marijuana
Bipartisan bills to protect marijuana from federal crackdown introduced by Colo. members of Congress
DENVER – Efforts to protect states with legal marijuana programs from any possible federal crackdown are gaining bipartisan momentum in Congress, and several of Colorado’s lawmakers are playing a big part in trying to get legislation passed.
U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette (D) and Mike Coffman (R) introduced a bill Thursday that revises the federal Controlled Substances Act to keep Congress or any federal entities from interfering in legal state marijuana markets.
The two introduced a similar bill in 2012 after Colorado voters first approved the constitutional amendment that legalized recreational marijuana in the state, but it ultimately failed.
“This bill makes clear that we’re not going back to the days of raids on legal dispensaries, of folks living in fear that they’re not going to get the medical marijuana they need, or that they might get jailed for using it,” DeGette said.
“While I have opposed the legalization of marijuana, the people of Colorado voted for an initiative in 2012 that legalized marijuana and placed it in our state’s constitution,” Coffman said.
“Since it this is clearly not a matter of interstate commerce, I believe that the people of Colorado had every right, under the U.S. Constitution, to decide this issue for themselves and as their representative in Congress, I have an obligation to respect the will of the people of Colorado and that’s why I’m reintroducing this bill with Congresswoman DeGette,” he continued.
Their bill comes a day after U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner (R) and Michael Bennet (D), along with a bipartisan group of senators, introduced a bill that would ease regulations on how marijuana businesses are allowed to deal with banks.
It would bar federal regulators from stopping or penalizing a bank from working with legal marijuana businesses or taking away FDIC approval from the bank. It would also stop banks and regulators from barring loans to people operating legal marijuana businesses.
While some Colorado marijuana businesses now allow people to use debit or credit cards, many still operate on cashless ATM or cash-only systems.
“The lack of access to banking services for marijuana businesses is a key issue in Colorado,” Bennet said. “It raises significant public safety concerns for both employees and customers of these businesses and creates compliance and oversight challenges.
Rep. Jared Polis (D) introduced a bill earlier this year that aims to have the feds regulate marijuana like alcohol.
Also introduced in recent weeks was a bill by Virginia Republican Rep. Thomas Garrett, which lifts federal restrictions on medical and recreational marijuana programs and allows states to operate their own. The bill also has support from both sides of the aisle.
Rep. Mike Coffman says ‘cloud’ hanging over Trump administration, causing polarized Congress
DENVER – U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman says the appointment of a special prosecutor in the ongoing probe into Russia’s alleged ties with members of President Trump’s campaign and administration is the only way to cut through the “cloud” hanging over the White House and Congress.
Coffman sat down for a one-on-one interview with Denver7 Friday, moments after White House press secretary Sean Spicer wrapped up a contentious press briefing in which he was grilled over Trump’s statements earlier this week in which he hinted that he had fired former FBI Director James Comey because of the Russia probe. Continue reading
Draft rules for Denver’s social marijuana clubs released; patron waiver draws early concern
DENVER – Businesses looking to get one of Denver’s first-of-its-kind social marijuana consumption permits got their first look Thursday at the stringent draft of rules and regulations they will likely have to adhere to if they want one of the permits.
Denver voters approved Initiative 300 last November, which opens up the possibility for the existence of the clubs. The city, state and local organizations have been hammering out exactly what requirements the businesses have to follow since. Continue reading
Bennet, other Dems ‘very concerned’ about administration’s stances on opioids, marijuana
DENVER – U.S. Sen Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and five other Senate Democrats sent a letter this week to the acting director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy saying they are concerned about the administration’s “open hostility” to states with legal marijuana and possible budget cuts that they say could exacerbate the opioid crisis.
The letter was signed by six Democrats on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and sent to Office of National Drug Control Policy Acting Director Richard Baum on Monday.
Baum had previously asked the committee for input on the administration’s new drug control policy, and Monday’s letter was the Democrats’ response.
“We appreciate any sincere efforts to combat substance use disorders. We are concerned that this administration may revert to a policy that focuses on the criminal justice system over public health efforts,” the letter reads.
The senators say proposed 95 percent budget cuts to the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the repeal of several Obama-era policies aimed at responding to the opioid epidemic and other illicit drug use would have far-reaching negative effects on addressing drug abuse.
“A meaningful effort to combat substance use disorders must focus on the full implementation of [the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act], adequate funding for [the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration], and improving the Affordable Care Act by expanding access to mental health and substance use disorder services and health insurance,” the letter says.
The senators called the Republican replacement for Obamacare, the American Health Care Act, a “major step backwards in the prevention and treatment of drug addiction.”
“We are very concerned that this administration will exacerbate the opioid epidemic rather than alleviate it,” the letter said.
But the senators said they were also worried about the administration’s stance on how it might enforce federal laws regarding legal marijuana.
“We are also concerned by the administration’s open hostility to state policies legalizing or decriminalizing the possession and use of medical or recreational marijuana,” the senators wrote.
They suggested that the Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Agency target deadly drugs instead of focusing any efforts on legal marijuana, which has never itself killed anyone.
“Particularly given the severity of the ongoing opioid use epidemic, federal resources should be targeted at providing comprehensive substance use disorder programs and cutting off the flow of deadly drugs rather than interfering with state regulatory regimes for marijuana,” the letter said.
The administration and Jeff Sessions-led Justice Department are still reviewing their policies.
Medical marijuana safe from federal crackdown through September, according to near-final budget
DENVER – Colorado’s medical marijuana is safe from a federal crackdown through at least September, after lawmakers worked a rider into the bipartisan budget deal to protect states with medical marijuana programs.
The section of the budget deal pertaining to medical marijuana (pages 230-231) says that the Department of Justice may not use any budgetary funds “to prevent any of [a list of states, districts and territories] from implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.” Continue reading