To decriminalize and deschedule cannabis, to provide for reinvestment in certain persons adversely impacted by the War on Drugs, to provide for expungement of certain cannabis offenses, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Nadler (for himself, Ms. Titus, Ms. Omar, Ms. Velázquez, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The MORE Act (Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act) would completely legalize cannabis at the federal level by removing marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act. It creates a new federal tax on cannabis products (starting at 5% and rising to 8%), with revenues funding programs to help communities harmed by decades of cannabis prohibition. The bill also expunges past federal cannabis convictions and prevents cannabis use from affecting immigration status or federal benefits.
Who Benefits and How
Cannabis businesses and entrepreneurs: State-legal cannabis companies would gain access to SBA loans, small business development centers, and investment capital they are currently denied due to federal prohibition. They could operate without fear of federal prosecution and use normal banking services.
Individuals with past cannabis convictions: An estimated 40,000+ people with federal cannabis convictions would have their records expunged. Those currently incarcerated for non-violent cannabis offenses would be resentenced. Expunged individuals gain immunity from having to disclose these convictions.
Communities of color: 60% of cannabis tax revenue would flow to grant programs specifically targeting communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis enforcement. Programs fund job training, legal aid, reentry services, and health education through nonprofit organizations.
Immigrants: Cannabis-related conduct would no longer trigger deportation or denial of visas, green cards, or citizenship. This affects thousands of immigration cases annually where cannabis possession was a factor.
Federal employees and security clearance holders: Past or current cannabis use could no longer be used to deny or revoke security clearances, opening federal employment to millions more Americans.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Cannabis producers and retailers: Must pay new federal excise taxes (5-8% of removal price), plus a ,000 annual occupational tax. Must obtain federal permits, maintain bonded facilities, keep detailed records, and comply with packaging/labeling requirements.
Federal agencies: Treasury, DOJ, and SBA must develop and implement new regulatory frameworks within one year. DOJ must establish a new Cannabis Justice Office. Federal courts must review and expunge all qualifying convictions.
Taxpayers: Fund million for marijuana impairment detection research plus costs for multiple federal studies on legalization impacts.
Drug Enforcement Administration: Loses jurisdiction over cannabis enforcement and associated funding/resources.
Key Provisions
- Descheduling: Removes marijuana and THC from Schedule I within 180 days, making cannabis legal under federal law
- Federal Cannabis Tax: Creates 5-8% excise tax on cannabis products, generating revenue for the Opportunity Trust Fund
- Opportunity Trust Fund: Allocates tax revenue: 60% to community reinvestment grants through DOJ, 40% to SBA programs for disadvantaged cannabis entrepreneurs
- Automatic Expungement: Requires federal courts to expunge all non-violent cannabis convictions within one year; provides resentencing for those currently incarcerated
- SBA Access: Opens all Small Business Administration programs (loans, guarantees, development centers) to cannabis businesses and their service providers
- Immigration Protection: Removes cannabis as grounds for deportation, visa denial, or other immigration consequences
- Federal Benefits Protection: Prohibits denial of federal benefits or security clearances based on cannabis use or convictions
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
To decriminalize and deschedule cannabis at the federal level, provide for expungement of past cannabis convictions, create a new federal tax on cannabis products, and establish reinvestment programs for communities adversely impacted by the War on Drugs.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Comprehensive federal cannabis reform combining decriminalization, expungement of past convictions, creation of a regulated and taxed cannabis market, and reinvestment of tax revenues into communities harmed by drug enforcement."
Likely Beneficiaries
- Cannabis businesses and producers
- Individuals with prior cannabis convictions
- Communities of color disproportionately impacted by cannabis enforcement
- Cannabis service providers (landlords, legal services, etc.)
- Immigrants with cannabis-related issues
- State-legal cannabis markets
Likely Burden Bearers
- Cannabis producers (new 5-8% federal excise tax)
- Federal agencies requiring implementation (DOJ, Treasury, SBA, BOP)
- Drug Enforcement Administration (reduced jurisdiction)
- Employers who relied on federal prohibition for employment decisions
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_attorney_general"
- → U.S. Attorney General
- "the_secretary_of_hhs"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
- "the_secretary_of_transportation"
- → Secretary of Transportation
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Treasury
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of Small Business Administration
- "the_director"
- → Director of Cannabis Justice Office
- "the_secretary_of_hhs"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
- "the_assistant_attorney_general"
- → Assistant Attorney General for Office of Justice Programs
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of Small Business Administration
- "the_director_bop"
- → Director of the Bureau of Prisons
- "the_comptroller_general"
- → Comptroller General of the United States
- "the_secretary_of_education"
- → Secretary of Education
- "the_secretary_of_transportation"
- → Secretary of Transportation
Note: 'The Secretary' refers to Secretary of the Treasury in Section 5 (tax provisions) but could refer to Secretary of Transportation in certain transportation-related provisions in Section 3.
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A criminal offense related to cannabis that under Federal law is no longer punishable pursuant to this Act, or under State law is no longer an offense or was designated a lesser offense following State legalization.
All parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L., whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any part of such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such plant, its seeds or resin. Excludes hemp (delta-9 THC concentration of not more than 0.3%), mature stalks, fiber, oil or cake made from seeds, sterilized seeds, and FDA-approved drug products.
A nonprofit organization (501(c)(3)) that is representative of a community with experience in providing relevant services to individuals adversely impacted by the War on Drugs.
Any article which contains or consists of cannabis. Excludes FDA-approved articles and industrial hemp.
A business that sells goods or services to a cannabis-related legitimate business or provides any business services relating to cannabis, but does not directly handle cannabis products.
A drug approved under section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or licensed under section 351 of the Public Health Service Act, or for which an investigational use exemption has been authorized.
The plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of such plant, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.
Any cannabis product with respect to which the Secretary has made a determination that the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol can be measured with a high degree of accuracy, or which is not cannabis flower and has significantly higher THC concentration than average cannabis flower.
Any person who plants, cultivates, harvests, grows, manufactures, produces, compounds, converts, processes, prepares, or packages any cannabis product.
Any person who is in the United States and to whom non-tax-paid cannabis products produced in a foreign country are shipped or consigned, removes cannabis products from a customs bonded warehouse, or smuggles cannabis products into the United States.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology