Congress Quietly Ended Federal Ban on Medical Cann

Congress Quietly Ended Federal Ban on Medical Cannabis
By Zara Zhi March 6, 2015

Back in December, Congress ended a federal ban on medical cannabis. A 1,603-page federal spending bill was passed prohibiting federal agents from raiding medical cannabis vendors. The bill marked the first time Congress had significantly backed cannabis advocates. "This is a victory for so many," says California representative and measure co-author, Dana Rohrabacher. The bill's authorization, he said, signifies "the first time in decades that the federal government has curtailed its oppressive prohibition of marijuana."

The measure had huge support from Democrats for years, but enough Republicans cooperated with them this year–49 to be exact–to push it through. Polls show that Republicans favor allowing cannabis for medical use, but still oppose full legalization. “The federal government should never get in between patients and their medicine,” says California representative Barbara Lee.

In February, two more congressmen filed separate bills to end the U.S. government’s ban on the plant . Colorado's Jared Polis presented the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act’s schedules, transferring oversight of the substance from the Drug Enforcement Administration over to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Oregon representative Earl Blumenauer introduced the Marijuana Tax Revenue Act, which federally taxes cannabis. The two new bills do not force the legalization of cannabis, but instill a federal regulatory framework for states who choose to legalize it.

32 states, plus the District of Columbia, have now legalized cannabis either medicinally or recreationally. The cannabis reform movement has garnered ample progress over the years, though the DEA continues to classify cannabis as a dangerous narcotic. The measure recently passed by congress, which prohibits federal agents from obstructing state cannabis laws, was vetoed half a dozen times prior to recent developments. This news comes at a vital time for reform, as the collective tone of cannabis is greatly shifting, with the unexpected overwhelming support of cannabis legalization from Republican Millenials.

Cannabis supporters feel more resilient than ever now . Bill Piper, a lobbyist with the Drug Policy Alliance stated, "The war on medical marijuana is over," calling the move historic. “Now the fight moves on to legalization of all marijuana. This is the strongest signal we have received from Congress [that] the politics have really shifted.” He adds, “…Congress has been slow to catch up with the states and American people, but it is catching up.”



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