In a legislative update for September, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) announced that the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act will be voted on during the week of September 21st. The MORE Act would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and erase some cannabis criminal records. The legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-New York) last year and was referred to several other committees after clearing the Judiciary Committee. It is not clear whether those committees will waive jurisdiction or mark-up the bill in order for it to get vote on the House Floor. If the House approves the bill, there will still be an open question about whether the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate would follow suit. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) is a strong advocate for hemp, but he has maintained steadfast opposition to broader marijuana reform. That said, he did hold closed-door meetings with industry representatives last year.
