As early as tomorrow, June 3, our allies in Congress are expected to introduce two amendments to the new Department of Justice spending bill that would prevent federal tax dollars from being spent on actions undermining state cannabis laws. One amendment deals with medical cannabis and another extends to adult use.

NCIA has been working hard on your behalf, along with other allied groups, to build support for these amendments. Now we need your help. Please call your member of Congress TODAY and ask that he or she support respect for state laws and fair treatment for the cannabis industry by voting YES on the Rohrabacher-Farr and the McClintock-Polis amendments to the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations bill.

Use this website to quickly access a link to your Congressional representative’s website and contact information. Feel free to use some of the talking points at the end of this post to help guide your call.

The House of Representatives will begin debating the CJS Appropriations bill (H.R. 2578), which sets next year’s funding levels for the Department of Justice (DOJ), today. During debate last year, the House made history by approving an amendment, 219-189, blocking the Department of Justice from using tax dollars to wage war on medical cannabis and hemp businesses where such operations are authorized by state law.

Our strong allies in Congress, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA), are expected to introduce the same amendment this year, seeking to restrict DOJ funds from being used to interfere with state medical marijuana laws, including conducting raids and law enforcement actions against medical cannabis businesses acting in compliance with state law.

In addition, Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) and Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) are expected to introduce a nearly identical amendment that applies to ALL cannabis businesses, including adult-use businesses, acting in compliance with state law.

These amendments could be debated on the House floor and voted upon on as early as Wednesday. Please call your member of Congress TODAY and tell him or her to vote YES on the Rohrabacher-Farr and the McClintock-Polis amendments to the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill.

Thanks for taking action to keep ALL cannabis businesses safe and to continue the positive momentum in Congress. It is very important that Congress hears your voice!

Why we support the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment and the McClintock-Polis Amendment

• As a medical [retail] marijuana business owner [patient] [caregiver] [supporter] in [city, state], I am calling to express my strong support for the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment and the McClintock-Polis amendment to the CJS appropriations bill.
• It’s time for the federal government to respect the states that are trading criminal markets for regulated ones. And it’s time for them to treat state-sanctioned cannabis businesses the same as they would any other lawful business.
• Polling consistently finds that three in four Americans – including a majority of Republicans – do not want the federal government enforcing federal marijuana laws against state-legal medical cannabis businesses.
• 39 States (and the District of Columbia) have passed laws that provide for legal access to some form of cannabis.

• These amendments do not legalize marijuana but simply prevent federal tax dollars from being spent undermining state marijuana laws.

• These amendments do NOT prevent enforcement against marijuana-related activity that is not in compliance with state laws.