President Joe Biden wants to maintain a long-standing policy that\u2019s protected state medical marijuana laws from Justice Department interference as part of his fiscal year 2022 budget proposal\u2014a notable administration decision given that previous presidents from both parties have called for its elimination in their annual plans.<\/p>\n
But Biden wants to continue to block Washington, D.C. from using its own tax dollars to legalize adult-use marijuana sales, declining to recommend that current language barring such activity be eliminated.<\/p>\n
The budget approach is raising questions about whether the president is drawing a line in the sand by supporting medical cannabis states but denying D.C. the right to implement sales as the mayor and local legislators want. If so, it would reflect his overall marijuana policy position: yes to medical cannabis, no to recreational marijuana.<\/p>\n
The medical cannabis rider, which has been renewed in appropriations legislation every year since 2014, stipulates the the Justice Department can\u2019t use its funds to prevent states or territories \u201cfrom implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.\u201d<\/p>\n
Past administrations\u2014both Democratic and Republican\u2014have proposed scrapping that language. President Donald Trump and President Barack Obama each called for ending the policy<\/a> as part of their budget proposals. But Congress has consistently upheld it regardless<\/a>.<\/p>\n During the 2019 appropriations season, the House approved an even more expansive amendment that would have provided protections for all state and territory marijuana programs<\/a>, rather than just medical cannabis systems. But the Senate did not follow suit and the provision was not included in final spending bill sent to Trump\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n When Trump signed that large-scale spending legislation in 2019, he attached a statement that said he is empowered to ignore the congressionally approved medical cannabis rider<\/a>, stating that the administration \u201cwill treat this provision consistent with the President\u2019s constitutional responsibility to faithfully execute the laws of the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n Advocates were optimistic that Biden would propose removing the other long-standing rider, which has blocked D.C. from using local tax dollars to legalize marijuana sales\u2014but that did not pan out. And that\u2019s in spite of the fact that he did push to remove separate, D.C.-specific language blocking the city from using its funds to provide abortion services.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s seriously concerning that the will of District of Columbia residents who voted to legalize cannabis years ago continues to be ignored, despite immense support in the city,\u201d Queen Adesuyi, policy manager for the Drug Policy Alliance\u2019s (DPA) Office of National Affairs, told Marijuana Moment, adding that local officials should be allowed to \u201cdeliver on the promises of equity and justice for those disproportionately impacted by racially-biased enforcement of cannabis laws in the District.\u201d<\/p>\n The inconsistency with which Biden\u2019s budget approaches D.C. is all the more interesting given that while the president has said repeatedly that states should be empowered to make their own decisions regarding adult-use legalization\u2014and he also supports statehood status for the District\u2014he wants to prevent it from having that same right.<\/p>\n \u201cThe president\u2019s budget is simultaneously positive and concerning. On one hand, unlike his predecessors from both parties, he is the first sitting president to call for continued protections for medical cannabis programs,\u201d NORML Political Director Justin Strekal told Marijuana Moment. \u201cBut on the other hand, unlike President Obama, this budget denies the right of self-determination to D.C. citizens when it comes to the overwhelming desire of the public and local government to regulate cannabis for adults.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said in April that local officials are prepared to move forward with implementing a legal system of recreational cannabis sales<\/a>\u00a0in the nation\u2019s capital just as soon as they can get over the final \u201churdle\u201d of congressional interference.<\/p>\n The ongoing blockade is the result of an amendment that was first added by Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) when Republicans controlled the House and has since been continued in annual appropriations legislation.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is incompatible to support D.C. statehood and simultaneously support the reauthorization of the Harris Amendment,\u201d Mike Liszewski, principal with the Enact Group and a policy advisor to Students for Sensible Drug Policy, told Marijuana Moment. \u201cPresident Biden\u2019s decision to reinclude this provision in his budget is a slap in the face of every District resident. D.C. voters should not have to beg the federal government to allow us to set up our own marijuana regulatory system.\u201d<\/p>\n The Biden administration is being closely watched by advocates when it comes to any marijuana policy development\u2014especially since the president has maintained an opposition to adult-use legalization even as multiple bills to end federal prohibition are being drafted and introduced.<\/p>\n Perhaps unsurprisingly, Biden did not propose gutting the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) as Trump did. The former president called for a roughly 90 percent cut in the agency\u2019s budget<\/a> in his proposals, but Congress did not follow suit. Biden, meanwhile, helped establish the drug czar\u2019s office during his time in the Senate.<\/p>\n BREAKING: The Biden-Harris FY22 Budget request calls for historic levels of funding to prevent and treat #addiction<\/a> and #overdose<\/a>. Full details: https:\/\/t.co\/jCgN4ug0F8<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ONDCP (@ONDCP) May 28, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Biden\u2019s budget<\/a> also includes $17 million in funding to support industrial hemp production.<\/p>\n Bill To Federally Legalize Marijuana Reintroduced In Congress As Senate Prepares Separate Measure<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post Biden Budget Keeps Medical Marijuana Protections But Would Block D.C. From Legalizing Recreational Sales<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
President Joe Biden wants to maintain a long-standing policy that\u2019s protected state medical marijuana laws from Justice Department interference as part of his fiscal year 2022 budget proposal\u2014a notable administration decision given that previous presidents from both parties have called for its elimination in their annual plans. But Biden wantsContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47955"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47955"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47956,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47955\/revisions\/47956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\n
\n
\nRead More: Biden Budget Keeps Medical Marijuana Protections But Would Block D.C. From Legalizing Recreational Sales<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"