The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019 – also referred to as the MORE Act – makes a big move toward the legalization of marijuana on the federal level, as well as opening the gates for states to take a look at crafting laws that speak to local needs.
Introduced by Representative Jerrold Nadler, the MORE Act recently passed in the United States House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 24-10. And, although the Judiciary Committee passed the bill, the MORE Act awaits approval by the full House and only then makes its way to the United States Senate.
If enacted, the MORE Act would remove marijuana from the federal controlled substance list, decriminalizing it on the federal level. Additionally, under the MORE Act, federal marijuana convictions and juvenile adjudications would be expunged, active sentences vacated, and associated court records sealed. Imprisoned individuals for federal marijuana convictions and juvenile adjudications would be eligible for sentence review hearings, as well as those currently serving on probation, parole, supervised detention, and work release.
“At its core, the MORE Act addresses the War on Drugs and its impact on those individuals involved in federal marijuana offenses,” says criminal defense attorney Steve Duckett of Steve Duckett, Attorney at Law. For those most adversely affected by the War on Drugs, the MORE Act establishes a Cannabis Justice Office, which can create grant programs like the Community Reinvestment Grant Program (CRGP). According to the MORE Act, the CRGP would be able to fund services such as job training, reentry services, legal aid for court cases, legal aid for expungement proceedings, literacy programs, youth and mentoring programs, and substance use treatment.
The MORE Act also decriminalizes marijuana by removing it from the list of controlled substances for purposes of immigration laws. For example, under the MORE Act, an immigrant convicted of a federal marijuana offense prior to, on, or after the enactment of the MORE Act cannot be denied protection or benefits under the immigration laws.
Additionally, the MORE Act offers further protections in the areas of federal benefits and federal agencies granting security clearance. If enacted, the MORE Act would prohibit anyone from being denied certain federal benefits on the sole basis of marijuana use, possession, conviction, or juvenile adjudication. And federal agencies could not deny security clearance based on past or present marijuana use.
