Marijuana has had a big win in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The U.S. House has passed legislation that will take marijuana off the list of federally regulated substances and expunge many cannabis-related convictions. It is the first time either chamber of the House has voted on the matter.

The bill also supports reinvestment in communities that have been adversely affected by the decadeslong war on drugs. The legislation is unlikely to be deliberated in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Named the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, the bill passed a Congress vote of 228 to 164, with five Republicans - and one independent - backing the measure.

The bill will also minimize obstacles to research, solve banking and tax issues, wipe out cannabis crimes and diversify programs in the industry. It would still be up to U.S. states to submit their own rules in terms of sale of cannabis.

According to New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, the "long-overdue bill would reverse the failed policy of criminalizing marijuana on the federal level and would take measures to address the heavy toll the policy has taken across the U.S., particularly on communities of color," USA Today quoted the Democrat congressman as saying.

"It's the right thing to do," joint sponsor of the act Oregon Representative Earl Blumenauer (D), who also jointly chairs the Congressional cannabis caucus, said before the vote.

If signed into law, cannabis business owners will have access to Small Business Administration funding and other market opportunities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics will collect data on cannabis business owners and staff to guarantee people of color and economically marginalized people are involved in the industry.

To become a law, the Senate must approve the legislation and it has to be signed by the president. Once approved, the new law could help link a gap between federal and state drug regulations in the U.S.

Based on a November Gallup survey, a record 68% of U.S. nationals support the legalization of marijuana. The figure is up from 60% in 2016.

Data by industry company New Frontier Data said that approved ballot measures in Mississippi, Montana, Arizona, South Dakota and New Jersey Dakota might add around $9 billion in market size to the American cannabis market.

The U.S. cannabis industry is projected to hit $20 billion in revenues this year - based on cannabis industry research group Brightfield Group's estimates.