BOSTON — There could be a battle brewing between states that have legalized recreational marijuana, like Massachusetts, and the federal government.
On Thursday, Pres. Donald Trump’s press secretary said the administration could begin cracking down on places where recreational marijuana is legal.
It can be easy to forget that marijuana is still illegal in the eyes of the federal government. It is considered a schedule 1 drug, along with heroin, ecstasy and LSD.
But Thursday, when asked if the Trump administration would begin taking action against on recreational marijuana, the president’s spokesperson, Sean Spicer, said yes.
The Obama administration largely left the decision up to the individual states, but Trump’s new Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, has long been against legalized marijuana.
Spicer made a key distinction between medicinal marijuana use and recreational use.
“I do believe that you will see greater enforcement of it, because again, there is a big difference between the medical use, which was something the Department of Justice, I think, will be further looking into,” Spicer said.
Spicer made that comment Thursday, the same day a new Quinnipiac University poll was released, in which just 23 percent of voters said the U.S. government should enforce federal laws against marijuana in states that have legalized it for recreational and medical use – 71 percent it should not.
Also, 59 percent of voters support marijuana legalization and 36 percent are opposed.
A spokesperson for Attorney General Sessions declined to comment Thursday. But during his confirmation hearings, Sessions said it wasn’t his job to only enforce some laws.