Senators defy Jeff Sessions and vote to extend medical marijuana protections

Earlier this year, the Attorney General urged lawmakers to drop the policy
The Huffington Post (US)
Thursday, July 27, 2017

A congressional committee voted to extend protections of state medical marijuana programs against federal interference, in defiance of a request from Attorney General Jeff Sessions earlier this year urging his former colleagues to abandon the policy. The Senate Appropriations Committee passed an amendment, introduced by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), that would add a clause to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) fiscal year 2018 budget that blocks the Department of Justice from using funding for federal prosecutions of medical marijuana providers that are legalized by individual states or jurisdictions.