Congress ends federal ban on Medical Marijuana
Congress quietly ends federal government's ban on medical marijuana
Tucked deep inside the 1,603-page federal spending measure is a provision that effectively ends the federal government's prohibition on medical marijuana and signals a major shift in drug policy.
The bill's passage over the weekend marks the first time Congress has approved nationally significant legislation backed by legalization advocates. It brings almost to a close two decades of tension between the states and Washington over medical use of marijuana.
Under the provision, states where medical pot is legal would no longer need to worry about federal drug agents raiding retail operations. Agents would be prohibited from doing so.
The Obama administration has largely followed that rule since last year as a matter of policy. But the measure approved as part of the spending bill, which President Obama plans to sign this week, will codify it as a matter of law.
Pot advocates had lobbied Congress to embrace the administration's policy, which they warned was vulnerable to revision under a less tolerant future administration.
More important, from the standpoint of activists, Congress' action marked the emergence of a new alliance in marijuana politics: Republicans are taking a prominent role in backing states' right to allow use of a drug the federal government still officially classifies as more dangerous than cocaine.
"This is a victory for so many," said the measure's coauthor, Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa. The measure's approval, he said, represents "the first time in decades that the federal government has curtailed its oppressive prohibition of marijuana."
By now, 32 states and the District of Columbia have legalized pot or its ingredients to treat ailments, a movement that began in the 1990s. Even back then, some states had been approving broader decriminalization measures for two decades.
Even as Congress has shifted ground on medical marijuana, lawmakers remain uneasy about full legalization. A separate amendment to the spending package, tacked on at the behest of anti-marijuana crusader Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), will jeopardize the legalization of recreational pot in Washington, D.C., which voters approved last month.
Marijuana proponents nonetheless said they felt more confident than ever that Congress was drifting toward their point of view.
"The war on medical marijuana is over," said Bill Piper, a lobbyist with the Drug Policy Alliance, who called the move historic.
Shunned by banks, legitimate pot shops must deal in risky cash
"Now the fight moves on to legalization of all marijuana," he said. "This is the strongest signal we have received from Congress [that] the politics have really shifted. ... Congress has been slow to catch up with the states and American people, but it is catching up."
The measure, which Rohrabacher championed with Rep. Sam Farr, a Democrat from Carmel, had the support of large numbers of Democrats for years. Enough Republicans joined them this year to put it over the top. When the House first passed the measure earlier this year, 49 Republicans voted aye.
Some Republicans are pivoting off their traditional anti-drug platform at a time when most voters live in states where medical marijuana is legal, in many cases as a result of ballot measures.
Polls show that while Republican voters are far less likely than the broader public to support outright legalization, they favor allowing marijuana for medical use by a commanding majority. Legalization also has great appeal to millennials, a demographic group with which Republicans are aggressively trying to make inroads.
Approval of the pot measure comes after the Obama administration directed federal prosecutors last year to stop enforcing drug laws that contradict state marijuana policies. Since then, federal raids of marijuana merchants and growers who are operating legally in their states have been limited to those accused of other violations, such as money laundering.
"The federal government should never get in between patients and their medicine," said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland).
makingmoneywithrich.siterubix.com
Recent Comments
9
i am as Anti Drug as they come. I dont even associate with druggies, yet I am not against Medical marijuana.
Hemp can cure the world, just think about a world where no oil is needed, hemp is biodegradable.
The only problem is that when the politicians and bureaucrats start working on regulations we're all going to get kicked in the butt while a bunch of losers get cushy jobs that affect us negatively. It's already happening here in Washington where it's been legal for a year now.
Who needs them, the baby boomers are here, and I hear they will need 47 congress members soon, they are up for treason.
See more comments
While many will gain enjoyment in the legalization of marijuana, the government will gain in the enjoyment of increased tax revenue. When power and money can be increased it becomes legalized, no matter the commodity
I'm surprized it took them so long. Did you hear about the 47 congress members who commited treason against the government by trying to make a deal with a middle eastern country for nuclear Power on there own. They did not tell the president. Peace Out
Not the first time this has happened. Even John Kerry had done it. Doesn't even matter what party someone is from now. Politicians with too much time on their hands.