WASHINGTON – Reports that welfare debit cards are being used to withdraw cash at pot shop ATMs has prompted some Colorado Republicans to draft legislation to prevent misuse of the food stamp funds.
The bill set for introduction here Monday is called the “Preserving Welfare for Needs Not Weed Act,” and its authors include Reps. Cory Gardner and Scott Tipton.
“It’s time to close this ‘pot shop loophole’ before it gets any bigger,” the lawmakers said in a letter circulating Thursday among House lawmakers.
Congress passed legislation in 2012 to prohibit access to welfare benefits at ATMS located in strip clubs, liquor stores and casinos.
But with the recent advent of legalized pot sales in states including Colorado, lawmakers say the law needs to be updated and pot shops added to the list.
“This bill does not comment on whether it makes sense for states to legalize the sale of pot, as Colorado and Washington have done,” the lawmakers said.