Donald Trump made his first statement about medical marijuana as president after signing a $1.1 trillion spending bill that includes a provision providing key protections for legal MMJ businesses.
Trump’s statement, however, failed to shed clear light on where his administration stands on marijuana policy, perhaps indicating that it’s not a top priority for the president.
“Division B, section 537 provides that the Department of Justice may not use any funds to prevent implementation of medical marijuana laws by various States and territories,” Trump’s statement noted. “I will treat this provision consistently with my constitutional responsibility to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.”
The language in the spending bill extends a policy that prohibits the Justice Department from using federal money to interfere with states’ medical marijuana laws. That provision, previously called the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment, has been in place since 2014.
Last week, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper emerged from a meeting with U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions confident the recreational marijuana industry won’t face a widespread crackdown in the near future.
