The US House of Representatives voted on Friday to decriminalise marijuana (ganja) at the federal level, but the legislation is not expected to advance further as long as the Senate remains in Republican hands.

It was the first time either chamber of Congress has voted to end the federal ban on marijuana since the drug was listed as a "controlled substance" in 1970.

Fifteen US states and the District of Columbia have legalised recreational use of marijuana, and over 30 states allow some form of the drug for medicinal purposes...