First Marijuana bill introduced under new congress

The first cannabis-related bill under the 117th United States Congress was introduced last week by Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL). The bill would reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Cannabis would not be legalized under Steube’s bill, but federal employees who use it would face less discrimination, cannabis companies would be able to deduct business expenses from their taxes, and a number of barriers to scientific research would be eliminated.

That’s not enough for most marijuana activists. They’re hoping to see complete decriminalization of cannabis at the federal level through the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which passed the House of Representatives last year. Unlike Steube’s bill, the MORE Act would also allow marijuana convicts to petition the courts for expungement. Activists see the criminal justice component as a critical piece of successful cannabis reform.