Congress Quietly Ended a Federal Ban on Medical Cannabis

ack in December, Congress ended a federal ban on medical
cannabis. A 1,603-page federal spending bill was passed prohibiting federal
agents from raiding medical cannabis vendors. The bill marked the first time Congress
had significantly backed cannabis advocates. “This is a victory for so
many,” says California representative and measure co-author,
Dana Rohrabacher. The bill’s authorization, he said, signifies “the first
time in decades that the federal government has curtailed its oppressive
prohibition of marijuana.”

The measure had huge support from Democrats for years, but
enough Republicans cooperated with them this year–49 to be exact–to push it
through. Polls show that Republicans favor allowing cannabis for medical use,
but still oppose full legalization. “The federal government should never get in
between patients and their medicine,” says California representative Barbara
Lee.

In February, two more congressmen
filed separate bills to end the U.S. government’s ban on the plant. Colorado’s Jared Polis presented the Regulate
Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, removing cannabis from the
Controlled Substances Act’s schedules, transferring oversight of the substance
from the Drug Enforcement Administration over to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives.

Oregon representative Earl Blumenauer introduced
the Marijuana Tax Revenue Act,
which federally taxes cannabis. The two new bills do not force the legalization
of cannabis, but instill a federal regulatory framework for states who choose
to legalize it.

32 states, plus the District of Columbia, have now legalized
cannabis either medicinally or recreationally. The cannabis reform movement has
garnered ample progress over the years, though the DEA continues to classify
cannabis as a dangerous narcotic. The
measure recently passed by congress, which prohibits federal agents from
obstructing state cannabis laws, was vetoed half a dozen times prior to recent
developments. This news comes at a vital time for reform, as the collective
tone of cannabis is greatly shifting, with the unexpected overwhelming
support of cannabis legalization from Republican Millenials.

Cannabis supporters feel more resilient than ever now . Bill Piper, a lobbyist with the Drug Policy Alliance stated, “The war on medical marijuana is
over,” calling the move historic. “Now the fight moves on to legalization of all
marijuana. This is the strongest signal we have received from Congress [that]
the politics have really shifted.” He adds, “…Congress has been slow to catch
up with the states and American people, but it is catching up.”