On Thursday the White House said it expects law enforcement agents to enforce federal marijuana laws if they are in conflict with states where recreational use is permitted; “‘I do believe you will see greater enforcement of it,’ White House press secretary Sean Spicer said regarding federal drug laws, which still list marijuana as an illegal substance.”
During Obama’s administration, an official memo said the federal government wouldn’t interfere in states where nonmedical use of marijuana was allowed, but it seems Trump does not share those sentiments- which is a flip from 2015 (This is one time we agree with Obama on- do NOT interfere with the states). However, Trump does recognize the importance of and remains staunchly supportive of medical marijuana.
For the most part, drug enforcement operations are carried out by local and state authorities with little to no involvement by the federal government. Honestly, enforcing marijuana laws should be a lower priority given the fact that our country is drowning under the weight of the opioid epidemic. However, if you thought process is like WH Press Secretary Spicer’s, then it makes sense to go after people who just want to get high,
“When you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around this country, the last thing we should be doing is encouraging people. There is still a federal law that we need to abide by when it comes to recreational marijuana and drugs of that nature.”
Marijuana isn’t a gateway drug and shouldn’t be the focus.
There are those who have high hopes, given his stance in 2015, that Trump could be the “marijuana president.” We shall see.
Source: CNN
