The U.S. House of Representatives voted Friday to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, with slim bipartisan approval; the vote was 220 to 204. Three Republicans joined Democrats in the vote. Supporters say it’s unlikely to get the 60 votes from the U.S. Senate needed to pass in that chamber. If approved, the Democratic legislation would remove marijuana from the federal controlled substances list, expunge convictions for certain cannabis-related crimes and impose a sales tax on products — meant to help communities harmed by marijuana prohibition. That would also mean catching up to the 19 states, including New Jersey, where recreational marijuana is already legal.
US House votes to decriminalize marijuana at federal level
But the Senate is not expected to follow suit
Anchor
An Emmy award-winning journalist, Briana Vannozzi serves as the anchor for NJ Spotlight News, the newsroom of NJ PBS. She's worked in several capacities since joining the news division in 2012, as interim anchor and senior correspondent after years of general assignment reporting as a multimedia journalist. Vannozzi began her television journalism career by cutting her teeth on New Jersey State House politics for New Jersey Network News, and later as a news radio correspondent at FM News 101.9 covering crime and politics in New York City. Her work has taken her to national presidential nominating conventions, Capitol Hill, up and down the East Coast and every corner of the Garden State. She's interviewed every New Jersey governor dating back to Jon Corzine and moderated numerous political debates and forums. Her work has also earned awards from the New Jersey Society of Professional Journalists and the Philadelphia Press Association. A Burlington County native, she's honored to be serving and covering her home state and raising her family there.