Congressmen Blast House For Killing Medical Marijuana Protections

[Ron Strider]

The 'Cannabis Caucus' on Capital Hill is lashing out against the House of Representatives for stripping medical marijuana patients of their only protection from the DEA. The caucus — a bipartisan group of lawmakers advocating marijuana reform — was quick to condemn the House committee that recently nixed an amendment in the federal budget that prevented the DEA from spending a single penny on raiding states that have legalized medicinal cannabis use.

Without that protection, there's nothing stopping Attorney General Jeff "good people don't smoke marijuana" Sessions from sicking federal agents on budtenders, dispensary owners and even medical marijuana patients across the country. And Sessions will probably do just that since he wrote a letter to Congress last May, asking lawmakers to remove the budget amendment so that he had the power to enforce federal marijuana prohibition from coast to coast in a crackdown that would jeopardize the lives of millions.

“By blocking our amendment, Committee leadership is putting at risk the millions of patients who rely on medical marijuana for treatment, as well as the clinics and businesses that support them," Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D- OR) and Dana Rohrabacher (R - CA) said in a statement. "This decision goes against the will of the American people, who overwhelmingly oppose federal interference with state marijuana laws."

And that's no exaggeration. A recent Quinnipiac poll says 94 percent of Americans support medical marijuana. So by nixing the marijuana amendment, the House Rules Committee is playing politics with the lives of patients as well as the well being of people committed to helping them. But Blumenauer and Rohrabacher won't let the amendment — which has been passed in every budget since 2014 — die without a fight.

“Our fight to protect medical marijuana patients is far from over. The marijuana reform movement is large and growing. This bad decision by the House Rules Committee is an affront to the 46 states and the District of Columbia that have legalized use and distribution of some form of medical marijuana. These programs serve millions of Americans. This setback, however, is not the final word. As House and Senate leadership negotiate a long-term funding bill, we will fight to maintain current protections.”​

But fighting for the status quo is a shortsighted approach to a long-term problem. Since the medical marijuana amendment has to be approved with every budget, it only offers temporary relief for those millions of patients who could face criminal prosecution for taking their medicine. Those patients won't get real, sustainable protection until lawmakers finally get onboard with 94 percent of their constituents and legalize medical marijuana.

News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Congressmen Blast House For Killing Medical Marijuana Protections
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[whiteraven86]

A Message to GOP lawmakers
I cannot understand why the GOP is actively blocking amendments that would allow the cannabis industry to operate as other businesses do.
Research has consistently shown that cannabis has legitimate medicinal uses, is safer than aspirin (aspirin causes hundreds of deaths a year in the US and cannabis has never caused a death from an overdose in recorded history).
The majority of states have passed medical cannabis laws and an overwhelming majority of Americans support full legalization of medical cannabis.
The GOP is supposedly the party of state and individual rights and should recognize that supporting the will of We the People and the states would reinforce the claim they are for states’ rights.
But then politicians and in this case especially Republicans are once again demonstrating they cannot even wipe their butts without getting approval from the special interests that fund their campaigns and donate to their fund raising efforts.

 

[wildjim]

Go ahead. Keep voting for those damn republicans.

WJ

 

[Nightmask]

Those in power do not care about the people, they only care about the status quo of power, profit, and control.

 

[Biker Dude]

A Message to GOP lawmakers
I cannot understand why the GOP is actively blocking amendments that would allow the cannabis industry to operate as other businesses do.
Research has consistently shown that cannabis has legitimate medicinal uses, is safer than aspirin (aspirin causes hundreds of deaths a year in the US and cannabis has never caused a death from an overdose in recorded history).
The majority of states have passed medical cannabis laws and an overwhelming majority of Americans support full legalization of medical cannabis.
The GOP is supposedly the party of state and individual rights and should recognize that supporting the will of We the People and the states would reinforce the claim they are for states’ rights.
But then politicians and in this case especially Republicans are once again demonstrating they cannot even wipe their butts without getting approval from the special interests that fund their campaigns and donate to their fund raising efforts.

The representatives are SUPPOSED to vote for the will of the people that voted for them ! ! Seems that whoever gives them the most money gets the vote, NOT the people they are supposed to serve. Time to vote out all the people that like money more than serving the people.

How do we get a copy of who voted for and against the amendment in the house ? ? Time to get them out of office and vote in someone that will serve the people like they are supposed to.

 

[CBD BudMan]

This is just one of many reasons, IMHO, why America MUST vote the entire republican party out of office. The overwhelming majority of Democrats would not have done this. @wildjim U R spot on, my friend. Thank you!