Congress Blocks Feds from Interfering with State Marijuana Laws

By
HeadQuest

A bipartisan group of House Democrats and Republicans recently hashed out a $1 trillion budget for government spending, but none of which will be used to crack down on legal pot.

A new government funding bill will block the Department of Justice from using federal funds to prosecute law-abiding medical marijuana companies operating in legal states.

The spending package includes language first approved by Congress in December 2014 that prevents any money budgeted to the Justice Department to be used “to prevent any (state) from implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession or cultivation of medical marijuana.”

President Trump warned that he would not feel bound by the restriction. “I will treat this provision consistently with my constitutional responsibility to take care that the laws be faithfully executed,” Trump said in a statement.

As it is currently written, every time Congress debates a new spending deadline the measure must be reintroduced, raising the possibility of a major shift in enforcement if the clause isn’t included in future resolutions.

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