PORTLAND – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement in response to the Justice Department's decision to rescind Obama-era legal cannabis protections today:

"Ever since Mainers voted to legalize marijuana, our legislature has debated how to best implement this new law. It is a complicated enough task without the federal government creating hurdles or meddling in the decisions already made by states like Maine. As a member of Congress, I've cosponsored legislation to uphold state laws regarding marijuana legalization. I hope the Justice Department will reconsider its one-size-fits-all approach so that congressional action is not needed."

As a member of the U.S. House, Pingree has cosponsored H.R. 2215, to clarify federal banking laws surrounding the sale of legal marijuana and H.R. 1841 to end the federal prohibition on marijuana.

On the House Appropriations committee, Pingree has been a strong supporter of the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment, which prohibits the Justice Department from spending funds to interfere with the implementation of state medical marijuana laws. This amendment must be renewed each fiscal year in order to remain in effect and has been included in a series of spending bills approved in 2016 and 2017.