Republicans lash out at Trump administration over marijuana policy change

pulse

January 4, 2018 10:06 PM

Republicans pushed back on the Trump administration's for rescinding policies that have allowed the marijuana industry to thrive over the past several years.

The Department of Justice announced a roll-back of marijuana policies to enforce federal law against certain states.
Republican lawmakers lashed out over the threat to curb legal marijuana sales and use, which have become increasingly popular in the past several years.

WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers pushed back on the Trump administration's decision on Thursday to rescind policies that have allowed the marijuana industry to thrive in certain states over the past several years, citing the federal government's intrusion on states' rights.

Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner immediately threatened the administration if the situation is not rectified.

Complicating matters, a group of Republicans, along with several Democrats, have already introduced legislation that would exempt patients from federal prosecution for seeking out medicinal marijuana in states where it is legal. In May 2017 letter, Sessions asked Congress for the authority to prosecute users and providers.

However, the DOJ's latest rule change "simply gives prosecutors the tools to take on large scale distributors and enforce federal law," according to White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

And Sanders dismissed suggestions that Trump reneged on any campaign promises regarding marijuana policy and states' rights.

"The president believes in enforcing federal law. That would be his top priority," Sanders said. "And that is regardless of what the topic is whether it's marijuana or whether it's immigration, the president strongly believes that we should enforce federal law."

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