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President Trump Will ‘Probably’ Back STATES Act to End Federal Prohibition
DAVID DOWNS
June 8, 2018
President Donald Trump said he supported the STATES Act Friday. (AP File Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
President Donald Trump said he supported the STATES Act Friday. (AP File Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
President Donald Trump chimed in Friday morning on pending plans to end the federal war on marijuana in legalization states.
Speaking to a gaggle of reporters on his way to a summit in Canada, Trump reiterated his support for a states’ rights solution to the federal–state marijuana policy conflict. Speaking on US Sen. Corey Gardner’s newly introduced STATES Act, Trump said, “I support Gardner. I know exactly what he’s doing. We’re looking at it. But I probably will end up supporting that, yes.”
President Trump’s comments were but one of many after Gardner (R-CO) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced the bipartisan bill Thursday to end federal marijuana enforcement in legalization states.
What the STATES Act Would Do, and Why It’s a Game-Changer
President Trump’s Attorney General Jeff Sessions told Colorado Public Radio that he did not get to weigh in on the White House’s talks with Gardner and said cannabis remains federally illegal. “I was not a participant in the meetings he had at the White House,” Sessions said. “We are not guaranteeing—and cannot guarantee—persons who use or distribute marijuana are protected from federal prosecution.”
As expected, lobbyists for state and federal narcotics officers came out against the bill. The National Narcotics Officers’ Associations’ Coalition (NNOAC) in Washington, DC, stated in a letter to the White House on Thursday that the proposed STATES Act “attempts to encourage more drug use in America.”
The NNOAC’s statement is co-signed by powerful, unionized public employee groups: National Sheriffs’ Association, Major County Sheriffs’ Association, Major Cities Chiefs Association, National Narcotics Officers’ Associations’ Coalition, National High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Directors’ Association, and Law Enforcement Action Network.
The narcotics officers’ group also said state-level legalization in nine states is fueling a black market in others.
Study: Legalization Reduces Crime in Border Towns
In response, critics of federal prohibition say ending the failed US policy solves the problem of interstate cannabis commerce by regulating it.
