The toll of decades-long marijuana prohibition in Latino communities has been devastating. Latinos are overrepresented in marijuana arrest and incarceration rates throughout the country. Arrest and conviction records block people from accessing jobs, housing, and benefits, among other consequences, detrimentally impacting families and communities.

Marijuana criminalization has also been a key driver of immigrant detention and deportation. Between 2002 and 2020, 127,387 people were deported for marijuana-related offenses. At least 600 individuals have been deported in 2025 for marijuana-related convictions, an estimate that is likely an undercount. Sadly, many of these deportations stem from state-legal activity that results in punishment due to marijuana's status as a federally prohibited substance on the Controlled Substances Act.

Despite carrying the consequences of criminalization and being key sustainers of the legal industry as workers and consumers, Latinos are underrepresented as business owners in the industry. This is due to many reasons, including: some people cannot participate in the industry due to previous convictions; their immigration status will not allow them to participate safely; or the cost of entry is too high and capital is unavailable.

This is why we are urging Congress to pass the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE Act) (H.R. 5068). Here is how the MORE Act would help Latino communities:

• Deschedules Marijuana: The bill federally decriminalizes marijuana by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act, ensuring that Latino communities can no longer be prosecuted for federal marijuana crimes. It also creates a legal pathway for regulating marijuana at the federal level.
• Expunges Criminal Records and Resentences Cannabis Crimes: The act provides for the automatic expungement of federal cannabis offenses. This would significantly help Latino individuals remove barriers to employment, housing, and education stemming from minor, nonviolent marijuana convictions. The bill would also allow for the resentencing of individuals currently serving time in federal prison for marijuana law violations.
• Protects Immigration Status: The act includes provisions aimed at immigration, which would help to prevent non-citizens from being deported, denied entry, or having their naturalization applications rejected solely due to marijuana-related conduct or convictions. Under current federal law, even a single, small marijuana conviction can cause a lawful permanent resident to be deported or deemed inadmissible.
• Restores Public Benefits: The bill ensures that people can no longer lose federal benefits due to marijuana law violations. This will help Latino individuals and families access life-affirming resources.
• Provides Economic Opportunity and Equity: The bill creates the Cannabis Restorative Opportunity Program to provide loans and technical assistance to small businesses in the cannabis industry owned by "socially and economically disadvantaged individuals." This is designed to help minority entrepreneurs gain access to an industry they have largely been excluded from due to a lack of capital.
• Reinvests in Directly-Impacted Communities: It establishes the Opportunity Trust Fund, funded by a federal excise tax on cannabis products. Half of this fund is designated for programs providing legal aid, job training, and health education to communities most adversely impacted by the war on drugs.

Join us and urge your lawmaker to support the MORE Act today!