Trump Says He'll Probably Override Sessions On Allowing States To Legalize Marijuana

You know how jealous vain old fat Trump is of Justin Trudeau, right? I noticed that just as reports started coming out on Friday that Canada is moving closer to marijuana legalization vain old fat Trump said he may be OK with allowing every state to decide what it wants to do. (Back to that in a moment.) It passed in the Senate-- theirs, not ours-- 56-30 on Thursday but "as part of legalization, the Canadian government will probably inform citizens that admitting to marijuana use might get them barred from crossing the border into the USA, which still classifies cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug with 'no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,' according to the Drug Enforcement Administration" (ours not theirs).

Canada’s approach differs from that taken in the USA, where nine states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis, but there hasn't been a substantive national discussion about the widely used drug.

Trudeau and his Liberal Party included marijuana legalization as part of their 2015 campaign, and his government has worked toward creating a structure for recreational cannabis sales and consumption since taking office. Medical marijuana has been legal in Canada since 2001, and many U.S.-based cannabis companies have jockeyed for position in that market with an eye toward broader legalization.

Recreational marijuana sales in Canada could be worth $3.3 billion by 2027, in part because businesses will find it easier to work nationally, instead of piecemeal like in the USA. Uruguay is the only other country to legalize marijuana; many countries have decriminalized it but prohibit sales.

“Marijuana prohibition is a failed U.S. policy experiment that was replicated by countries around the world,” said Mason Tvert, a spokesman for the pro-legalization Marijuana Policy Project who helped pass Colorado’s first-in-the-nation marijuana legalization plan. “It has caused far more problems than it has solved, and governments would be wise to follow Canada’s example by revisiting their marijuana policies and exploring alternatives.”

Congress does not yet appear ready to consider widespread cannabis legalization for the country, but lawmakers are considering a plan that would formally recognize state-level legalization. Nine states, including California, along with the District of Columbia, have legalized marijuana use. California alone has more residents than Canada, but there’s strong symbolism of a G-7 country approving pot use, legalization advocates say.

“The fact that Canada is beating the U.S. to the punch on legalization is another demonstration that federal prohibition of marijuana is an untenable position and Congress will have to act soon,” said Michael Collins, a spokesman for the pro-legalization Drug Policy Alliance.

There’s evidence change could be coming to the United States: Colo. Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican, on Thursday teamed with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, to file new legislation barring the U.S. federal government from interfering with any state-approved marijuana legalization and permitting marijuana businesses to use the federal banking system.

Trump decided to shit on his anti-pot relic from the 50s, AG Jeff Sessions. He announced to a gaggle of reporters as he was leaving for the G-7 meeting in Quebec that he's likely to support a legislative proposal to leave the decision to states. "We’re looking at it. But I probably will end up supporting that," he said in response to a question. This is exactly what Roger Stone has been urging him to do ever since Trump managed to find himself in the White House.