McClintock Votes In Favor Of Marijuana Legalization Measure
Washington, DC — The US House passed a bill that would legalize marijuana use nationwide for adults and eliminate penalties for those who possess or distribute the drug.
In addition, it would impose a new tax (initially at five percent) on the sale of cannabis products and expunge previous marijuana convictions off people’s records.
The legislation passed 220-204, mostly on a party-line vote with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed. There were just three Republicans who were in favor, including Mother Lode Representative Tom McClintock, and Florida representatives Matt Gaetz and Brian Mast.
There were also two Democrats who joined the majority of Republicans in voting against, Chris Pappas of New Hampshire and Henry Cueller of Texas.
The measure now moves to the narrowly divided US Senate for consideration.
California is one of 18 states that already allows recreational marijuana use.
McClintock has been consistent on the issue of marijuana. In a 2018 Mother Lode Views show he was critical of then-Attorney General Jeff Session’s actions trying to make it more difficult for California to carry out its desire to legalize marijuana for recreational use. He also endorsed the ballot measure, Proposition 64, which made marijuana legal in the state, arguing that the laws attempting to regulate the drug had failed.
