{"id":8070,"date":"2018-02-14T00:06:26","date_gmt":"2018-02-14T00:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com?p=2951345&amp;preview_id=2951345"},"modified":"2018-02-14T00:06:26","modified_gmt":"2018-02-14T00:06:26","slug":"18-bipartisan-senators-led-by-bennet-and-gardner-want-protections-for-marijuana-laws-added-to-funding-legislation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/18-bipartisan-senators-led-by-bennet-and-gardner-want-protections-for-marijuana-laws-added-to-funding-legislation\/","title":{"rendered":"18 bipartisan senators, led by Bennet and Gardner, want protections for marijuana laws added to funding legislation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/18-bipartisan-senators-led-by-bennet-and-gardner-want-protections-for-marijuana-laws-added-to-funding-legislation\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"large-10 large-centered small-12 columns\">\n<div class=\"entry-meta-date\">Published: Feb 13, 2018, 4:06 pm \u2022 Updated: Feb 13, 2018, 5:09 pm <span class=\"single-comments-link\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"byline\">By <span class=\"author\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/author\/alexp\/\" rel=\"author\">Alex Pasquariello<\/a><\/span><em>, The Cannabist Staff<\/em><\/p>\n<p>A bipartisan group of 18 senators led by Colorado Sens. Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner want protections for state marijuana laws inserted into legislation funding the federal government.<\/p>\n<p>Precise language in the fiscal year 2018 appropriations can \u201calleviate the turbulence\u201d U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions threw into the legal cannabis industry when he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2018\/01\/04\/jeff-sessions-rescinding-legalized-marijuana-policy\/95875\/\">rescinded the so-called Cole Memo on Jan. 4<\/a>, the senators wrote in the letter sent Tuesday to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran, R-Miss., and Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoing so will provide the opportunity to pursue federal legislation that both protects the legitimate federal interests at stake and respects the will of the states \u2013 both those that have liberalized their marijuana laws and those that have not,\u201d the letter said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The majority of states have some form of reduced restrictions on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/marijuana?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#marijuana<\/a>. In light of AG Sessions rescinding critical guidance for federal-state regulations, we&#8217;re urging Senate Approps to respect state laws &amp; alleviate confusion for local govs &amp; biz: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WN4McIxlYb\">https:\/\/t.co\/WN4McIxlYb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Michael F. Bennet (@SenBennetCO) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenBennetCO\/status\/963519822209409024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 13, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Following Sessions\u2019 move to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2018\/01\/04\/jeff-sessions-rescinding-legalized-marijuana-policy\/95875\/\">rescind Obama-era guidance on federal marijuana enforcement<\/a>, members of Congress\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2018\/01\/04\/cory-gardner-jeff-sessions-marijuana-policy\/\">have pushed back<\/a> and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2018\/01\/05\/colorado-marijuana-federal-protections\/96130\/\">conducted<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2018\/01\/09\/colorado-marijuana-degette-federal-protections\/96425\/\">emergency meetings<\/a>\u00a0to develop a response.<\/p>\n<p>Tuesday\u2019s letter marks the second time Colorado\u2019s senators have teamed up on a letter seeking protections for their state\u2019s marijuana industry.<\/p>\n<p>Gardner, a Republican, and Bennet, a Democrat, previously asked\u00a0the U.S. Treasury to keep in place Obama-era rules that allow banks to serve marijuana companies. The duo\u00a0<span>sent a letter Jan. 11 to\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.treasury.gov\/press-center\/press-releases\/Pages\/sm0213.aspx\">Kenneth Blanco<\/a><span>, who heads the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network at Treasury, requesting he retain a\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2014\/02\/14\/feds-ok-marijuana-banking-federal-government-colorado\/4671\/\">2014 agency decision<\/a><span>\u00a0that allows banks and credit unions to do work with the cannabis industry \u201cso long as they conducted due diligence such as verifying that the businesses were in compliance with state law.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The latest letter also marks an escalation in Gardner\u2019s fight to protect both Colorado\u2019s cannabis industry and the state\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2018\/01\/04\/cory-gardner-trump-doj-nominations-sessions-marijuana\/95931\/\">Gardner took to the Senate floor<\/a> shortly after Sessions\u2019 Jan. 4 marijuana policy shift, calling the move a trampling of Colorado\u2019s rights and announcing he would withhold support for Justice Department nominees until the policy dispute was resolved.