[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 9, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H21]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DECLARES WAR ON STATE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, Friday, the Trump administration 
declared war on State legalization of marijuana as they come out on the 
wrong side of history and the American public.
  The Obama administration recognized that the vast voter-driven 
movement to legalize marijuana at the State level was something that 
couldn't be stopped and, in fact, that the Federal Government shouldn't 
interfere. Their Justice Department issued guidance, known as the Cole 
amendment, that, as long as these voter-approved State legalization 
efforts were enforced rigorously and thoughtfully, the Federal 
Government wouldn't interfere with what the voters wanted.
  Friday, Sessions and the Trump administration overruled that guidance 
and declared open war on the part of 93 U.S. attorneys to feel free to 
interfere with what local voters have decided.
  This is strongly opposed by the American public. Over 60 percent in 
poll after poll show that Americans favor legalization of marijuana. 
When it deals with medical marijuana, that percentage is over 90 
percent. We have seen State after State, approve medical marijuana 
including Florida, with a 71 percent ``yes'' vote in November of 2016.
  If the question is, regardless of how you feel about marijuana, 
should the Federal Government interfere with what the voters have 
decided, three out of four voters say the Federal Government should 
keep their hands off it.
  Luckily, at least as far as medical marijuana is concerned, they are 
protected from interference by the Justice Department because of the 
amendment that I have authored with my friend Dana Rohrabacher. It is 
in the continuing resolution. It needs to be in any long-term funding 
bill. In fact, we should embrace an amendment by our colleague Tom 
McClintock from California, that would expand those protections to any 
State legal marijuana activity.
  The Justice Department is not just on the wrong side of history and 
the American public, they are missing a chance to cure the damage 
caused by selective and cruel enforcement of marijuana laws. We are 
still arresting tens of thousands--mostly young men of color, 
especially African-American men--for something the majority of 
Americans now think should be legal.
  We miss a chance to win the war against opioid death and addiction. 
In States that have medical marijuana--surprise--there are fewer pills 
prescribed. The longer the States have had medical marijuana, the lower 
the overdose deaths. In California, which has had medical marijuana the 
longest, there are a third fewer opioid deaths. We are missing an 
opportunity to build on that.
  We are missing the opportunity to increase the hundreds of millions 
of dollars that are now going to the State tax coffers to deal with 
education and addiction and law enforcement through State legal efforts 
and away from the drug cartels and the black market. Indeed, if we 
clean up this mess, we will have billions of dollars to devote to 
public purposes and further undermine the strength of drug cartels that 
use the black market to fund their efforts.
  It is past time that Congress steps up and fixes this mess.
  The good news is this reckless action by the Trump administration and 
Jeff Sessions will accelerate the time that we support what State and 
local governments should do: rationalize our cannabis policy and stop 
this ineffective, failed prohibition.

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