WASHINGTON – Bainbridge Township GOP Rep. Dave Joyce on Thursday secured language in a federal spending bill that would prohibit the Justice Department from interfering with medical marijuana laws in states like Ohio.
The House Appropriations Committee voted to include an amendment to the bill that funds the Justice Department that would block it from meddling in implementation of state laws that permit the cultivation, distribution and use of medical marijuana.
According to the Marijuana Policy Project, similar provisions have been in effect since 2014, but this is the first time the language has been added to the spending bill in committee.
In past years, the provision was added as an amendment on the House of Representatives floor. Last year, the chairman of the committee that decides which amendments the House considers, House Rules committee Chairman Pete Sessions of Texas, blocked it from consideration.
The Marijuana Policy Project’s director of conservative outreach, Don Murphy, said that adding the provision in the committee will keep it from getting blocked again.
“The strong bipartisan support we’re seeing in Congress mirrors public opinion, as polls show an overwhelming majority of both major parties support legal access to medical marijuana,” said a statement from Murphy. “At this point, opponents probably want to avoid being on the record voting against sick patients and states’ rights.” [Read more @ Cleveland.com]
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