Federal Cannabis Reform And Regulations On The Horizon Via White House, Rep. Rohrabacher Claims
There has been a lot of talk in recent months about how the current Trump administration should approach regulating cannabis and one Republican congressman says that the White House will be taking a formal stance soon. Several states have either recently passed new laws regarding cannabis use or have something on the ballot in November, but so far, the federal viewpoint has been rather murky.
According to Fox Business, the White House will officially reveal their plan for cannabis reform once the midterm elections are over. That is coming from California Representative Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican, who says that the Trump administration is committed to tackling marijuana regulation.
Just what does regulation or reform look like in a Trump administration? During his campaign, Trump talked about how he thought that states should be able to formulate their own policies on marijuana without federal interference.
Rohrabacher says that the president intends to keep his campaign promise, which could be good news for those anxious to see marijuana legalized on a federal level. The California Republican supports legalization of marijuana for both medical and recreational use and he’s clearly encouraged by what he’s hearing from the Trump administration.
White House to unveil federal cannabis reform 'very soon,' says GOP lawmaker https://t.co/33rvaTsMPo
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) October 12, 2018
After the 2016 election, President Trump seemed to backtrack to a degree on his views regarding cannabis. He remained supportive of medical marijuana use but suggested that the federal government’s position may be to more heavily enforce legislation against recreational use.
Forbes points out that marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I drug, the most restrictive category. That has put significant limitations on its medical use and research into the benefits of cannabis, and it’s created problems as individual states have shifted their individual stances on the topic.
The conversation impacts not only medical and recreational use of marijuana but what happens state-by-state with cannabidiol products as well. CBD products are gaining in popularity, as they have low amounts of THC but show promising potential in regards to medical benefits.
According to a recent poll by Pew Research, about 62 percent of people in the United States now favor the legalization of marijuana. This number is steady to where the polling was a year ago, but the support numbers are double what they were in 2000. Republicans are divided essentially down the middle, with 45 percent in favor of legalization. Democrats polled at 69 percent in favor and independents were at 75 percent in favor.
Rohrabacher said that he believes everybody “will sit down and we’ll start hammering out something that is specific and real” after the midterms. The California Republican is facing a tough reelection battle in his district, with Democrat Harley Rouda looking to take his place. At the moment, polling shows that the race is in the toss-up zone.
Is a federal position change on the legalization of marijuana truly on the horizon? Rohrabacher says that he believes cannabis reform could come as early as next spring, but within the next legislative session for certain.
