Lawmakers warn DOJ to back off medical marijuana prosecutions

With Capitol Hill and the Justice Department locked in a feud over the future of medical marijuana, two leading congressional marijuana reform advocates are warning Justice that it’s violating a new federal law.

In a letter addressed to Attorney General Eric Holder, Reps. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) and Sam Farr (D-Calif.) on Wednesday said the Justice Department’s interpretation of their medical marijuana amendment in last year’s spending bill is “emphatically wrong.”

The two succeeded in enshrining in law a provision prohibiting the department from using resources to prevent states from “implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.”

But the Justice Department told the L.A. Times this month that language won’t shield medical marijuana dispensaries from federal action for violating federal marijuana laws, which remain in conflict with state laws despite a growing push in Congress to...

Rate this article: 

This marijuana news is brought to you by 420 Intel. For the latest breaking cannabis industry news, subscribe to the 420 Intel newsletter. If you'd like to promote your product or service in this area after every article, contact us.


URL: 
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/lawmakers-warn-doj-to-back-off-medical-marijuana-prosecutions-116781.html