Title: Removing Marijuana from Deportable Offenses Act
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
Removing Marijuana from Deportable Offenses Act
This bill removes offenses involving the use, possession, or distribution of marijuana from the list of crimes that could render an alien inadmissible into the United States or deportable. An alien previously denied a visa for such marijuana-related activities may reapply for a visa, and an alien previously deported for such activities shall be readmitted into the United States if not otherwise inadmissible.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2021 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2021

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act by striking marijuana use, 
possession, and distribution as grounds of inadmissibility and removal.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 27, 2019

  Mr. Booker introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act by striking marijuana use, 
possession, and distribution as grounds of inadmissibility and removal.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Removing Marijuana from Deportable 
Offenses Act''.

SEC. 2. STRIKING MARIJUANA USE, POSSESSION, AND DISTRIBUTION AS GROUNDS 
              FOR INADMISSIBILITY AND REMOVAL.

    (a) In General.--The Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 
et seq.) is amended--
            (1) in section 101(a)(43)(B) (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(43)(B)), by 
        inserting ``other than the distribution of marijuana,'' after 
        ``(as defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances 
        Act)'';
            (2) in section 212(a)(2) (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(2)), by amending 
        subparagraph (F) to read as follows:
                    ``(F) Marijuana offenses.--Notwithstanding any 
                other provision of this section, any offenses involving 
                the use, possession, or distribution of marijuana shall 
                not be considered as grounds of inadmissibility.''; and
            (3) in section 237(a)(2)(B)(i) (8 U.S.C. 1227(a)(2)(B)(i)), 
        by striking ``other than a single offense involving possession 
        for one's own use of 30 grams or less of marijuana'' and 
        inserting ``other than offenses involving the use, possession, 
        or distribution of marijuana''.
    (b) Right To Reapply or Return.--
            (1) Reapplication.--Any alien who was previously denied a 
        visa to enter the United States as a direct result of the 
        alien's use, possession, or distribution of marijuana may 
        reapply for admission to the United States.
            (2) Reissuance.--Any alien who was deported from the United 
        States as a direct result of the alien's use, possession, or 
        distribution of marijuana shall be readmitted to the United 
        States and reissued the visa that they had at the time of the 
        alien's deportation if the alien is not inadmissible under 
        section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as 
        amended by subsection (a)(2).
                                 <all>