Federal Protections on Medical Marijuana Expire Amid Government Shutdown
The U.S. government has officially been put into a shutdown, which has caused federal protections on state-level medical marijuana and hemp laws to expire.
Despite the House of Representatives on Thursday approving an extension of federal funding, the Senate has failed to do the same. This means that as of Midnight, the government has been placed in a shutdown. This shutdown has resulted in the expiration of the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment, which prohibits the Department of Justice from using funds to enforce federal cannabis laws in states that have legalized the plant for medical use.
The government shutdown has also caused the expiration of a federal amendment which protects state laws allowing for the cultivation and research of hemp.
It’s unclear at this point when lawmakers will agree on a bill to fully fund the government and renew the medical marijuana and hemp protections. An extension needs to be passed by both the House and Senate before it can go to President Trump for consideration.
Richard A Lee
Doesn’t this mean that the DEA will have no funds to carry forth missions of cracking down?
I imagine no money for feds means the states have ultimate decision-making authority in this situation… Right?
Richard Paul Steeb
That sounds like bovine scatology to me. How TF does the gov’t shutdown cause ANYTHING to expire?