Did the Federal Omnibus package from last year reduce “Medical Marijuana” Raids and compliance checks in Hawaii? Will the masked men in black be back soon in full force?
“In addition, the 2017 budget proposes removing a section of the current law that stops the Justice Department from interfering with state medical cannabis legislation. In a departure from his generally hands-off stance on state medical marijuana laws, President Obama’s proposed budget would allow the Justice Department to use federal funds to interfere with the implementation of state medical marijuana programs as it sees fit.” –Ganjapreneur
“The president’s budget represents the first step in what will be a months-long process to determine the federal government’s spending for next year. From here, Congress has most of the decision-making power, and it remains to be seen whether the legislative branch will agree to the administration’s D.C. marijuana proposal.
Obama also proposed the change in his Fiscal Year 2016 budget, but lawmakers reinserted the ban in the omnibus appropriations bill that the president signed into law in December.
However, even if Congress doesn’t agree to the language letting D.C. use FY2017 appropriated funds to regulate marijuana sales, there is still one move local officials have available to them. Advocates have pointed out that D.C. has a pool of emergency funds, called a contingency reserve, which are not restricted by the federal budget provisions. D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine is reportedly preparing a memo about using that money to legalize cannabis commerce.” –Marijuana.com
If the state of Hawaii Narcotics Enforcement Division gets additional funds from the Federal Department of Justice, how will it affect patient health? Would dispensary owners become immune from prosecution? Or would it be similar to California’s system where clinics, production centers and retail dispensaries are open but regularly raided by the feds?