Congressman Cohen Votes for the MORE Act

Statement

Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee and a longtime member of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, today voted for the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, removing marijuana from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act. The bill would also establish a method of expunging criminal records for marijuana-related offenses which are often an impediment to employment.

The vote on passage was 228 to 164.

In a statement released after the vote, Congressman Cohen said:

"This landmark legislation is long overdue. It will de-schedule marijuana, provide expungement for previous offenders, clarify that those previously convicted of marijuana-related offenses would be eligible for federal benefits, and will establish an excise tax system on marijuana to invest in communities disproportionately affected by our failed marijuana policy.

"I have been working on this issue since I was first elected to the Tennessee General Assembly in 1982. In this Congress, I have sponsored the CARERS Act, to provide legal certainty for those using medicinal marijuana allowed under state law, and the Fresh Start Act which provides a pathway for expungement for these types of offenses.

"The history of marijuana as a Schedule-1 drug is one full of bias and discrimination. This policy has served its racist purposes, targeting communities of color and disproportionately incarcerating people of color.

"The War on Drugs has been a resounding failure, especially regarding cannabis. About 700,000 Americans each year are arrested for cannabis-related offenses. Despite similar usage rates, there are nearly four Black Americans arrested for cannabis offenses for every white American. In my district, the situation is even worse. According to a 2013 ACLU study, in Shelby County, 83.2 percent of people arrested for marijuana possession were Black, which the report cited as one of the highest county-level statistics in the nation. These arrests and convictions have long term impacts. Those with criminal records are limited from receiving federal benefits including SNAP, housing benefits, and Pell Grants. Our policy is exactly backward. We should be supporting those susceptible to substance abuse, not punishing them.

"This bill rights an historic wrong and invests in the communities most harmed. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill. I thank Chairman Nadler for his leadership on this important issue."

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