The House of Representatives approved a far-reaching measure on Thursday to prevent the Department of Justice from interfering with state marijuana laws, including those allowing recreational use, cultivation and sales. “This is the most significant vote on marijuana reform policy that the House of Representatives has ever taken,” said NORML Political Director Justin Strekal. "For the first time, a chamber of Congress has declared that the federal government should defer to state cannabis laws." We’re watching state after state move forward,” Blumenauer said in a floor debate on the state protection amendment on Wednesday evening. Don Murphy, director of federal policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, said that Blumenauer and McClintock "deserve credit for their early leadership on marijuana policy reform, which dates back to the days when it was just good policy, not good politics too."

Source: Forbes June 20, 2019 21:38 UTC