructs the Bureau of Labor Statistics to collect data on the demographics of the industry, so we know how people of color and those who are economically disadvantaged are participating in the industry.

Given the way the marijuana industry has had to come into being under section 280E, existing enterprises would have a lower overall tax burden than under the current policy of prohibition. The bill would tax marijuana products at a modest 5% to establish a Trust Fund.

The Trust Fund would have four functions:

1.	A fund administrated by the newly created Office of Cannabis Justice to give grants to communities negatively impacted by the war on drugs for the development of expungement processes, employment programs, reentry guidance, youth resources and more.  The Office of Cannabis would be one of the Justice Programs in the Department of Justice. This provision is modeled on the Marijuana Justice Act, by Senator Cory Booker (NJ) and Representative Barbara Lee (CA).
2.	A fund for substance use treatment.
3.	A fund administered by the Small Business Administration to encourage socially and economically disadvantages people to enter the cannabis industry, similar to legislation introduced by Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez (NY)
4.	A fund administered by the Small Business Administration to create equitable licensing programs in states and local governments that benefit communities most impacted by the prohibition.

Currently, individuals with a marijuana conviction are saddled with collateral consequences including a prohibition from obtaining federal benefits, student loans, or a security clearance for government jobs due to marijuana’s criminalized status. To correct the historical injustices relating to prohibition the MORE Act offers the opportunity to petition for resentencing and expungement. This will eliminate this discrimination and create new opportunities for individuals desperate to advance their careers, education and quality of life. Immigrants will also benefit from the MORE Act because they will no longer be subject to deportation or citizenship denial solely based a marijuana infraction.

Finally, the text contains two clarifying amendments:

1.	If one section of the bill is declared unconstitutional, the remainder of the bill remains in effect.
2.	The Federal government can continue having a role in marijuana in areas such as public health, transportation, employment, etc.

The MORE Act is crucial legislation that will end federal marijuana prohibition and ensure reparative justice and equity in legalization. For decades, it has been low-income communities and communities of color that bore the brunt of overenforcement of failed marijuana laws and the life-long collateral consequences that follow a marijuana arrest. Marijuana convictions have prevented millions of people from being able to secure or maintain employment, housing, education and even keep their kids. While we won’t be able to repair that destruction overnight, the MORE Act ends prohibition in a fair and just way that begins to reinvest in and prioritize those most affected. For all these reasons, I urge you to support the MORE Act.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

Your Information

Salutation *

First name *

Last name *

E-mail address *

Address *

Address Line 2

City *

State *

Zip Code *

Phone