US Democrats Pass Marijuana Legalization Bill in House... US Media Calls It a "Historic Vote"

Republican-Led Senate Passage Seems Difficult
Possible If Democrats Control the Senate

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass a bill legalizing marijuana.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The U.S. House of Representatives, led by the Democratic Party, has passed a bill to legalize marijuana use. While U.S. media outlets unanimously reported it as a historic event, there is a low likelihood that the bill will pass the Senate, led by the Republican Party, and become formal legislation.

According to U.S. media such as CNN, the House on the day passed the "Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act" by a vote of 228 to 164, which removes marijuana from the list of controlled federal substances and imposes a 5% excise tax.

In the vote, 222 Democratic lawmakers, 5 Republican lawmakers, and 1 Libertarian voted in favor. 158 Republicans and 6 Democrats voted against it.

The bill excludes marijuana from controlled substances and uses the funds raised from the excise tax to help those punished for drug crimes.

Bloomberg reported that about 70% of Americans live in states that allow recreational or medical marijuana use, and legal marijuana sales this year are estimated at about $19.1 billion. According to a Gallup poll last month, about 68% of Americans support marijuana legalization.

Although the bill passed the House under Democratic leadership, its passage in the Senate is unlikely. The Republican Party, the majority party in the Senate, opposes the bill.

However, there is a scenario in which the Senate could pass it. This would occur if two Democratic candidates win in the Georgia Senate runoff election held on January 5 next year.

In that case, the Democrats would secure 50 seats in the Senate. If Vice President-elect Kamala Harris casts the tie-breaking vote, the Democrats would hold the majority in the Senate and hold the 'key' to legislation.

After the Democrats take control of the Senate and the bill is processed, if President-elect Joe Biden signs the bill after taking office, historic marijuana legalization could be achieved.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.