Marijuana Legalization Advocates Wary About Trump’s AG Pick
The nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions, R- Ala., who has said “good people don’t smoke marijuana,” is causing Californians to brace for battle over their recently passed law.
Los Angeles Times:
California Backers Of Legalized Marijuana Fear Possible Battle With Attorney General Pick Jeff Sessions
Backers of laws allowing marijuana use in California are girding for a possible political and legal battle against President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions, a staunch foe of pot legalization. Marijuana industry leaders in the state and around the U.S. have launched an opposition campaign to the Senate confirmation of the Republican senator from Alabama and are appealing to the Trump camp to make sure the president-elect’s policies are consistent with his campaign comments that he favors allowing states to decide how to enforce marijuana laws. (McGreevy, 12/1)
The Washington Post:
Obama Says Marijuana Should Be Treated Like ‘Cigarettes Or Alcohol’
In an “exit interview” with Rolling Stone magazine, President Obama said that marijuana use should be treated as a public-health issue similar to tobacco or alcohol and called the current patchwork of state and federal laws regarding the drug “untenable.” “Look, I’ve been very clear about my belief that we should try to discourage substance abuse,” Obama said. “And I am not somebody who believes that legalization is a panacea. But I do believe that treating this as a public-health issue, the same way we do with cigarettes or alcohol, is the much smarter way to deal with it.” (Ingraham, 11/30)