House votes to block feds from targeting medical marijuana in states where it's legal

Fox News

The GOP-controlled House voted early Friday in favor of blocking the federal government from interfering with states that permit the use of medical marijuana.

The somewhat surprising 219-189 vote came as the House debated a bill funding the Justice Department's budget.

The amendment by conservative GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of California -- the first state to legalize medical marijuana -- came as almost half the states have legalized marijuana for medical uses, such as improving the appetites of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

"Public opinion is shifting," Rohrabacher said, noting a recent Pew Research Center that found 61 percent of Republicans support medical marijuana. The numbers are higher for independents and Democrats.

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Some great news for a lot of sick people and there caretakers/providers. This is a step in the right direction the biggest hurdle the republican run house is on board.

I am pleased to see the house doing something helpful and useful for the people, Its been a long time coming this is huge news and its not getting enough attention and praise. The States should have the right to vote and have there voices heard and adhered too. The Fed needs to keep out of state issues and laws.

This is a huge states right issue and its groundbreaking. This is historical for A few reasons one being, The Fed will be breaking a UN treaty! which opens the subject for other bills. The huge banking problem In the industry can be addressed and possibly rescheduling which would solve the problem fast. Come on Obama grow a pair!!!

a reply to: pez1975

what does it says about feds that this is even needed?

The people vote for something, it becomes legal, and the feds are against that? against the very people they claim to work for?

This PROVES we are a conquered and oppressed nation controlled by those who view their selves as our masters.

It really goes against everything we are taught about our "representative" govt from grade school all the way through to post graduate civics courses.

For the feds to even consider going against the people is VERY TELLING..!

It opens collectives up to legit banking and paying Federal Taxes.

Which the Feds would not accept before.

It puts Cannabis on a road to being a legit medicine.

I am surprised this happened...This is huge.

The whole thing is a retrenchment to being able to tax and regulate....
Whereas the use and the cultivation should be totally legalized for ALL
Why should the Feds or the state be able to tax what you can grow in your own garden?

Cannabis should never have been made an illegal substance, but if you need to know why it is there is more than enough info with a simple google search, but that would pull us off topic I fear.
But keeping with topic, the idea that alcohol and state sponsored drugs are legal while a plant that grows in the ground, never needed GMO help and thrives everywhere, made by the goddess/creator, and has never killed anyone is criminal at best.
The feds need to stay out of peoples lives when it is a clear cut case of victimless "crime".

Just wipe all existing legeslation immediatly and wipe all past criminal records for MJ related crimes and move forward ASAP.

Set up a system where medical patients can grow their own medicine TAX FREE so they dont have to battle insurance companies who wont pay for MJ as an accepted medicine.

Set up a socially accepted and directed tax production and distribution structure to support the social recreational usage demands..

Invest the Hundreds of Billions of dollars earned Nationally in Tax revenues criminals used to be stealing BACK INTO THE COUNTRYS INFRASTRUCTURE AND PEOPLE .

America is taking a huge step forward.

a reply to: pez1975

Question for anyone -

Canada currently uses Idrasil for the medical marijuana patients. If this pill is available then why is there a push to legalize the smoking version? Could they not use the Idrasil?

originally posted by: Xcathdra
a reply to: pez1975

Question for anyone -

Canada currently uses Idrasil for the medical marijuana patients. If this pill is available then why is there a push to legalize the smoking version? Could they not use the Idrasil?

Would you rather have an orange grown in your back yard from the tree you grew or some artifical orange drink made in a factory with god knows what in it?

I did a half-jump of surprise in my chair, and really did damn near fall out of it. This is, IMO, a turning point & is critical for anything else (ehem, recreational use) in the long-run. You have to start somewhere, and this is an impressive step.

I'd say more, but I don't trust myself to walk the fine T&C line well enough. Hopefully someone else can cover how promising this is for the other use of it appropriately.

Corporations will start looking at MJ only for the opportunity it has to offer in monetary gain. If you ever thought of it as a controlled substance before it surely will become one now.

I can see the process happening. They will never just erase the criminal charges. But instead little by little they will trickle it down for public use, only under their strict management. It is not beneficial for them to have anyone growing the stuff for their own personal use. They are getting the process down right now, and you can bet after it is all figured out they will have complete control of your backyard garden as well.

For your own safety and well being though.

a reply to: Xcathdra

why should someone have to BUY something from a For Profit company at a premium when they can grow it ORGANICALLY on their own for FREE?



plus smoking it provides instant relief AND the cannabis tar has benefits including being beneficial to the lungs.

originally posted by: Xcathdra
a reply to: pez1975

Question for anyone -

Canada currently uses Idrasil for the medical marijuana patients. If this pill is available then why is there a push to legalize the smoking version? Could they not use the Idrasil?

Sick people can't keep the pills down. They take at least an hour to work.

