Congressman Cohen: Today’s Votes May Signal Watershed of Support for Bipartisan CARERS Act

[WASHINGTON, DC] – The passage of two marijuana-related amendments to the 2016 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill and a close vote on another may signal a watershed moment in the fight to respect states’ rights, increase access to cannabis-derived, effective medical treatments, and reform our nation’s outdated criminal marijuana policies, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) said today. The House-passed amendments mirror provisions of comprehensive marijuana policy reform legislation that Congressman Cohen has proposed with Senators Rand Paul, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Representative Don Young, the CARERS Act. Each of today’s amendments would implement provisions of the bipartisan, bicameral legislation but must be renewed each year—whereas the CARERS Act would make them permanent.

“Today’s votes clearly shows that Republicans and Democrats agree federal law on medical marijuana is outdated, out of touch, and needs to change,” said Congressman Cohen. “I hope the bipartisan support shown today is the beginning of a watershed for our comprehensive, common-sense marijuana police reform bill. If my colleagues support these provisions to respect states’ rights and increase access to medical treatments for a year, I hope they are willing to join with me to make them permanent by passing the CARERS Act.”

The Perry amendment passed today by the House with Congressman Cohen’s vote would help increase access to a non-psychoactive, cannabis-derived oil known as Cannadiol, or CBD, that has been shown to alleviate the symptoms of children suffering from illnesses like epilepsy without providing any sort of “high.” CBD might have helped save the life of 3-year-old Memphian Chloe Grauer, who suffered from hundreds of seizures each day before tragically passing away late last year.

The Rohrabacher-Farr amendment that also passed today was cosponsored by Congressman Cohen and would stop the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from preventing states from implementing their own laws regarding medical marijuana. The Congressman also voted for a similar amendment to stop the DOJ and DEA from preventing states from implementing both medical and recreational marijuana laws that was proposed by Congressmen Tom McClintock and Jared Polis and narrowly failed on a 206-222 vote. The 2 amendments which passed will be included in the 2016 CJS Appropriations bill the House is expected to send to the Senate tonight. The passed amendments closely mirror provisions of the CARERS (Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States) Act. If passed and signed into law, the CARERS Act would:

• Allow states to set their own medical marijuana policies and eliminate federal prosecution of patients, providers, and businesses in states with medical marijuana programs,
• Reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II, recognizing legitimate medical use,
• Allow for greater access to cannabidiol (CBD),
• Allow access to banking services for marijuana-related businesses that are operating pursuant to state law,
• Allow VA doctors to recommend medical marijuana, and
• Cut red tape and expand opportunities for research on marijuana.

When the Controlled Substances Act first became law in 1970, Assistant Secretary of Health Roger Egeberg recommended that marijuana be placed on Schedule I temporarily until the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse (known as the Shafer Commission) reported its findings on the drug. The Commission’s 1972 report recommended decriminalizing the drug, though that recommendation was never acted upon.