House to vote on cannabis legalization bill in December

Hoyer’s letter did not specify the voting week, but the House is expected to sit December 1-4 and December 7-10.

What is the context? The House was due to vote on the bill in September, but some Democrats in close races feared voters would kindly watch a vote to legalize marijuana when a deal on coronavirus aid remained elusive. At the time, Hoyer had promised that the bill would still be put to a vote after the election.

Momentum is building on marijuana politics. More than a third of Americans now live in states with full legalization, and a record 68% support federal legalization of cannabis, according to Gallup. On the last day of elections, five states passed referendums on medical or recreational legalization – including staunchly conservative states such as Montana and South Dakota – bringing the total number of legal states to 15.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Monday tweeted that it is “high time to end the federal ban on marijuana”.

“With the success of all cannabis voting measures across the country last week, it’s more important than ever for Congress to catch up,” said Cannabis Caucus co-chair Barbara Lee (D-Calif .), After Hoyer’s office announced the “We will continue to build momentum for Congress to take action to end the failed cannabis ban before the end of the year. The stake is too high. important for communities of color. ”