While much of the cannabis community is concerned about whether the Trump Administration will put a stop to the cultivation and sale of marijuana in legal states, there is a distinct possibility that the uncertainty surrounding this supposed crackdown may be exactly what is needed to get Congress to roll up their sleeves on the issue.
In a matter of weeks, a group of lawmakers will form the “Cannabis Caucus,” and march up to Capitol Hill to revive marijuana reform in the 2017 session. The goal of this caucus, according to its members, is to finally pull Congress together on the issue in an effort to ensure the new administration or any other that comes after will no longer have the power to deconstruct decades of marijuana progress.
Now that eight states have legalized marijuana for recreational purposes, this enthusiastic pack of federal lawmakers is hoping it can make some advancement at the national level.
One of those proposals set to be re-introduced is the “Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act,” which was initially filed by Representative Jared Polis of Colorado back in 2015. The bill would eliminate the cannabis plant from the confines of the Controlled Substances Act and put marijuana in a position to be sold nationwide in a manner similar to beer.
Although Present Donald Trump said throughout his entire campaign that he would respect states rights when it came to the issue of marijuana legalization, his selection for U.S. Attorney General, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, is perhaps one of the most anti-pot politicians on the Hill. The concern is that, without any concrete laws protecting the sanctity of the cannabis trade, the nation’s new law enforcement hammer might unleash the dogs on its proprietors and allow it to be ripped to shreds before it ever really has a chance to get started.
Still, members of the caucus, which also include Representative Jared Polis, Representative Dana Rohrabacher and Representative Don Young, say they believe the Trump Administration has too much on its plate already to give legal marijuana a second look.
“This is a struggle and will continue to be, but this is something where I honestly don’t think the new administration, which has probably enough controversy on its hands, is going to knowingly pick a fight with what, almost without exception, was approved by local voters,” said Representative Earl Blumenauer from Oregon.
Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions believes Congress needs to take action on the issue if they are worried about the Trump Administration imposing a crackdown.
“I think one obvious concern is that the United States Congress made the possession of marijuana in every state and distribution of it an illegal act,” Sessions said during his confirmation hearing. “So if we need to…if that’s something [that] is not desired any longer, Congress should pass a law to change the rule. It is not so much the Attorney General’s job to decide what laws to enforce. We should do our job and enforce laws effectively as we are able.”
Overall, those with a finger on the pulse of marijuana reform in the nation’s capital say they are not too afraid Sessions will create upheaval among the cannabis community, mostly because the man will act under the orders of President Trump. However, they are quick to point out that the cannabis industry continues to linger in a “dangerous place” until there are federal laws on the books that make it an official part of American commerce.
