Today, the Rohrabacher Blumenauer amendment is set to expire. If you’re living in a state where cannabis is legal, use medical cannabis, are an advocate for cannabis legalization, or just someone who really likes toking up, you should be very worried. If you are not typically up on political news (which is perfectly understandable, it’s all bad), you should definitely be aware of what Rohrabacher Blumenauer entails, and especially what it will mean if it is not renewed.
What’s in Rohrabacher-Blumenauer?
All pieces of legislation are complicated, but the the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment can be summed up pretty succinctly. Basically, it’s a budget bill that doesn’t allow the federal government to use federal funds to enforce federal prohibition in states where cannabis is legal, as long as they are compliant with the law. It was first passed in 2015, after being rejected multiple times by the US House, as part of a 2016 budgetary bill. The provisions in the bill are temporary and must be renewed each year when Congress passes its annual budget.
It’s important to note that Rohrabacher-Blumenauer does not apply to recreational cannabis; the provisions only cover medical cannabis. There is nothing stopping Jeff Sessions’ Justice Department from coming after your favorite dispensary. The only thing keeping him from doing it is the GOP controlled Congress. Luckily for us, no one wants to give him the go ahead. Cannabis is one of the few issues that Democrats and Republicans see eye to eye on, besides wars and tax cuts for the uber rich.
What Happens if Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Expires?
Rohrabacher-Blumenauer did expire. As of today, the cannabis industry is completely unprotected. Congress will be voting on it soon because they have to approve the budget for 2018. If a cannabis crackdown were to happen, it wouldn’t happen until sometime next year, so you can at least have a good holiday.
Who Will be Affected?
So, who will be affected if the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer is not renewed? Pretty much everyone who is in a legal cannabis state, regardless whether they use cannabis, grow it, or sell it in a dispensary. You will all be completely screwed.
You know that nice old grandma down the block who uses cannabis to help her arthritis? Jeff Sessions will be able to throw her in jail for breaking a federal law. You could be thrown in jail. For example, say you are an employee in a dispensary, you work paycheck to paycheck, then all of a sudden the DEA busts in and arrests you for noncompliance with the Controlled Substance Act. You would be completely screwed. Same thing would happen if you were a grower. The DEA could come in and confiscate your livelihood. Months of your work would be gone and you would have a drug charge on your hands. What if you were in your favorite dispensary when it happened to be raided? You would go down too.
Luckily, this is not likely to happen. Jeff Sessions may be itching to go after the cannabis industry, but the rest of Congress is not so keen on it. As more and more big name investors get into the game, you can bet that they will use their influence to prevent that from happening. Of course, this is all conjecture. The cannabis industry is in a very precarious position right now. If Rohrabacher-Blumenauer is not renewed, this is just the beginning.
Featured Image Source: Washington Times
What do you think? Is the cannabis industry screwed? Tell us in the comments below!
The post What Happens if Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Expires? appeared first on I Love Growing Marijuana.
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