Forbes 6/12/2018 by Tom Angell
For the first time ever, a provision protecting state medical marijuana laws is being included in base funding legislation for the U.S. Department of Justice.
While the provision in question has been federal law since 2014, in years past its enactment has required votes on the House floor or in a Senate committee. But now, in a dramatic sign of the rapidly changing politics of cannabis , the budget rider is part of the initial spending bill for the Justice Department as introduced by Republican Senate leaders.
"It's taken years of hard work by patients and their advocates, but we've finally reached the point where even in a U.S. Senate controlled by Republicans, a medical marijuana provision is not considered a poison pill and its support requires no further debate," Don Murphy, director of federal policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, said in an interview.
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies approved Fiscal Year 2019 spending legislation including the measure on Tuesday. A full committee vote on the overall bill is expected on Thursday.
More:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomangell/2018/06/12/senators-include-medical-marijuana-protections-in-justice-department-bill/#3ecfed586b2d
