Congress Tells DOJ to Let States Implement Their Own Medical Marijuana Laws
In the very same federal spending bill that Congress is using to block DC’s recreational marijuana ballot initiative, Congress is treating medical marijuana very differently. In fact, once signed by the President, the new spending law will prohibit the Department of Justice — including DOJ’s Drug Enforcement Administration — from using federal funds to interfere with states’ implementation of their own medical marijuana laws.
Here’s the full text: Sec. 538. None of the funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be used, with respect to the States of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, to prevent such States from implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.
