Did Congress Just Legalize Medical Marijuana?

Medical cannabis Courtesy: Flickr Creative Commons

There’s a lot of misinformation making the rounds on the internet regarding the medical cannabis provision in the federal spending bill signed by Obama on Friday.

Allow me to clear the smoke and tell you what this really means for the cannabis community.

Here are some of the incorrect headlines:

• Federal Ban Lifted On Medical Marijuana, Provision Lifting The Ban Quietly Placed In The Recent Spending Bill
• Medical Marijuana Is Now Legal In All 50 States Thanks To Congress
• BREAKING: Congress Just Ended The Federal Ban On Medical Marijuana

Don’t be fooled by the click bait.

What the spending bill actually says is the Department of Justice (DOJ) will no longer be able to block the implementation of state medical cannabis laws.

That means in states where cannabis is legal, retail operations no longer need to worry about the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) raiding their shops or bringing them to court.

Michael Collins of the Drug Policy Alliance, a pro-cannabis advocacy group, sees the development as a step forward for the cannabis industry saying, “it’s encouraging to see [Congress] starting to roll back the war on drugs by allowing states to set their own medical marijuana policies.”

States aren’t the only ones affected by the new rules. The District of Columbia has a medical cannabis program and legalized the use of cannabis under strict conditions outlined in Initiative 71.

Alex Jeffrey is the executive director of the D.C. chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), a nonprofit lobbying organization. He calls it a win for District users and pro-cannabis lobbyists. In a statement to Never Daunted Radio Network, Jeffrey writes:

“In D.C. it would be expected that any fear of federal agents, such as Park Police, would decline, especially with a medical card. With Maryland developing a strong medical program in the coming months, the District will also likely expand on its current medical program, now that the federal opposition dissolved. Most importantly, district residents are some of the most active in the country. We will likely see an increase in the number of cannabis lobbies, as well as interested parties. It’s an exciting time to be an activist in Washington, D.C.”

With bipartisan support from Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Representative Sam Farr (D-CA), the measure was approved 242 to 186 in the House. The Senate Appropriations Committee then passed the same amendment, sponsored by Sen. Mikulski (D-MD), 21 to 9.

Charles Hollman, Communications Director of Maryland’s NORML chapter is  pleased with the measure but remains vigilant that more needs to be done.

“I think it’s a good thing that the Marylanders in the legal cannabis industry won’t be raided, but there are other serious problems federal prohibition of medical cannabis. Farms and dispensaries can’t even use banking services. Operating cash-only businesses, they are more likely to be robbed. And it’s a major hassle for a legitimate business to be forced to make all transactions in cash.”

While finding federally insured banking services (FDIC) remains out of reach for cannabis businesses, a measure giving veterans access to medical marijuana at the VA was gaining traction until it was cut from the most recent federal spending bill.

Chloe Sommers is the Executive Editor and Chief Political Managing Editor of the Never Daunted Radio Network. You can reach her on Twitter @ChloePalma