House of Representatives Pass Bill To Federally Decriminalize Marijuana

Marijuana is one step closer to being decriminalized at the Federal level.

The US House of Representatives in a 220 to 204 vote decided to pass a bill that would decriminalize marijuana on the Federal level.

The only republicans that voted for the bill to pass were Republicans Matt Gaetz of Florida, Tom McClintock of California, and Brian Mast of Florida.

Now the Senate will vote on the bill but some speculate it will not pass due to speculation that several Democrat Senators will vote it down.

The House has voted to federally decriminalize marijuana. Senate Democrats have a similar legalization bill in the upper chamber, but neither that bill nor the House-passed MORE Act is expected to clear the 60-vote threshold for passage in the Senate. https://t.co/OFFgAaFrhU

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) April 1, 2022

BREAKING: The House has PASSED the LANDMARK marijuana legalization bill.

— Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) April 1, 2022

Fox News had more on the story:

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Friday to decriminalize possession of marijuana on the federal level.

The House heard a slew of proposed amendments for the bill, including measures to track and prevent impaired driving under the influence of marijuana, as well as carve-outs for law enforcement to restructure around the decriminalized substance.

The bill passed with a vote of 220 to 204.

Three Republicans voted yes: Matt Gaetz of Florida, Tom McClintock of California and Brian Mast of Florida. Two Democrats voted no: Chris Pappas of New Hampshire and Henry Cuellar of Texas.

“It’s been obvious for years that at some point marijuana was going to be formally legalized,” Bentz said on the floor.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), marijuana is the most commonly used federally illegal drug in the U.S.

The agency said 48.2 million people, or about 18% of Americans, used it at least once in 2019.

Bentz continued, “What’s deeply and truly disturbing, however, about this bill is its failure to address the clear consequences of legalization, such as what this drug does to children, to drivers on our highways, to the mental health of up to 30 percent of those adults who choose to use marijuana to communities inundated with hundreds, if not thousands of foreign cartel operated, unlicensed out of control marijuana grows.”

On the House vote to legalize marijuana: There were three GOP yeas on the bill: Reps. Tom McClintock (R-CA), Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Brian Mast (R-FL). Two Democrats voted nay: Reps. Chris Pappas (D-NH) and Henry Cuellar (R-TX).

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) April 1, 2022

The Hill got the scoop too:

The House passed legislation on Friday to legalize marijuana nationwide and eliminate the longstanding criminal penalties for anyone who distributes or possesses it.

Lawmakers passed the bill largely along party lines, 220-204, with three Republicans joining all but two Democrats in support.

The three Republicans who voted for the bill were Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Brian Mast (Fla.) and Tom McClintock (Calif.), while Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar (Texas) and Chris Pappas (N.H.) voted against it.

The measure now goes to the Senate, where Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is working with fellow Democrats to introduce a marijuana legalization bill as soon as this spring.

But it’s not clear a bill to broadly legalize marijuana could clear the necessary 60 votes to advance in the Senate.

Schumer may not have enough support within his own Democratic caucus. At least two Democrats who represent states ravaged by the opioid epidemic, Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), have expressed skepticism about the proposal.