The federal government yesterday gave approval to a short-term spending bill that’s designed to prevent an October 1st governmental shutdown. Included in the bill is the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment, which is the landmark provision passed last year which limits the Department of Justice’s ability to enforce federal cannabis laws in states where’s it’s been legalized for medical purposes.
According to Nick Phillips of the Marijuana Times; “Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, the co-author of the historic legislation, recently made an unscheduled appearance at the State of Marijuana Conference on the Queen Mary in Long Beach. He sat on a panel where he wore a “Make Cannabis Great Again” hat in support of states’ rights and individual freedoms to consume and operate legal cannabis businesses.”
On stage, the Rohrabacher stated that “the momentum is on our side”, and stressed the need for supporters of cannabis law reform to contact their lawmakers and let their voice be heard.
In an interview with the Marijuana Times, when asked about presidential candidate Donald Trump’s position on cannabis, Congressman Rohrabacher said, “I have spoken to Mr. Trump personally, and he has assured me that if he were to become president he intended to honor the states’ rights to medical marijuana laws.” He also indicated that at this time, “Mr. Trump has no position on recreational use, rescheduling /descheduling of marijuana on the federal level in the future.”
The extension of the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment is good through December 9th.