The House Judiciary Committee today will hold a historic vote on legislation to federally legalize marijuana. The sweeping cannabis reform bill would also expunge convictions and set aside money to help communities impacted by the war on drugs.

"Our marijuana laws disproportionately harm individuals and communities of color, leading to convictions that damage job prospects, access to housing and the ability to vote," committee chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.

"This is a promising piece of legislation that is notable for its emphasis on addressing the racial disparities created and exacerbated by the war on drugs, and not just the economics of cannabis reform," said Katharine Neill Harris, a drug policy expert at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. She is available to discuss the issue with the news media.

"Setting aside the fact that the vast majority of marijuana convictions occur at the state level, and not the federal level, the proposal to expunge prior federal marijuana convictions is critical, and one that should be adopted at the state level as well," said Neill Harris, who is the Alfred C. Glassell, III, Fellow in Drug Policy at the institute.

"If the MORE Act passes in the House, it will face significant hurdles in the Republican-controlled Senate, despite more conservative lawmakers voicing general support for cannabis reform," she said. "But if this bill, or some form of it, is successful and cannabis possession is decriminalized at the federal level, I would expect to see more states relax their cannabis laws in response.

"Going forward, it is also critical to expand the conversation around drug reform to include other substances as well, as a focus solely on cannabis will limit our ability to adequately address the inequities that have been institutionalized by the drug war."