Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019

Floor Speech

Mr. MURPHY of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition of H.R. 3884, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act.

As a practicing physician for over 30 years, this bill deeply troubles me, especially with its researched implications for our youth population.

Marijuana is one of the most abused substances on this planet. And I will say, I am sympathetic to those who use marijuana for pain relief; I really am. It has been clinically proven to have activity in this area.

That said: A July 2020 study from the National Library of Medicine concluded that the THC component of cannabis can be the main culprit in psychosis and schizophrenia. A 2018 study from Duke University, in fact, showed a five-time increase in psychosis among chronic cannabis users.

The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams, agreed that there are serious health risks associated with the use of marijuana in adolescence and in pregnancy.

The bill fails to set any standards to prevent marijuana, THC concentrates, vaping products, or edibles from getting into the hands of teenagers and young adults whose brains are still developing.

The MORE Act doesn't help prevent the distribution of marijuana to minors. It disrespects States' rights, fails to prevent violence and the use of firearms in growing and distributing marijuana and, lastly, it allows for the potential of marijuana revenue to fund criminal organizations, gangs, or cartels.

I have been to the border and have personally seen what smuggling operations this legislation might allow.

Yes, legalizing weed would create revenue from taxes, but at what cost? Do we then start legalizing cocaine?

Marijuana is a gateway drug; make no mistake about that. It undoubtedly leads to further and much more dangerous drug use.

And while I do believe that medical marijuana can have some activity in chronic pain or those with cancer, this bill simply goes way too far. I will vote against it on the House floor, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. General Leave

Ms. JACKSON LEE. 3884.

Mr. Speaker, I was all over the State of Ohio in the recent campaign. I was all over the country. I was in Georgia, Florida, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Texas, all over the place. Not once--not once--did an American citizen come up to me and say: Do you know what? The first thing I hope the Congress does after this election, the first major piece of legislation I hope the Congress takes up after this election is to legalize marijuana.

Not once did that happen.

But this bill does more than that. This bill says it is not enough just to legalize marijuana. They want taxpayers to pay for it. This bill sets up a grant program. This is the marijuana business infrastructure bill. It sets up an office in the Department of Justice--a special office in the Department of Justice--for the marijuana industry. Grant dollars, taxpayer dollars are going to this industry.

I didn't have anyone tell me: Do you know what? I hope the first big bill the Democrats do after this session is to give my tax dollars to the marijuana industry.

That is exactly what has happened here. But, frankly, this shouldn't surprise us. Think about what the Democrats did earlier this week. Their first big hearing--actually, their first hearing--since the election in the Judiciary Committee was Wednesday in the Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Subcommittee. It was a hearing about letting criminals out of prison early because of the COVID issue-- letting criminals out early in an environment where violent crime is increasing.

We know that, this summer, aggravated assaults are up 14 percent and homicides are up 53 percent. Democrat mayors and city councils around the country in our major urban areas in that environment are defunding the police. So in that overall environment where homicides are up, aggravated assaults are up, and there are less cops on the street, they want to release criminals early.

I want to read from a letter that Mr. Nadler and Congresswoman Bass sent to the Attorney General back in March:

We urge you to use every tool at your disposal to release as many prisoners as possible to protect from COVID-19.

They go on to further to state--and this is the part that is scary:

What you do with individuals who are high risk of contracting COVID-19, who are not in low- or minimum-security facilities, who have been convicted of serious offenses, we urge you to consider that even these individuals in these categories be assessed for release.

Mr. Speaker, so even the most violent criminals they were looking at and they were encouraging the Attorney General to release on our streets.

Oh, and just like with this marijuana bill, they want your tax dollars to pay for a grant program to the States to release criminals early--even the most violent criminals. In an environment where violent crime is up, where our Democrat mayors are defunding their police and taking cops off the street, they want to release criminals early and, oh, your tax dollars pay for it. Mr. Speaker, that is what they want to do.

Now they say: Oh, by the way, it is not just enough that your tax dollars go to States to release criminals early in that environment when they are defunding the police and violent crime is up, we also want you to pay for the marijuana industry.

You have got to be kidding me, Mr. Speaker. You have got to be kidding me. They started the week off having a hearing on paying States to release criminals out of our jails, and now they are going to end the week by saying that taxpayers pay for the marijuana industry.

This is crazy. This is exactly what they want to do. Think about this for a second, Mr. Speaker. Think about a small business owner. Let's just pick Portland. A small business owner in Portland, who paid their local taxes, who this summer had their business destroyed because Democrat leaders in that city would not protect their business, now Democrats in Congress are saying: Oh, we want your Federal tax dollars to be used to release criminals early and to buttress the marijuana industry.

Such a deal for the taxpayer. That is what the Democrats have prioritized this week in the United States Congress. It is ridiculous.

Ms. JACKSON LEE.

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting my good friend has been in different places than we have been in the House Judiciary Committee, but he remains my good friend.

Obviously, our hearing this week was on the devastation of COVID-19 in the Nation's Federal prisons, lives that are lost and lives that could be lost if strong structures are not put in place. That is our job.

I think the other point that should be made is that we will be made safer by this legislation. I can't explain to him the life that I have led, the neighborhood that I lived in, the amazing loss of young lives over marijuana because it was illegal. As we watched not only the life lost in bloodshed, but the life lost in incarceration--imbalanced incarceration, huge sentences--the loss of opportunity, of college, of housing, and of jobs.

