The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Friday to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, passing the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE Act) with a vote of 220-204.
Out of 220 Democratic Representatives, 217 voted yes, while three voted no, and one did not vote. While 202 Republican Representatives voted no, three voted yes, and four did not vote.
The Republicans who voted yes were Rep. Matt Gaetz and Brian Mast of Florida, and Tom McClintock of California. The Democrats who opposed the bill were Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire and Henry Cuellar of Texas.
Although, the MORE Act is not expected to get 60 votes from the U.S. Senate to officially pass, according to The New York Times.
The bill would remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances, and allow for some people's convictions for federal marijuana crimes to be expunged.
"This is a matter of justice and equal opportunity," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), said before the vote, according to USA Today. "It is about addressing systemic inequities and reforming our criminal justice system so that America can become a better, stronger, and fairer nation."
There would also be a 5% tax that increases over time to 8% placed on marijuana products if the bill were to be passed, according to CNBC.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 49.2 million Americans, or 18% of the country, used marijuana at least once in 2019.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer supports the bill and said on Friday that "the time has come for comprehensive reform of federal cannabis laws."
"Of course, we will need Republicans to pass a legalization bill in the Senate, and we will be working hard to try and get them," Schumer said.
37 states and Washington, D.C. have legalized medical marijuana, while 18 states and Washington, D.C. legalized marijuana for recreational use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan was one of the 202 no's, and expressed his thoughts on legalizing marijuana, saying that other issues should be handled before "legalizing drugs."
"Record crime, record inflation, record gas prices, record number of illegal immigrants crossing our southern border. And what are Democrats doing today?" Jordan said, according to Fox News. "Legalizing drugs, legalizing drugs and using American tax dollars to kick-start and prop up the marijuana industry. Wow. Such a deal for the American people."
While Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tn.) said that by decriminalizing marijuana, police would be able to focus on bigger issues.
"Decriminalizing means cops spend less time busting people for marijuana possession and more time looking for people committing violent crime," Cohen said, according to the Minnesota Reformer. "That’s a better use of law enforcement time."
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