Congressman Predicts Feds Will Allow States to Set Cannabis Laws

U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, one of the marijuana industry’s biggest allies in Congress, predicted on Thursday that the federal government will adopt a formal policy within five years allowing states to set their own laws on cannabis.

“It will be game over,” Blumenauer said, according to the Portland Press Herald.

Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat, made the prediction during a trip to Maine, where at least one initiative to legalize recreational marijuana is expected to make the ballot next year. The prediction is an interesting one, given that cannabis has evolved into a fairly nonpartisan issue, with both major parties split in terms of support and opposition to marijuana reform.

But if the congressman’s prediction does come to pass, it could mean significant changes for the industry, including possible new access to banking services, an end to federal raids by DEA agents and potentially even further reforms.

“If Colorado wants it and Utah doesn’t, so be it. But the federal government shouldn’t be in the way,” Blumenauer said, the paper reported.