Trump Press Secretary Says He Believes We’ll See “Greater Enforcement” of Federal Marijuana Laws
During today’s White House Daily Press Briefing Press Secretary Sean Spicer was asked about marijuana.
During the briefing one of the reporters asked Spicer about how the Trump Administration will handle states that have legalized medical marijuana.
“Medical marijuana, the president understands the pain and suffering that many people go through.. and the comfort that some of these drugs can provide to them,” said Spicer. “There’s a big difference between that and recreational marijuana. When you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming around so many states around this country, the last thing we should be doing is encouraging people … there’s still a federal law that we need to abide by when it comes to recreational marijuana.”
When another reporter followed up on the question, Spicer stated that; “I do believe you’ll see greater enforcement… it’s a question for the Justice Department”.
The remarks are in contrast to remarks Spicer made just yesterday, when he claimed that Trump is a “firm believer in states’ rights” (the question that led to these remarks was, however, unrelated to cannabis).
These comments are also in contrast to a statement Spicer recently gave to one of our reporters in which he said that it was “unlikely” the Trump Administration would go after legal marijuana states (a comment one marijuana outlet says he denies making).
Being a matter for the Justice Department, it’s in the hands of Trump and his new Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Although it could change at any second, Sessions recently stated that he doesn’t see the federal governemnt getting involved with marijuana other than going after cartels.