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The House of Representatives today approved the bill that will eliminate the hemp from the federal “dangerous drugs” list, a historic step toward decriminalizing marijuana in United States.
The text was approved by 228 votes to 164, with Democrats controlling the House. However, he is likely to be rejected by the Senate, where Republicans now have a majority.
The bill criminalizes the possession of cannabis at the federal level, which the DEA, the Drug Enforcement Administration, considers equivalent to cocaine, heroin and LSD. It is recalled that cannabis use is legal in many states, for medical or recreational purposes.
At the same time, convictions imposed by federal courts for minor drug law offenses will be overturned. Proponents of the law argue that mass incarceration for possession of small amounts of cannabis primarily affects minorities.
According to the pro-decriminalization organization NORML, this is the first time in 50 years that the House of Representatives has reconsidered the categorization of cannabis.
“This is a historic moment,” Tulsey Gabbard, a Democratic candidate in Hawaii, said before the vote. It is “a step toward ending the costly and destructive war on this drug that has turned many Americans into criminals, destroyed so many families and destroyed so many lives,” he explained.
The bill will also impose a 5% tax on the sales of cannabis and its derivatives, to finance the reintegration of prisoners into society.
According to recent polls, more than two-thirds of Americans agree with the legalization of cannabis.
In practice, however, cannabis will not be legal throughout the country, as each state reserves the right to enforce its own drug laws. Today, the use of cannabis for medical purposes is legal in 33 of the 50 states, as well as in the capital, Washington. Eleven states and the federal capital have also legalized its use for recreational purposes.
“Most cannabis arrests are for simple possession and are made by state police under state law,” said attorney Vince Sliowski.
Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
