It has drawn scant mainstream press attention, but the U.S. House Thursday, in a bipartisan vote, added an amendment to an appropriations bill that says the Justice Department can’t interfere with state marijuana laws, including those that allow recreational use.

The vote was 267-145, including 41 Republicans in the affirmative. It’s the first expression by the House for support of legal use of marijuana. The Senate has adopted some riders in the past, but the future of this amendment is uncertain.

For the record: The four Republican congressmen from Arkansas, which handily approved a medical marijuana ballot issue in 2016 and where sales are finally off to an enthusiastic start, all voted NO. French Hill, Rick Crawford, Steve Womack and Bruce Westerman thumbed their noses at Arkansas voters.


Regnat populus? No. But we are accustomed to a disconnect between votes by legislators and the popular will — be it minimum wage, casino gambling, abortion rights, gun safety, tax breaks for the rich and more.