Divided U.S. House committee backs pot decriminalization

Nov 21, 20190

Richard Vogel – Associated Press count

This Nov. 13, 2019 photo shows patrons smoking marijuana at Lowell's Original Cannabis Cafe, a legal marijuana establishment, in Los Angeles. A divided House panel has endorsed a proposal to decriminalize and tax marijuana at the federal level. Groups supporting an end to the national prohibition on pot call the 24-10 vote by the House Judiciary Committee historic. However, even if passed in the House, the proposal faces an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled Senate.

LOS ANGELES - A divided U.S. House committee approved a proposal Wednesday to decriminalize and tax marijuana at the federal level, a vote that was alternately described as a momentous turning point in national cannabis policy or a hollow political gesture.

The House Judiciary Committee approved the proposal 24-10 after more than two hours of debate. It would reverse a longstanding federal prohibition by removing marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, while allowing states to set their own rules on pot.

http://www.startribune.com/divided-us-house-committee-backs-pot-decriminalization/565225382/