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(CNN) --
The House of Representatives voted with a slim bipartisan majority in favor of the federal decriminalization of marijuana.
The vote was 220 in favor and 204 against.
Republicans Tom McClintock of California, Brian Mast and Matt Gaetzs of Florida joined a majority of Democrats in supporting the bill, while Democrats Henry Cuellar of Texas and Chris Pappas of New Hampshire voted against it.
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The bill, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, will prevent federal agencies from denying federal workers security clearances for cannabis use, and allow the Veterans Administration to recommend medical marijuana to veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
It will also allow for revenue by authorizing a tax on the sale of marijuana.
The bill also expunges criminal records for people convicted of nonviolent cannabis-related offenses, which, according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, "can persecute people of color and affect the trajectory of their lives and their professional careers indefinitely".
"It can result in difficulty finding employment, difficulty finding housing, denial of access to federal benefits, denial of financial aid at colleges and universities, and denial of the right to vote," Hoyer said.
"That's why we take care of this."
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Senate Democrats have a similar legalization bill in the upper house, but neither that bill nor the MORE Act, passed by the House, is expected to pass the 60-vote threshold for passage in the Senate.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised the legislation during her weekly press conference on Thursday, telling reporters that the legislation is "consistent with what is happening in many states across the country."
"The legislation also addresses injustices due to what the penalties used to be before some of this legislation, this decriminalization that took place," he added.
"So I'm for it."
A similar bill passed in December 2020, and was championed in the House by the late Rep. Don Young of Alaska, who co-founded the House Cannabis Lawmakers Caucus but died last month before the bill hit the floor for another vote.
DecriminalizationMarijuana