We are crying out for relief. Interestingly enough, two out of three Americans say marijuana should be legal, including a majority of both Democrats and Republicans.

Finally, the taxation is on those who use marijuana. It is not on the small business person, it is on those who use and buy marijuana. So I hope that we can move forward on what the American people want us to do.

Mr. Speaker, I would just point out the American Medical Association put out a letter 2 days ago saying they oppose this legislation for the reasons that Dr. Murphy highlighted in his opening remarks.

I would also just, again, point out what the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee did on Wednesday. It was about releasing criminals from prisons early.

Again, just to read from the letter that the chairman of the Judiciary Committee sent to the Attorney General of the United States on March 30, 2020, he says. . . . who have been convicted of serious offenses or who have high pattern risk scores, we urge you to consider that even these individuals in these categories be assessed for release.

I don't know how you can say it any plainer, Mr. Speaker. These are some of the most dangerous people in our Federal prison system. They wanted the Attorney General to look at releasing them into the public. That is how they started the week. They are going to end the week by decriminalizing marijuana and giving American tax dollars to businessowners to further the marijuana industry.

Mr. BISHOP of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman from Texas' comment that the MORE Act would make us safer calls for a specific response.

As Representative Jordan just said, the fact that the MORE Act is on the floor at this time epitomizes Democrats' misplaced priorities. But it also puts on display their inclination to reckless disregard of consequences.

Just like the clarion call to defund the police, followed rapidly by astonished surprise over the ensuing surge in violence, Democrats' rush to legalize marijuana without any heed or response to the rising epidemic of drug driving across the country would mean more dead and injured Americans on our highways.

Consider this: since 2013, in Washington State, the number of fatal crash drivers who tested positive for THC has more than doubled. In Vermont, since 2010, fatal crashes linked to marijuana use have skyrocketed by 173 percent following that State's decriminalization. Forty-seven percent of Oregonians who died in a car crash in 2018 tested positive for marijuana, according to the Oregon State Police. More Indiana drivers in deadly car crashes test positive for drugs than for alcohol.

The data is clear: when governments liberalize marijuana laws, motorists and passengers die.

Law enforcement tells us they lack a reliable roadside test to detect marijuana use or a uniform standard to measure marijuana toxicity, yet our defund-the-police Democrat colleagues rush to change the status quo across the entire country while refusing even to consider my commonsense amendment that would require the Department of Transportation to develop and prescribe best practices for testing drivers suspected of marijuana impairment.

My amendment would help law enforcement keep people safe, but Democrats would rather prioritize criminals. A North Carolina sheriff recently called drug driving ``one of the leading killers in our State.'' Just like Democrats' efforts to defund police, the MORE Act's unintended consequences will include increased danger for our families.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support Americans' safety by voting against this bill.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Maloney), the distinguished chair of the Oversight and Reform Committee.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership and for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the MORE Act. I applaud my colleagues, Chairman Nadler and Vice President-elect Harris, for their leadership. It is past time that Congress answers the call for reform for low-level marijuana conviction justice.

This sweeping legislation would officially remove cannabis from the list of federally controlled harmful substances, protect medical cannabis businesses, and expunge low-level marijuana convictions that have disproportionately harmed people and communities of color.

The MORE Act would also help those whose convictions are overturned through an opportunity trust fund that would provide job training, reentry assistance, and legal aid. If we are serious about criminal justice reform, we need to get rid of the antiquated cannabis laws that disproportionately harm people of color. The MORE Act would do just that.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Gabbard).

Mr. Speaker, House Democrats started the week off with a hearing on letting criminals out of jail early. They end the week with a bill legalizing drugs. And they want the American taxpayers to pay for both programs.

They introduced a bill earlier in the year to give grant dollars to States to let criminals out of jail early, even violent ones, according to the letter Mr. Nadler and Chairwoman Bass sent to the Attorney General. Now, they want to create a trust fund in this bill to give grants to the marijuana industry and finance the marijuana industry.

Mr. Speaker, these are the actions the Democrats take, the first actions they take after a national election. Go figure. Maybe that is why they lost 27 out of 27 toss-up seats around the country. Maybe that is why our party almost took back the majority.

That is what they choose to focus on at a time when you have Democrat leaders around the country defunding the police, locking down businesses, destroying small businesses all over our Nation. This is what they choose to focus on. This is what they choose to focus on.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE.

Mr. Speaker, let me indicate very quickly that every 37 seconds, between 2001 and 2010, there were 8 million arrests, every 37 seconds, for marijuana. We spent $3.6 billion on the war on marijuana, and it has not worked. We do today what saves lives.

We know that States are going to be able to continue to protect their children, and this does not undermine the ability of Congress to protect children as well. In every State that has legalized marijuana, they have developed a comprehensive set of regulations to protect consumers.

We also recognize that this issue of vaping is not generated by marijuana use. With a comprehensive structure, we will be able to protect children and not be selling marijuana to children. Those who have died in our communities may now live. As well, we will further understand the importance of a structure that is about restoration of justice. The imbalance against people of color has been a tragedy.

Mr. Speaker, the MORE Act is crucial to be able to pass, and I ask my colleagues to do so vigorously as we also fight COVID-19.

Mr. Speaker, before I close, I would like to thank the following Members and committee and Member staff for their outstanding work on the MORE Act: Joe Graupensperger, Milagros Cisneros, Christine Leonard, Barbara Lee, Earl Blumenauer, Nydia Velazquez, and Frank Pallone.

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