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Pennsylvania State Senate
04/18/2024 07:54 PM
Pennsylvania State Senate
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20170&cosponId=23035
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Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2017 - 2018 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: February 23, 2017 11:19 AM
From: Senator Mike Folmer
To: All Senate members
Subject: Resolution Urging US Congress to Renew the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment
 
In the year since the Pennsylvania medical cannabis law was enacted (Act 16 of 2016), much progress has been made to ensure its timely and regulated implementation. At the same time, the change of Administration in Washington has led to some uncertainty as to how much latitude the states will have in determining their ability to provide this medicine for state citizens.

With this in mind, I will soon be introducing a Resolution urging the US Congress to renew the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment to prevent the United States Department of Justice from spending funds to interfere with implementation of state medical marijuana laws.

The Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment was signed into law in 2014, 2015 and again in 2016, with the most recent extension expiring on April 28, 2017. The amendment must be renewed each fiscal year in order to remain in effect.

The Rohrabacher-Farr amendment states, “None of the funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be used, with respect to any of the States of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, or with respect to the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico, to prevent any of them from implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.”

Please note: this amendment does not change the legal status of marijuana! It will remain a Schedule I drug regardless of whether the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment is renewed once again.

If you have any questions regarding this Resolution, please contact Fallon Binner at 787-5708 or fbinner@pasen.gov. Thank you for your consideration!


Introduced as SR36