The Continuing Resolution Resumes Federal Government and MMJ Protections

January 24, 2018

The senate has ratified a continuing resolution this Monday to end a 2-day federal government shutdown. The resolution gathered the support of senators from both sides of the aisle and easily got passed with 81 votes. The resolution has enabled the government to keep running until Feb 8.

If budget vote doesn’t take place in time then another shutdown will follow. This continuing resolution has secured the funds for CHIP for next six years. However, it will depend on whether the Congress will work on the legislation regarding Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals, border patrolling and other such issues in this time window of 15 days.

The resolution has also secured states’ MMJ programs and patients for the time being by restoring Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment. Dana Rohrabacher, a republican congressman and one of the co-writer of the amendment, is expecting that he and his colleagues will work on marijuana issue in this time period.

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He urges people to remain proactive and get in touch with their respective congressman to make it certain that that final draft of the amendment also gets approved before the budget vote. He is also hoping that there won’t be another continuing resolution on Feb 8. He wants congress to come up with a comprehensive bill that must include provisions for the Department of Justice so that they can have considerable time period (eight or nine months) to come up with a standard legislation piece. It will help in protecting MMJ programs for a long time without going round in circles every year.

According to Rohrabacher, this time window of several months will provide him and other lawmakers to have some space to build a foundation with the help of a federal law which can be served as a template for people and lawmakers all across the country.

Rohrabacher is also going forward with another bill commonly know by the name “Respect State Marijuana Laws of 2017”. It’s been a year since the introduction of the law and Rohrabacher has succeeded in gathering the support of 40 lawmakers.

Idea of this law is to make federal authorities and other concerned entities to get behind the decision of every individual state regarding cannabis. The law will require Department of Justice, banking sector and regulators to treat state-legalized marijuana strains like any other commodity.

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Rohrabacher has also made an interesting point regarding the divide on the issue of legalization. He is of the opinion that the divide is no more between Democrats and Republicans, but among those in favor of state’s prerogative on the issue and those who still think the subject comes under federal jurisdiction.

As the continuing resolution gets signed by the president, we are witnessing Vermont becoming the ninth US states with legalized cannabis. The prospects of New Jersey to become tenth legalized state are only increasing with time. A marijuana-friendly governor has assumed the office in the state and federal provisions regarding the legalization are getting more importance in the state legislature.

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