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2018\/01\/11\/cory-gardner-sessions-marijuana-msnbc\/96600\/\">The senator\u2019s fiery speech helped score him a Jan. 10 meeting with the attorney general<\/a>, however no progress was made, Gardner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2018\/01\/11\/cory-gardner-sessions-marijuana-msnbc\/96600\/\">told The Denver Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think there was anything new in the (Jan. 10) discussion about (Sessions\u2019) position, other than he doesn\u2019t think that he\u2019s changed anything,\u201d Gardner told the Post. \u201cBut clearly what he did (Jan. 4) was, I don\u2019t think, the same commitment that he gave us prior to (his) confirmation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>More than a month since his blockade began,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2018\/02\/07\/cory-gardner-justice-department-block-marijuana\/98382\/\">Gardner is standing firm<\/a> in his vow to jam all appointments \u2014 even as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2018\/02\/13\/marijuana-jeff-sessions-gardner\/98850\/\">Sessions blames the Republican senator<\/a> for holding up the confirmations of key figures, including the heads of the department\u2019s national security, criminal and civil rights divisions.<\/p>\n<p>The latest effort by Colorado\u2019s senators to protect state marijuana laws with a rider inserted into must-pass spending legislation isn\u2019t a new strategy in Congress.<\/p>\n<p>An amendment preventing the Justice Department from using federal funds to prosecute individuals in states where medical marijuana is legal has been included in appropriations bills since 2014. The so-called Rohrabacher-Blumenaeur amendment remains in place, and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., a co-sponsor of the amendment,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2018\/01\/05\/colorado-marijuana-federal-protections\/96130\/\">has said that efforts are ongoing<\/a> to include the language in upcoming appropriations legislation.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly 70 U.S. representatives <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2018\/01\/12\/congress-protect-marijuana-mcclintock-polis\/96679\/\">signed a Jan. 12 letter sent by Colorado Democratic Rep. Jared Polis<\/a> to U.S. House of Representatives leadership requesting the inclusion of a provision known as the McClintock-Polis Amendment in federal spending legislation. The rider would ensure Justice Department funds cannot be used to interfere with states that have authorized some form of marijuana legalization.<\/p>\n<p>Polis subsequently attempted to push the protections into the continuing resolution to fund the government, but was blocked by powerful House Republicans, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2018\/01\/18\/congress-protect-marijuana-mcclintock-polis-buck-rules-committee\/97047\/\">including fellow Coloradan Rep. Ken Buck<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Read the letter<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/assets.documentcloud.org\/documents\/4378429\/Bipartisan-Appropriations-Letter-on-Marijuana.pdf\">Bipartisan Letter on Marijuana Enforcement Sent to Senate Appropriations Committee (PDF)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/assets.documentcloud.org\/documents\/4378429\/Bipartisan-Appropriations-Letter-on-Marijuana.txt\">Bipartisan Letter on Marijuana Enforcement Sent to Senate Appropriations Committee (Text)<\/a><\/p>\n<p> &#013; &#013; <\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-meta-author\">\n<div class=\"authorimage\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/author\/alexp\/\" rel=\"author\"><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/18-bipartisan-senators-led-by-bennet-and-gardner-want-protections-for-marijuana-laws-added-to-funding-legislation.jpg\" class=\"authormug\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p class=\"author-desc\">Alex joined The Cannabist as Editor in April 2017. He started his journalism career in Colorado as a reporter at community newspapers and national ski magazines before heading to New York to work as an editor at Cond\u00e9 Nast Traveler and digital&#8230;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- .row --> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Precise language in the fiscal year 2018 appropriations can alleviate the turbulence U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions threw into the legal cannabis industry when he rescinded the so-called Cole Memo, 18 senators said in a letter sent to Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[52,7163,854,6964,7408,6813,77,5667,9,7308,6833,6855,5019,441,5236,1,3,7329,61,1736],"tags":[2632,7165,3427,6967,7413,6818,2655,5673,7311,6835,6856,5022,3015,5238,7330],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8070"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8070"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8070\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}