More states have continued to press for legalization of recreational marijuana. Currently, 8 states and Washington DC have passed laws allowing recreational marijuana use. Those states are Colorado, Washington, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Alaska, Nevada, and Oregon. This follows the Obama administration’s hands-off approach that allowed states to take the reins on marijuana legality as marijuana is still illegal under federal law.
During Trump’s campaign, he had promised the same approach but it seems now that he’s President, the Trump administration is reversing their angle.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer has now declared that he expects the Justice Department to increase enforcement of laws prohibiting the use of recreational marijuana. This means that the Justice Department could shut down medical and recreational marijuana businesses and dispensaries even in states where it’s legal.
Spicer then linked marijuana use to the “opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around the country” and that “the last thing we should be doing is encouraging people.”
It sounds like recreational marijuana legality is about to take a big step back—upping drug enforcement and connecting the painkiller abuse epidemic to marijuana is a good first step to revoking marijuana’s recreational status.
It had been known that Trump did not like recreational marijuana use, as in June 2015 he had said it was bad and felt strongly about it, however, he had made it clear that he wanted to leave it up to a state-by-state basis. Spicer also did say that Donald Trump recognizes the difference between recreational and medicinal use, as medicinal marijuana has repeatedly been shown to help many people and their suffering of various ailments. However, as historically shown, the Trump administration could possibly reverse their opinion on medicinal marijuana as well.
For more information about the legality of weed where you live, contact a local criminal defense attorney today.