House votes aye, passes to Senate. A bill that includes amendments to prohibit federal prosecutions of medical marijuana users in states that have legalized its use with a doctor’s prescription passed in the U.S. House of Representatives (219-189) last night -- 218 votes are required for passage of any bill in the House which consists of 435 members. The House also approved amendments that prohibit the DOJ and DEA from using funds to interfere with state-sanctioned industrial hemp cultivation. These amendments were made to the voluminous 2015 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill, which now must be approved by the Senate and then signed by the President.
The Senate will debate the 2015 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Bill passed by the House and send their amended version of the bill to the House for a conference where a compromise bill would again require separate House and Senate approvals. There are no guarantees the amendments pertaining to MMJ that passed last night will survive in their current form. There is still a long way to go, and it's premature to celebrate before the Senate acts.
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