ACLU Calls on House to Pass the MORE Act

WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights issued a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives today encouraging legislators to vote YES on the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, HR 3617, when it comes to the floor this week.

Aamra Ahmad, ACLU senior policy counsel, issued the following statement regarding the upcoming vote:

“It’s past time that we not just decriminalize marijuana, but do so in a way that tackles racial disparities head-on – the MORE Act will do just that. While an increasing number of states are moving to decriminalize and legalize marijuana, the federal government has fallen behind and has impeded state progress. Moreover, arrest rates, and racial disparities in arrests, persist. Though marijuana use is roughly equal among Black and white people, Black people are 3.73 times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession.

“The MORE Act would have a positive impact on millions whose lives have been upended by the failed war on drugs. Enforcing marijuana laws costs about $3.6 billion a year, yet the availability of marijuana has not diminished. This bill not only decriminalizes marijuana at the federal level by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act, but it also redresses the harms caused by criminalization, which are borne disproportionately by communities of color, by expunging federal marijuana convictions and implementing social justice reforms.”

The full letter can be read here: https://www.aclu.org/letter/aclu-and-leadership-conference-vote-yes-more-act