In 2014, the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment was adopted as a federal-level protection over state-level medical marijuana laws. It prevented the Justice Department from allocating its federal funds to the investigation, prosecution, and penalization of states that permit medical marijuana use, distribution, cultivation, and personal possession. Effectively, the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment is the only piece of legislation that allows state-level medical marijuana laws to legally coexist with the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which still labels marijuana as a Schedule I narcotic.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recently sent a letter to the leaders of Congress, pleading for them to unravel the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment and the protections it grants. Within his letter, Attorney General Sessions finds the amendment to be an affront to the federal government’s authority and a legislative hazard to the American people. He even goes as far as claiming that marijuana use lowers a person’s IQ score permanently and incites violent behavior, and that many official and respectable medical marijuana dispensaries are actually fronts for illegal and dangerous drug cartels.
The letter was addressed to Speaker Paul Ryan, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader Charles Schumer, and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. At this time, it is not entirely clear how President Trump will react if Congress does make a move to undo Rohrabacher-Farr. During his campaign, Trump noted that medical marijuana had its benefits and that state-level rights would be respected. However, in opposition to his previous behavior, he has already signed an official statement that permits him to override legal protections surrounding medical marijuana and its laws.
Cannabis Law Report recently discussed this letter and its implications on its website. Attorney Andrew Sacks of Sacks Weston LLC, one of the country’s prominent medical marijuana law firms that deals directly with legislation issues and regulations, contributed to the Cannabis Law Report article. Members that wish to read the article, and also the letter sent by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, can click here to review it, after logging in. Interested parties can also contact Sacks Weston LLC and the firm’s Pennsylvania medical marijuana attorneys for pertinent inquiries and representation in complex litigation cases.
