ACLU Statement on MORE Act Introduction

WASHINGTON — Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, along with Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Barbara Lee, introduced the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement Act of 2021. The MORE Act will decriminalize marijuana by removing it from the list of scheduled substances, expunge past convictions and arrests, and tax marijuana to reinvest in communities targeted by the war on drugs.

Aamra Ahmad, senior legislative counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Political Advocacy Department, highlighted how the passage of the MORE Act is a strong first step in dismantling the war on drugs:

“Last year, the House of Representatives made history when it passed the MORE Act, a critically important piece of civil rights legislation. Americans overwhelmingly support marijuana legalization, yet police continue to make more than 500,000 arrests a year for marijuana, needlessly entangling people — disproportionately Black people — in the criminal legal system. A Black person is 3.64 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person, even though Black and white people use marijuana at similar rates.

“Fifty years into the war on drugs, Americans on the right and left are ready for it to end. We urge the House to lead the way by swiftly moving the MORE Act to the floor.”