In summary
California medical marijuana users can breathe a sigh of relief—the Trump administration can’t crack down on them for at least a few more months.
California medical marijuana users can breathe a sigh of relief—the Trump administration can’t crack down on them for at least a few more months.
As part of the spending package that funds the federal government through early December, Congress renewed the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment, which forbids the Department of Justice from interfering in state-sanctioned medical marijuana operations. The protection will expire December 8 unless re-approved by Congress.
California cannabis advocates were spooked last week when a House committee temporarily endangered the amendment, which has protected the state’s medical marijuana market since 2014. Medical marijuana is still technically illegal under federal law—the federal government classifies marijuana as a narcotic in the same legal category as heroin.
The Trump administration has repeatedly chafed at Rohrabacher-Blumenauer as an undue handcuff on executive power. Longtime marijuana foe Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked Congressional leaders for the freedom to prosecute medical pot earlier this year.