In response to the Congressional Budget Office’s new scoring of the MORE Act (H.R. 3617), US Cannabis Council CEO Steven Hawkins released the following statement:
“Descheduling cannabis is criminal justice reform, and the CBO’s new score for the MORE Act shows why. Making the MORE Act the law of the land would reduce time served in federal prisons by an estimated 37,000 person-years over the next decade alone. Simply put, legalizing and regulating cannabis would reduce the number of Americans behind bars and pass the savings along to taxpayers, including an estimated $800 million at the federal level over the next decade. Even more dramatic gains could be seen at the state level.
“The CBO estimates that the MORE Act would increase net federal revenues by over $8 billion over the next decade. Cannabis tax revenues would be dedicated to addressing the disastrous consequences of cannabis prohibition. Under the MORE Act, a new Opportunity Trust Fund would provide billions in funding for job training, legal aid and beyond for directly impacted individuals.
“Descheduling isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s also fiscally prudent. The CBO just delivered another compelling reason for Congress to pass the MORE Act tomorrow.”
