In a 220-204 party-line vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would decriminalise marijuana at the federal level, reports US News.

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE Act) passed by a vote of 220 to 204 in a largely party-line vote and is just the latest in a series of attempts to decriminalise the substance after a version of the measure passed the chamber in December 2020 but stalled in the then Republican-controlled Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has said marijuana legislation is a top priority this spring, but the bill still has a poor chance in the upper chamber, as 10 Republican votes plus all 50 Democrats would be needed to bypass a filibuster, the report said.
The MORE Act would remove cannabis from the list of federally controlled substances, establish a process to expunge prior cannabis-related convictions and impose a tax on federal marijuana sales. Proponents call the effort a reflection of the direction states are already heading and as a necessary criminal justice reform after decades of disproportionate punishment of racial minorities and low-income communities through policies referred to as the war on drugs.
The movement to legalise marijuana sees strong public support in recent years. According to a November 2021 Gallup poll, more than two-thirds of Americans support legalising marijuana, maintaining the record-high level reached in 2020.
At least 18 states already allow the recreational use of marijuana, while 37 states allow the substance’s use for medical purposes, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures.
Currently, marijuana is listed as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning that it has “a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision,” according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee argued that it is “absurd” to keep the substance within the classification among the likes of methamphetamines and heroin.