BILL TO DECRIMINALIZE MEDICAL CANNABIS

By Leon Thompson

March 17^th, 2015 (Washington D.C.)--Senators Cory Booker, Kristen Gillibrand, and Rand Paul introduced SB.683, the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States Act.

The bill would decriminalize medical marijuana at the federal level for those states that have authorized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.  It also creates a safe harbor for banks to be able to serve certain growers, dispensaries, and manufacturers, and would authorize the Veterans' Administration to prescribe marijuana to its patients in those states.

According to Indian Law experts at Turtle Talk, it would seem that including tribes within the scope of this legislation would be consistent with the Department of Justice's 2014 memorandum on the enforcement of marijuana laws in Indian country, and may provide some measure of certainty for tribes that are seeking to decriminalize marijuana.

Here is the text of the bill:  https://turtletalk.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/carers-act0_.pdf

Here is the link to the Indigenous Law and Policy Center Blog Michigan State University College of Law:

https://turtletalk.wordpress.com/2015/03/16/medical-marijuana-legislation-introduced-in-congress/