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California Lawmakers Continue Push For Feds to End Medical Marijuana Raids, Create New Policy
Photo by trawin via Flickr
Photo by trawin via Flickr
A Senate Joint Resolution initiated in June of last year is moving towards adoption today follwoing a 10-3 vote in its favor by the California State Assembly Committee on Health, according to a press release issued by the advocacy group Americans for Safe Access.
SJR 14 [.pdf] focuses on connecting with the federal government and urging them to keep their hands out of what has been determined to be a state-level issue.
Ultimately, the resolution asks the federal authorities "to move quickly to end federal raids, intimidation, and interference with state medical marijuana law," and to protect those who have been accorded by state law the right to purchase, sell, and use medical marijuana. Further, it asks that the government create a new medical marijuana policy.
State Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) who introduced SJR 14, has previously said: "Patients and providers in California remain at risk of arrest and prosecution by federal law enforcement and legally established medical marijuana cooperatives continue to be the subjects of federal raids and prosecutions."
The next step for SJR 14 is the Assembly floor, and, if successful there, "the non-binding resolution will be enacted without the Governor's signature or approval," and sent to the President, Vice President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to each Senator and Representative of the California Congressional delegation.
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