Trump Isn’t Against Legal Marijuana, but his Attorney General Pick Is

Photo: Shutterstock

Following the November 8 election, a total of eight states (as well as Washington D.C.) have legalized marijuana for recreational use. There are 28 states that have legalized it for medical use. The majority of Americans seem to favor the decriminalization of the drug, which has seen years of inaccurate portrayals by state and federal governments.

But states’ rights and the thinking of average Americans are unlikely to matter to Senator Jeff Sessions, who is an avid opponent of marijuana and is Trump’s pick for Attorney General.

“We need grown-ups in Washington to say marijuana is not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized, it ought not to be minimized, that it is in fact a very real danger,” Sessions said in April.

Under the Obama administration, as long as states followed certain rules in establishing legal marijuana, for medical or recreational use, the federal government stayed out of their business.

Trump himself has said in the past that he believes the legalization of he drug should be left to states, and that he wouldn’t waste federal money dealing with the issue.

“We would expect appointees who serve at the pleasure of the president to stick to the president’s position on the subject,” the Marijuana Policy Project wrote in a statement following Sessions’ appointment. “It would certainly be controversial if Sen. Sessions defied the president who appointed him.”

But Sessions may not toe the line. His anti-marijuana stance has been well established and is a big part of his political career. Giving up on that may cost him in the future, should he seek election to a position after serving as Attorney General, a position that is appointed by the president but confirmed by the Senate.

If Sessions does go after legalized marijuana, it will cost millions, which could be better spent on treatment and harm reduction rather than continuing the “war on drugs” mentality that has dominated federal thinking since the 1980s.