We are safe until December 8

A budget deal approved in Congress on Friday extended federal protections for state-legal medical marijuana patients and providers until Dec. 8, potentially creating another opportunity to ensure they are inluded in the FY 2018 budget.

Earlier this week, the House Rules Committee blocked an amendment introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) from being heard by the House during the rest of the budget negotiations. This made it very likely that the amendment, which prevents the Department of Justice from targeting state medical marijuana programs, would not be included in the final budget for next year. Without inclusion, these protections would have expired Sep. 30.

This budget deal gives us a little more time to put pressure on Congress to do the right thing. Please contact your lawmakers and urge them to support medical marijuana.

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Don't let the Feds resume arrests of medical marijuana patients

From Americans For Safe Access:

As a medical cannabis advocate, you are probably aware that the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) budget has been helping defendants win in federal court. Beginning with the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana ruling last October, to dropping the case against Harborside this May, to the McIntosh victory in the 9th Circuit last month, the amendment has been protecting safe and legal access for patients. The amendment was passed in 2014 and 2015 thanks in part to the support and efforts of medical cannabis activists like you!

Earlier this year, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted overwhelming to include it in next DOJ budget. However, the amendment is set to expire at the end of September and the House has yet to vote on it. If the amendment expires, the federal prosecutions against those obeying their state medical cannabis laws could resume once again.

You can help by sending an email to your representative thanking them for voting yes last year or to encourage those who voted no to take another look at the issue. Also contact your Senators and tell them to extend these protections for another year.

Senate approves amendment to get the federal government out of state medical marijuana dispensaries

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee voted on and approved Thursday an amendment designed to stop the federal government from interfering with state medical marijuana laws. The 20-10 vote mirrors an amendment in the House, which passed 242-186 in a vote last week.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., introduced the amendment -- which blocks the Justice Department and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) from using funds to interfere with the implementation of state laws allowing for the cultivation, distribution and use of medical marijuana -- to the Senate version of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The amendment is nearly identical to the one that passed the House of Representatives, which was introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif.

Many in the medical marijuana community were excited by the Senate Appropriations Committee's approval, suggesting that the similar language in both the House and Senate makes it likely that the amendment will be part of the final version of the spending bill. "This is another resounding victory for medical marijuana patients, their families and their care providers," said Dan Riffle, director of federal policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, in an emailed statement.

Tom Angell, chairman of Marijuana Majority, added that "with so many votes going our way these days, each new one gets less and less exciting. But that’s a good problem to have. We’re entering an era where marijuana reform is accepted as mainstream and not seen as controversial, and that’s exactly where we want to be. With this vote, it’s now clear that a growing bipartisan group of lawmakers in both chambers is ready to get the federal government out of the way of the effective implementation of state marijuana laws."

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