It was a historic week for cannabis.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the MORE Act, a piece of legislation that could effectively decriminalize marijuana on a federal level. The bill will now head towards the Senate, where results remain uncertain.
“The US House of Representatives—the people’s house—has taken a giant step towards science, reason and justice,” cannabis activist and entrepreneur Steve DeAngelo said to Benzinga.
Before that, the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs removed cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.
The World Health Organization (WHO) had recommended all forms of THC to be removed from the drug convention of 1961, placing it with cannabis in Schedule 1, the least restrictive classification by UN standards. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical cannabis medications would be placed in Schedule 3.
Most industry voices believe that current Republican control of the upper chamber means doom for any cannabis legalization bill. However, upcoming Senate runoffs in Georgia could shift the balance of power in the Senate at the beginning of January, showing light at the end of the tunnel for cannabis reform initiatives.
While the passage of the MORE Act by the House stands as an unprecedented milestone in the history of cannabis reform, a number activists and industry…
