U.S. House to Vote on Several Amendments to Roll Back Federal War on Cannabis

U.S. House to Vote on Several Amendments to Roll Back Federal War on Cannabis

By Marijuana Policy Project

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote Tuesday evening or Wednesday on several spending limitations intended to roll back the federal government’s war on marijuana.

Several marijuana-related amendments will be offered to the FY 2016 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies appropriations bill, and at least two of them would limit the manner in which funds can be spent by the Department of Justice, which includes the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The House is expected to consider:

–       An amendment offered by Reps. Tom McClintock (R-CA) and Jared Polis (D-CO) that would prevent the Department from using any funds to prevent states from implementing laws that allow for the regulated cultivation, distribution, and sale of marijuana for any purpose. This will be the first time the amendment has been proposed, and it represents the most significant reform to federal marijuana policy ever offered in the form of an appropriations amendment.

–       An amendment offered by Reps. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Sam Farr (D-CA) that would prevent the Department from using any funds to prevent states from implementing laws that allow for the cultivation, distribution, and sale of marijuana for medical purposes only. The House approved this amendment last year, and it was codified in the so-called “CRomnibus” funding bill.

–       Amendments that would redirect funding away from DEA salaries and interdiction programs and toward other more worthwhile programs, such as drug treatment for veterans and addressing the backlog of untested sexual assault lab kits.