Smoking, vaping provides instant anti nausea medicine.

There really is no substance like it. My dad was LEO all his life.

In the end it was the only thing that would help him eat.

He felt lied to about it. His exact words were "That's it".

While i appreciate the support and sentiment for full legalization and the right to grow it in your garden with no restrictions thats not gonna happen any time soon. Im a realist and the fact of the matter is there are to many legal hoops and treaty's that need amended internationally before that could ever happen.

cannabis restrictions are embedded in the text of the Single Convention, complete legalization would require denunciation of the Single Convention, amendment of the treaty, or a reinterpretation of its provisions that would likely be opposed by the International Narcotics Control Board.

However, Article 4(c) of the Single Convention specifically excludes medicinal drug use from prohibition, requiring only that Parties "limit exclusively to medical and scientific purposes the production, manufacture, export, import, distribution of, trade in, use and possession of marijuana. This is where the fight is today and this is where we need to focus our efforts one step at a time.

With over 20 states allowing medical use at this time this puts alot of pressure on the government to move toward legalizing it on a fedral level for medical use and research only. For this we need it to be rescheduled from class I to II or even better class IV or V this can be done 2 ways. 1 the congress can pass a law this would be the hard way. Or 2 By the Health and Human Services Secretary recommending the rescheduling and the Sectary of State changing the scheduling. The fast way.

This is a complex issue and needs to be handled the right way and the first step would be legalization for medical use first.

It should not be classified at all.

It was only ever classified because of lies and fraud.

I know that's not realistic. We should demand removal and start over.

originally posted by: Xcathdra
a reply to: pez1975

Question for anyone -

Canada currently uses Idrasil for the medical marijuana patients. If this pill is available then why is there a push to legalize the smoking version? Could they not use the Idrasil?

Cannabis contains a huge number of things which have different effects, cause other effects in different combinations, or change/moderate the effects of other compounds present when consumed. All the cannabis derived pharmaceutical are simply one compound, usually THC but I've heard of some CBD ones hitting/close to market.

THC is the main compound that gives recreational effects. It's not the main compound that acts as medicine for patients. There are quite a few strains bred specifically for very low THC and higher numbers of other compounds. And a large number of medical patients are moving away from smoking. Infused foods, tinctures, capsules (with full range of compounds) as well as vaporizing both plant matter and concentrates is becoming far most common among patients than smoking.

If you are used to seeing medicine as "one problem, one cure" then medical marijuana won't make any sense to you. Cannabis can alleviate a very wide variety off issues from the severe to the fairly benign. The strain and method of ingestion also can change the effects. Opiates are arguably the best pain killers on the planet, the fact that some people abuse them doesn't change that, which the medical industry acknowledges because of their wide array of opiate pain killers.

Preferring a packaged pill over a natural remedy you can make and administer yourself seems a bit odd to me, but everyone is different. The dangers of pharmaceutical opiates are greater than a person simply drinking poppy tea to deal with pain, it seems like a wise choice to avoid the entire industry whenever possible.

Theyre trying to get ahead of this issue.

Yet ANOTHER instance where the federal government is going head-to-head with states' rights.

Lets be clear about something, the states grant the federal government its limited authority, not the other way around.

In their minds, its better to pass some legislation now vs another stand-off leading to power being taken away from the federal government and having it restored to the states, where it rightfully belongs.

originally posted by: Xcathdra
a reply to: pez1975

Question for anyone -

Canada currently uses Idrasil for the medical marijuana patients. If this pill is available then why is there a push to legalize the smoking version? Could they not use the Idrasil?

Because the pill doesn't work half as good as the real thing. There are some things in nature that man just cannot remake in a lab.

originally posted by: Xcathdra
a reply to: pez1975

Question for anyone -

Canada currently uses Idrasil for the medical marijuana patients. If this pill is available then why is there a push to legalize the smoking version? Could they not use the Idrasil?

Cannabis is a natural plant, and it is essentially free.

Why would anyone in their right mind choose an expensive, synthetic, mass produced, adulterated pill made by some faceless company when they could simply have the real, natural, beneficial, seen from seed to harvest and essentially free plant based medicine?

And as for smoking Cannabis, that is probably one of the least effective methods of ingestion of the beneficial and active compounds and Cannabinoids for the majority of medical conditions.

Eating the raw flowers, distilling the essential oils, and extracting the Cannabinoids are far more effective than rolling a cigarette and smoking it.

Some conditions benefit from smoking it that's true, but most do not.

originally posted by: pez1975

originally posted by: Xcathdra
a reply to: pez1975

Question for anyone -

Canada currently uses Idrasil for the medical marijuana patients. If this pill is available then why is there a push to legalize the smoking version? Could they not use the Idrasil?

Would you rather have an orange grown in your back yard from the tree you grew or some artifical orange drink made in a factory with god knows what in it?

It does not answer the question.