{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr1538-114/featured_carers-act-of-2015-1454548909.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr1538-114/featured_large_carers-act-of-2015-1454548909.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr1538-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-03-23","title_override":"Does the Federal Government Need to Respect State Medical Marijuana Laws?","summary_override":"

This bill would allow people to use medical marijuana in states\n where it is legal without fear of federal prosecution. It would not \nlegalize medical marijuana at the federal level, but would simply \nrespect the laws of the 23 states plus the District of Columbia and Guam that have legalized medical marijuana.

Marijuana would also be reclassified from a Schedule I to a Schedule II\n drug in order to recognize its accepted medical use — opening the door \nfor states to set their own policies with respect to medical marijuana.

Doctors\n working for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) would also be able \nto prescribe marijuana to veterans under their care. Currently, marijuana is not recognized by the VA as a valid treatment option because of federal law, even in states where medical marijuana is legal.

This\n bill would also modify federal law to allow banks to provide financial \nservices to legal medical marijuana dispensaries that \ncomply with state laws. Cannabidiol —\n a part of marijuana’s chemistry profile that used to make synthetic \nmarijuana — would be excluded from the definition of marijuana, thus \nallowing states to determine the status of cannabidiol.

","official_title":"To extend the principle of federalism to State drug policy, provide access to medical marijuana, and enable research into the medicinal properties of marijuana.","short_title":"CARERS Act of 2015","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States Act of 2015 or the CARERS Act of 2015\n\nAmends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to provide that control and enforcement provisions of such Act relating to marihuana shall not apply to any person acting in compliance with state law relating to the production, possession, distribution, dispensation, administration, laboratory testing, or delivery of medical marihuana.\n\nTransfers marihuana from schedule I to schedule II of the CSA.\n\nExcludes \"cannabidiol\" from the definition of \"marihuana\" and defines it separately as the substance cannabidiol, as derived from marihuana or the synthetic formulation, that contains not greater than 0.3% delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on a dry weight basis. Deems marihuana that is grown or possessed for purposes of making cannabidiol, in accordance with state law, to meet such concentration limitation unless the Attorney General determines that the state law is not reasonably calculated to comply wi...","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"Anyone who uses medical marijuana products, patients in states where medical marijuana is legal, veterans receiving care from the VA in medical marijuana states, local law enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Attorney General.","argument_for":"This would finally put a stop to federal interference in state medical marijuana laws that voters asked for. Marijuana has a legitimate medical use, and this bill will protect patients and their caregivers from prosecution.","argument_against":"Medical marijuana is often abused by people who just want to use marijuana recreationally. The federal government shouldn’t enable that, and needs to make an example of those who exploit the system.","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr1538-114","bill_id":"hr1538-114","formal_id":"H.R. 1538","chamber":"house","congress":114,"last_action_at":"2015-04-21T00:00:00.000Z","active":false,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":null,"debated_on":null,"congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/1538","plain_text_url":"http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-114hr1538ih/html/BILLS-114hr1538ih.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr1538-114.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/1538/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2015-03-23","related_bill_ids":["hr667-114","hr1940-114","s683-114","s1726-114"],"progress":"Introduced","house_passage_result":false,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":536,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on Financial Services","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSBA","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Committee on Energy and Commerce","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSIF","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Health","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSIF14","subcommittee":true},{"name":"Committee on the Judiciary","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSJU","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Health","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSVR03","subcommittee":true},{"name":"Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSJU08","subcommittee":true},{"name":"Committee on Veterans' Affairs","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSVR","subcommittee":false}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr1538-114","details":"/api/bills/hr1538-114/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr1538-114","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr1538-114/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr1538-114/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":43,"slug":"hr1538-114-carers-act-of-2015","latest_chamber_votes_id":null,"official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":6852,"yea_vote_count":6240,"nay_vote_count":602,"passed_house":false,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["health","crime-and-police"],"issue_ids":["health","crime-and-police"],"sponsor_id":461}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"health","name":"Health","slug":"health","description":"Federal legislation around Health, encompassing: the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Research into diseases (Cancer, HIV/Aids, Ebola), Drug safety, Hospital care and prescription drugs.","page_title":"Health Related US Federal legislation, including Medicare, ACA, and research - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/health/black_health-1429042037.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/health/grey_health-1429042037.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/health/white_health-1429042037.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"crime-and-police","name":"Crime & Police","slug":"crime-and-police","description":"Federal legislation related to the prevention of crimes(from assault to organized crime to juvenile crime), firearms and explosives, correctional facilities and terrorism. 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Also, marijuana use is a non-violent crime. Let's use the resources we save on not prosecuting people in states that have made it legal on more productive matters, or just not spend it at all and save it for a rainy day. ","argument_against":null,"show_argument_for":true,"show_argument_against":false,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":0,"upvotes_against_count":null,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/367bd226-5175-460f-9610-469cffe3447e"},"body":"First and for most, the legalization of drugs is a state issue not a federal one. Also, marijuana use is a non-violent crime. Let's use the resources we save on not prosecuting people in states that have made it legal on more productive matters, or just not spend it at all and save it for a rainy day. 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Does the Federal Government Need to Respect State Medical Marijuana Laws?