The House Judiciary Committee passed a landmark bill Wednesday that will legalize marijuana at the federal level by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act.

The legislation, known as the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement or MORE Act, was passed by a vote of 24 to 10. The bill was introduced by New York Representative Jerry Nadler, a Democrat.

The MORE Act is one of the most comprehensive marijuana reforms bills ever introduced in the U.S. Congress.

The legislation aims to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, reassess marijuana convictions, and invest in local communities. It will allow states to regulate marijuana and enact their own policies.

It also includes the assessment of a 5 percent sales tax on marijuana and marijuana products to create an Opportunity Trust Fund that is intended to address the needs of communities most seriously affected by the war on drugs.

"While states have led the way in reform, our federal laws have not kept pace with the obvious need for change. With the passage of the MORE Act today, the Judiciary Committee has taken long overdue steps to address the devastating injustices caused by the War on Drugs and to finally decriminalize marijuana at the federal level," said Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

U.S. Senator Kamala Harris introduced the companion bill in the Senate.

The MORE Act has a high chance of approval in the Democratic-controlled House, but is likely to face a tougher time in the Republican-controlled Senate.

In the U.S., 33 states and the Washington, D.C., have legalized cannabis for medical use, while only eleven states have legalized cannabis for recreational use.

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