A House-passed bill that would decriminalize possession of marijuana at a federal level is facing pushback from both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate.
The bill passed on April 1 by a vote of 220 to 204, with three Republicans—Reps. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), Brian Mast (R-Mich.), and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.)—joining Democrats to pass the bill.
The bill would make it no longer a violation of federal law to possess marijuana.
The bill was put forward by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and would, among other measures, allow those who have used marijuana to gain security clearance, permit the Veterans’ Administration to prescribe cannabis for medical and mental health reasons, and would allow the federal government to place a sales tax on sales of marijuana.
Democrats marketed the bill as a panacea for those whose records are blemished by marijuana possession, and avoided the fraught social and moral questions of drug use altogether.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-N.Y.) said that criminal records for marijuana possession “can haunt people of color and impact the trajectory of their lives and career indefinitely.”
However, despite its relatively painless passage through the House, the bill faces much steeper hurdles in the Senate.
Under Senate rules, most legislation must receive the support of 60 senators to end debate on a bill before that bill can go to the floor for a final simple majority vote. And that 60-vote threshold is shaping up to be a difficult one to…
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A House-passed bill that would decriminalize possession of marijuana at a federal level is facing pushback from both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate.
The bill passed on April 1 by a vote of 220 to 204, with three Republicans—Reps. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), Brian Mast (R-Mich.), and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.)—joining Democrats to pass the bill.
The bill would make it no longer a violation of federal law to possess marijuana.
The bill was put forward by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and would, among other measures, allow those who have used marijuana to gain security clearance, permit the Veterans’ Administration to prescribe cannabis for medical and mental health reasons, and would allow the federal government to place a sales tax on sales of marijuana.
Democrats marketed the bill as a panacea for those whose records are blemished by marijuana possession, and avoided the fraught social and moral questions of drug use altogether.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-N.Y.) said that criminal records for marijuana possession “can haunt people of color and impact the trajectory of their lives and career indefinitely.”
However, despite its relatively painless passage through the House, the bill faces much steeper hurdles in the Senate.
Under Senate rules, most legislation must receive the support of 60 senators to end debate on a bill before that bill can go to the floor for a final simple majority vote. And that 60-vote threshold is shaping up to be a difficult one to…
