“Congressional attention has drifted toward adult-use legalization and the chaotic hemp-derived cannabinoid market, leaving medical cannabis patients behind.”
By Steph Sherer, Americans for Safe Access
After a decade-long “ceasefire” secured through annual appropriations legislation, millions of patients and stakeholders in state medical cannabis programs now face renewed threats. President Donald Trump’s FY 2026 budget proposal reveals not only the fragility of patient protections but also exposes Congress’s failure to fulfill its promise to medical cannabis patients.
The proposal omits critical spending restrictions on the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)—protections that have, since 2014, prevented federal interference in state medical cannabis programs. Without these safeguards, hard-won protections established by the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Amendment—commonly referred to as the Rohrabacher–Farr Amendment—would be dismantled.
Since its passage, this amendment has shielded patients, caregivers, state regulators and cannabis businesses from federal prosecution, arrest, asset forfeiture and harassment. It was never intended as a permanent fix, but as a temporary measure while Congress developed a national medical cannabis policy. Unfortunately, that progress has stalled. Congressional attention has drifted toward adult-use legalization and the chaotic hemp-derived cannabinoid market, leaving medical cannabis patients behind.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD),
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