President Trump Signs Bill Temporarily Extending Medical Cannabis Protections

Legislation to avoid a government shutdown, and extend federal protections on state medical cannabis laws, has been signed by President Trump.

The bill extends the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment, initially passed in 2014, to January 19th. The amendment prohibits the Department of Justice – which includes the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – from using funds to enforce federal cannabis laws in states that have legalized the plant for medical use. Trump signed the bill shortly after it was passed by both the Senate and House of Representatives.

“Patients around the country who rely on medical marijuana for treatment—and the businesses that serve them—now have some measure of certainty”, Representative Blumenauer, co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, said after the measure was passed by Congress. “Our fight, however, continues to maintain these important protections in the next funding bill passed by Congress.”

The bill signed into law by Trump also extends protections for state laws that allow hemp to be cultivated for research purposes.