Last updated on: 4/1/2022 | Author: ProCon.org

Apr. 1, 2022 – US House Passes Bill to Decriminalize Marijuana

In a largely partisan vote, the US House of Representatives voted 220 to 204 to decriminalize marijuana.

Tom McClintock (R-CA), Brian Mast (R-FL), and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) crossed party lines to support the bill, while Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Chris Pappas (D-NH) voted against decriminalization.

If passed by the Senate, the bill “will prevent federal agencies from denying federal workers security clearances for cannabis use, and will allow the Veterans’ Administration to recommend medical marijuana to veterans living with posttraumatic stress disorder, plus gains revenue by authorizing a sales tax on marijuana sales” and “expunge… the record of people convicted of non-violent cannabis offenses.”

However, neither the House bill nor a similar bill in the Senate are expected to garner enough Republican votes to be passed.