America’s ever-changing relationship with marijuana could be in line for another shakeup. At least, that’s what White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer appears to be suggesting.
During Thursday’s press briefing, Spicer spoke about the Department of Justice’s interaction with individual states when it comes to legalized marijuana. According to Spicer, President Trump is sympathetic to those using marijuana for medical purposes, but is against its use as a recreational drug. Asked about federal government plans on states that have ended pot prohibition, Spicer gave a somewhat cryptic answer:
“That’s a question for the Department of Justice. I do believe that you’ll see greater enforcement of it. Recreational use … is something the Department of Justice will be looking into.”
Spicer claimed to the press that being permissive of pot would be inappropriate considering the country’s current opioid issues. The Trump administration’s early posturing on the issue seems to override other issues where states rights are held up as the gold standard. It’s possible that less pot freedom in the United States could be the norm with vocal anti-marijuana critic U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions now installed. Sessions wasn’t exactly crystal clear on his enforcement strategy during his confirmation process, but he did tell Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont that he “won’t commit to never enforcing federal law.”
Things could get very messy in the coming months. Mind you, the current political landscape isn’t exactly immaculate at the moment, either.
(Via Politico, Boston Globe & The Huffington Post)