The
House of Representatives is set to vote on marijuana legalization on the federal level next month, Majority Whip James Clyburn announced Friday.
While individual states would have to vote on guidelines and legality, 11 states have already legalized marijuana within their borders.
If voted into effect, the
Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act would take marijuana off the list of illegal substances in the Controlled Substances Act. This is the first time Congress will vote on removing marijuana from the controlled substances act.
Additionally, the MORE act would erase the criminal records of those with marijuana charges — which have led to the incarceration of
8.2 million people between 2001 and 2010 who were predominantly Black and Latinx, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.