The Consolidated Appropriations Act - or Spending Bill - of 2016 continues protections for medical cannabis businesses following state law, but does not include additional reform to further facilitate cannabis commerce. Section 538 of the 2015 Spending Bill - the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment, noted in last week’s report - was renewed in this year’s appropriations legislation. Combined with District Court Justice Charles Breyer’s defense of the law and continuing cuts to federal asset forfeiture programs, medical cannabis growers and dispensaries in states with legal systems will be able to operate with a significantly lessened threat of federal intervention. In California, the passage of the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA), should also work to decrease customary plant eradication efforts funded by federal dollars, meaning that supplies will likely be bolstered come fall. However, other measures supported by cannabis advocates that would have aided existing markets and fostered new ones - namely...