Health Care — House passes marijuana decriminalization

Welcome to Friday’s Overnight Health Care, where we’re following the latest moves on policy and news affecting your health. Subscribe here.

It was a big day for U.S. soccer fans, as the U.S. men’s national team drew England and Iran in its group for the World Cup next fall. 

The House voted to decriminalize marijuana, but it’s not clear what happens next, as deep partisan divisions remain. 

For The Hill, we’re Peter Sullivan, Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi. Send us tips and feedback at psullivan@thehill.com, nweixel@thehill.com and jchoi@thehill.com.

Let’s get started. 

House approves bill decriminalizing marijuana 

The House passed legislation on Friday that would end federal prohibition of marijuana and eliminate the longstanding criminal penalties for anyone who distributes or possesses it.  

The bill, dubbed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, would remove cannabis from the list of banned federal substances, expunge certain past offenses associated with cannabis, impose a 5 percent federal tax on cannabis that eventually increases to 8 percent, and fund programs aimed at helping communities affected by the war on drugs.  

The bill passed largely along party lines 220-204, with three Republicans joining all but two Democrats in support. 

The legislation comes amid a growing shift in public attitudes towards marijuana, with most states passing some sort of decriminalization or legalization law.  

Cloudy future: The measure now goes to the Senate, but it’s not clear if it can gain the needed 60 votes. Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is working with fellow Democrats to introduce a marijuana legalization bill as soon as this spring.   

The White House has also not yet issued a statement on whether President Biden supports the legislation. Biden has said he opposes broad legalization. 

As it stands now, marijuana is classified by the federal government as a “schedule 1” drug, meaning it is considered highly addictive with no medicinal value— the same as heroin, and worse than fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.  

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GOP STILL HAS DEEP DOUBTS ABOUT MARIJUANA 

The vast majority of House Republicans on Friday voted against a bill ending the federal prohibition on marijuana, underscoring the deep reservations that remain in the GOP over its use and allowing it to become widely available even as support for legalization grows. 

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee warned that passage of the bill would lead to widespread use of the drug. They also said it ignores the established science about marijuana’s harmful effects. 

GOP lawmakers are also perturbed that Republican amendments for more restriction were not considered. 

“Our country is already suffering from many Biden-inflicted crises. Now Democrats are making it their priority to expand accessibility of addictive, behavior-altering, recreational drugs,” said Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), adding that programs in the bill would “produce a negative impact for our children and our communities.” 

As public…