House passes marijuana decriminalization bill - CBS News

The House on Friday passed a bill decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level, a sweeping measure that aims to reduce racial inequities in drug arrests.

The measure, which would remove marijuana from the list of federally controlled substances and expunge federal convictions for non-violent marijuana offenses, now goes to the Senate, where it is unlikely to pass.

The House passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act by a vote of 228 to 164, with six Democrats voting against it and five Republicans voting 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 MORE Act was passed.

In a speech on the House floor ahead of the vote, Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries said that he hoped this measure would help decrease America's large incarcerated population.

In a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell questioned why House Democrats were voting on a bill on decriminalizing marijuana rather than focusing on coronavirus relief.

But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged McConnell to bring the legislation to a vote in the Senate, saying in a statement Friday that "the House has taken a historic step towards finally ending the federal prohibition on marijuana.".