U.S. House Measure Would End Federal Interference in State Medical Marijuana Laws

A measure passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last week would end federal interference in state medical marijuana laws. Under the measure, the federal government could not spend funds to stop states from implementing their own medical marijuana laws, Reuters reports.

The amendment passed as part of a bipartisan funding bill. It now moves to the Senate for consideration, the article notes.

The amendment was offered by Representative Dana Rohrabacher of California, who called its passage “a victory for states’ rights, for the doctor-patient relationship, for compassion, for fiscal responsibility.”

In a news release issued last month, Rohrabacher said, “Patients and providers currently run the risk of having a federal SWAT Team-like police force raid their home or their place of business because of consumption of a plant. The militarization of the police force in order to prevent grandma from smoking an herb that will ease her pain during her last days on this earth is the type of thing that ought to make every conservative shudder.”

While medical marijuana is legal in 21 states, the drug is still outlawed by the federal government. The Obama Administration has indicated it is willing to allow looser enforcement, the article notes. It recently provided banks with federal guidelines for conducting banking transactions with legal marijuana sellers, enabling a legalized marijuana industry to operate in states that approve it.