Congressional Cannabis Caucus Co-Chairs Blumenauer, Lee Issue Statement Following the Passage of Historic Cannabis Reform Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Barbara Lee (D-CA)—co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus—released the following joint statement Friday after the House Judiciary Committee passed the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act: 

“Today’s Judiciary Committee approval of the MORE Act continues our monumental effort to get the federal government in step with the rest of America, and move toward modernizing our federal cannabis policies and realizing restorative justice. This is the most comprehensive piece of cannabis legislation Congress has ever seen, and continuing its momentum couldn’t be more important to our fight to address the fact that Congress continues to lag behind 37 states that have legalized either adult-use or medical cannabis.

“Our work with Chairman Nadler and the Judiciary Committee to craft this legislation was done with the goal of ensuring our cannabis policies are fair, equitable, and inclusive, and we applaud the Chairman and his Committee for their leadership. We look forward to working with the various committees of jurisdiction so we can enact this legislation, end the federal prohibition on cannabis, and address the injustices brought on by the war on drugs.

“We will continue to build a broad coalition of support in Congress and work closely with our allies in the Senate to put forth a successful framework to finally reform our outdated, out-of-touch cannabis laws, because it’s time for Congress to catch up with the American people.”