Food Stamps Won't Pay for Your Pot: Colorado Republicans Push New Bill Barring Citizens From Using Government Cash to Buy Legal Marijuana

Colorado legislators are pushing a new bill that will ensure Colorado residents don't use their food stamps to purchase legal pot.

The proposal would block citizens on government assistance programs from using their electronic benefits cards to buy marijuana, the Daily News Online reported, Friday.

If the bill passes, it will loop dispensaries in with casinos, gun and liquor stores as places where government money is no good.

Although there have been no reports of people trying to get cash off of EBT cards to spend money at the dispensaries, the Republican-backed bill is being touted as a precautionary measure - lawmakers said it's important to clarify that it is illegal to spend assistance program green on the green.

Rumors have swirled around dispensary owners, alleging that they'll accept food stamps in their shops. But according to the Daily News, entrepreneurs back the bill, and have been trying to straighten out misconceptions about forms of payment for legal pot.

Since Colorado enacted its legislation legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, the state has made over $5 million in sales, prompting other states to re-evaluate their laws on the drug.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday that the state will allow 20 hospitals to distribute medicinal marijuana to patients with certain ailments, including cancer. Cuomo has publicly stated his opposition toward the legalization of marijuana in the past, but flipped stances in his State of the State address this week.

"Research suggests that medical marijuana can help manage pain and treatment of cancer and other serious illnesses," Cuomo stated during his speech.