WASHINGTON, D.C. – The legal system could get even spicier for weed smokers and possessors as the federal government could start to crackdown on the illegal activity.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer was asked about the was asked at a press briefing this week about the use of marijuana for medical and recreational reasons and if the federal government is going to take some sort of action on enforcement of laws governing the issues.
Federal law notes that marijuana is a schedule 1 substance, and folks have a high propensity for abuse of it, under that code.
In response to questions from reporters, Spicer said:
“I think medical marijuana, I’ve said before that the President understands the pain and suffering that many people go through who are facing especially terminal diseases and the comfort that some of these drugs, including medical marijuana, can bring to them. And that’s one that Congress, through a rider in 2011 — looking for a little help — I think put in an appropriations bill saying the Department of Justice wouldn’t be funded to go after those folks.
“There is a big difference between that and recreational marijuana. And I think that when you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around this country, the last thing that we should be doing is encouraging people. There is still a federal law that we need to abide by in terms of the medical — when it comes to recreational marijuana and other drugs of that nature.
“So I think there’s a big difference between medical marijuana, which states have a — the states where it’s allowed, in accordance with the appropriations rider, have set forth a process to administer and regulate that usage, versus recreational marijuana. That’s a very, very different subject. I do believe that you’ll see greater enforcement of it. Because again, there’s a big difference between the medical use which Congress has, through an appropriations rider in 2014, made very clear what their intent was in terms of how the Department of Justice would handle that issue. That’s very different than the recreational use, which is something the Department of Justice I think will be further looking into.”
