House Spending Bill Provision Seeks to...

Republican lawmakers in the House Appropriations Committee are pushing a
spending bill provision that would prevent the Justice Department from
allocating any funds toward efforts to reschedule cannabis under federal
law, Marijuana Moment reports.

It is the second year in a row that GOP lawmakers have included the
provision in the spending bill for federal Commerce, Justice, Science, and
Related Agencies (CJS). The effort directly counters the federal
rescheduling process that the Biden Administration formally kicked off in
2024, and which President Trump vocally supported during his second
presidential campaign.

The rescheduling process, however, may have stalled out permanently under
the second Trump presidency after a DEA judge canceled a long-anticipated
hearing for expert testimony on the issue. And in April, an unnamed White
House official said the administration had “no action” planned for a
cannabis policy update.

“SEC. 607. None of the funds appropriated or other wise made available by
this Act may be used to reschedule marijuana (as such term is defined in
section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802)) or to remove
marijuana from the schedules established under section 202 of the
Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812).” — Excerpt of the spending bill

Notably, the spending bill does include a longstanding provision that
protects state-legal medical cannabis programs from federal interference.
The latest version of that provision, however, would increase penalties for
distributing cannabis near schools, colleges, playgrounds, or public
housing, the report said.

Meanwhile, in the Senate Appropriations Committee, lawmakers have proposed
a spending bill provision that would ban the sale of intoxicating hemp
products nationwide after one year.