BREAKING: House Committee Approves Bill Legalizing Marijuana at Federal Level
Mandy Forelich, Stillness in the Storm, Nov. 20, 2019
On Wednesday, November 20, 2019, the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that legalizes marijuana on the federal level, effectively removing it from schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act.
The legislation passed 24 to 10, reports CNBC. According to reports, it has a high chance of approval in the House where Democrats control the chamber with 234 seats. The bill will undoubtedly face scrutiny in the Republican-controlled Senate — particularly by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, an outspoken opponent of marijuana legalization.
The legislation allows states to enact their own policies on cannabis, as well as offers incentive to clear criminal records of people with low-level marijuana charges. The bill includes a 5% tax on cannabis products that would provide job training and legal assistance to those most affected by the war on drugs.
Over 100 peer-reviewed studies have concluded that components of the herb, primarily CBD, have the potential to remedy dozens of modern-day afflictions. In addition, the US National Cancer Institute lists cannabis as a potential remedy for cancer on its website. Despite the plethora of evidence that herb has medicinal properties, marijuana arrests account for more than half of all drug arrests in the US, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
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