Tucked deep inside the 1,603-page federal spending measure is a provision that effectively ends the federal governments prohibition on medical marijuana and signals a major shift in drug policy. The bills passage over the weekend marks the first time Congress has approved nationally significant legislation backed by legalization advocates. It brings almost to a close two decades of tension between the states and Washington over medical use of marijuana. Under the provision, states where medical pot is legal would no longer need to worry about federal drug agents raiding retail operations. Agents would be prohibited from doing so. The Obama administration has largely followed that rule since last year as a matter of policy. But the measure approved as part of the spending bill, which President Obama plans to sign this week, will codify it as a matter of law. This is a victory for so many, said the measures coauthor, Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa. The measures approval, he said, represents the first time in decades that the federal government has curtailed its oppressive prohibition of marijuana.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 12:18:02 +0000
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