December 5th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

U.S. Congressman David Trone (MD-06) voted in favor of H.R. 3884 Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, historic legislation to decriminalize marijuana and strike the criminal records of those convicted of marijuana offenses.  According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), although white and Black Americans use marijuana at roughly the same rate, Black Americans are over 3.7 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana-related crimes. The collateral consequences of a marijuana conviction can create barriers to voting, housing, educational opportunities, and the ability to find employment. 

 

The bipartisan MORE Act decriminalizes marijuana at the federal level, while enabling states to set their own regulatory policies without threat of federal intervention.  It takes long overdue steps to address the devastating injustices of the criminalization of marijuana and the vastly disproportionate impact it has had on communities of color.  It imposes taxes on the cannabis industry and uses the revenues to fund key services targeted to those adversely impacted by federal criminalization of marijuana – with people of color almost 4 times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than their White counterparts, despite equal rates of use across populations.