Who could introduce a medical marijuana bill in The House of Representatives?
Only members of Congress are actually allowed to introduce legislation. Part of the reason that the Hinchey Medical Marijuana amendment originates in the House is because the House constitutionally and historically has this authority to bring spending bills up, and any member of Congress, in fact, has the right, the Constitutionally derived right, to offer amendments to the spending bills. Which is why the Hinchey Amendment is convenient and helpful for us, because any member can bring an amendment to that bill. That's not always the case. In many cases, the House of Representatives does not allow amendments to come forward on other bills. People don't often realize that on larger pieces of legislation that are not spending bills, like the bill that the Hinchey Amendment is attached to, Representatives are not allowed to offer amendments to those bills. So, the spending bills allow Representatives a very unique opportunity to attach an amendment to a bill, to at least offer an amendment to a bill. There's a guarantee, a Constitutionally derived guarantee, that a member of Congress will have their time on the floor, as it were, will have their day in court, as it were, for those spending bills, during consideration of those spending bills.
