Trump might back easing federal ban on pot

Proposal would allow states to determine marijuana restrictions

LOS ANGELES — President Donald Trump said Friday that he was inclined to support a bipartisan effort in Congress to ease the U.S. ban on marijuana, a proposal that would dramatically reshape the nation’s legal landscape for pot users and businesses. The federal ban that puts marijuana on the same level as LSD and heroin has created a conflict with about 30 states that have legalized pot in some form, creating a twotiered enforcement system at the state and federal levels. The legislation would ensure states have the right to determine the best approach to marijuana within their borders, but some U.S. restrictions would

remain, including sales of non-medical pot to people under 21. The proposal introduced Thursday has support from members of Congress from both parties, including Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado. “I support Senator Gardner. I know exactly what he’s doing,” Trump told reporters in Washington, when asked about the legislation. “We’re looking at it. But I probably will end up supporting that, yes.” The president’s remarks place him in conflict with his own Justice Department and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who staunchly opposes marijuana. He lifted an Obama administration policy and freed federal prosecutors to more aggressively pursue cases in states that have legalized marijuana. Asked about the measure

in an interview with Colorado Public Radio, Sessions said, “We’ll see how far it goes and how much support there is. … My view is clear: The federal law remains in effect nationwide, just as it does for heroin and cocaine.” The proposal’s prospects in Congress were unclear. Gardner, who heads the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, is close to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The Kentucky Republican has consistently opposed legalizing marijuana but has called hemp and marijuana “two entirely separate plants.” The bill would amend the definition of marijuana in federal drug law to exclude industrial hemp, which like marijuana is part of the cannabis plant family but doesn’t contain the THC that gives pot users the high. Hemp produces the non-intoxicating

cannabinoids, or CBDs, that have become a health rage and a lucrative crop in Kentucky and other states. Despite his comments, Trump has sent mixed signals on the drug: While campaigning for president, he pledged to respect states that legalized marijuana, but he also has criticized legalization. Trump’s remarks Friday echo a promise that Gardner said he received privately from the president in April to support legislation protecting the marijuana industry in states that have legalized the drug. Gardner said the measure would ensure U.S. authorities respect the will of voters in each state, whether laws provide for legalization or prohibition. California launched the nation’s largest legal marijuana marketplace on Jan. 1.