Federal lawmakers seem to be ready to acknowledge marijuana’s benefits
Only a few days after word surfaced that President Trump would keep a campaign promise to push for medical marijuana legislation after the midterms, it now appears that lawmakers on both sides of the table are following suit. A recent report indicates that Democrats and Republicans are both ready to pave the way toward legalization, regardless of how the elections next month swing the government.
In recent interviews, California Representative Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican, and Oregon Representative Earl Blumenauer of the Democratic Party stated that their parties are ready to back federal legislation after the elections next month. The push could lead to 2019 being a great year the marijuana industry in the US.
Rohrabacher added that the White House will back marijuana reform during the 116th session of Congress, set to begin next January. He said, “It could be as early as spring of 2019, but definitely in the next legislative session.”
Blumenauer recently told Bloomberg, “With Democrats in control, we will be able to have the legislative process work and we’ll see more progress in a relatively short order, I think…These will be some of the easiest things to do in the first six months of a new Congress because they’re supported by the public, the legislation is already teed up and ready to go. It’s one of these areas of progress that will show we can get our act together and move forward.”
Of course, as divided as Washington currently is, new legislation is not a slam dunk. There are many obstacles that have to be overcome, first, but at least some of the politicians are willing to put aside their political pettiness to focus on real issues.
