Is the White House Getting Tough on Recreational Marijuana?

Is the White House Getting Tough on Recreational Marijuana?

You may be able to get your ganja without a problem for now, but rumor has it, this may soon change.

You can now buy and smoke recreational and medicinal marijuana legally more than two dozen U.S states.

That’s about half the country.

At a federal level though, using marijuana remains illegal. The thing is, with so many states moving to recognize it legally, what happens in practice actually makes for murky waters.

Related: Canadians Can Now Grow Medicinal Marijuana at Home

The news is that former President Obama generally looked the other way when facing this issue. The administration of Donald Trump, however, may be taking another stance.

Related: Canada’s Big Banks Won’t Have Anything to Do With the Marijuana Industry

A White House spokesperson said yesterday that the current administration might be getting set to ramp up enforcement of federal laws that don’t allow recreational marijuana use across the country.

Good or Bad Idea?

What’s the other side saying?

“It would be a mistake for the Department of Justice to overthrow the will of the voters and state governments,” said Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, in a statement.

Interestingly, registered voters were questioned by Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, on this very issue, recently.

Related: Will the Next Big Brain Drug be Derived From Marijuana?

Researchers found that just over 20% of those surveyed felt the U.S. government should enforce federal laws against marijuana in states that have legalized it for recreational or medical use.

In contrast, 71% said that it should not.

Reality

What will actually happen? This remains to be seen, as the federal government hasn’t really done anything on the issue, as of yet. So, if you need to worry, go ahead. If you don’t really care, good on you.

Last year, legal sales of marijuana reached $7 billion and generated half a billion dollars in sales taxes in the U.S.

Photo credit: Yarygin/Shutterstock; Skyliz/Shutterstock

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