Update: House committee blocks vote on cannabis amendments

Update: House committee blocks vote on cannabis amendments

Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Rules blocked multiple cannabis-related amendments from a federal appropriations bill.

The committee’s move meant multiple amendments which protect state cannabis laws did not get a vote on the House floor.

The measures proposed were the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment and an amendment which would provide protections to cannabis researchers from Justice Department interference. The Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment was passed in 2014 and prohibited the Justice Department from using funds to interfere with medical cannabis industries.

The bill still needs to pass through a joint-committee between the House and the Senate, which means the amendments could still have a chance of inclusion when the final bill is drafted.

The committee voted on three banking amendments which would have allowed cannabis businesses access to banking and prohibited the federal government from interference. The amendments were rejected 8-5 and received bipartisan support.