Trump Says He’ll Protect State Marijuana Laws

The Washington Post reported Friday that “President Donald Trump has promised a top Senate Republican that he will support congressional efforts to protect states that have legalized marijuana.” Senator Cory Gardner has been stalling on approving nominations for Justice Department positions as he held firm on the states rights issue for legalization.

According to the story, Trump told Gardner over the phone that he would not go after states that had legalized marijuana and as a result, Gardner is softening his stance on DOJ nominations.

“President Trump has assured me that he will support a federalism-based legislative solution to fix this states’ rights issue once and for all,” said Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), according to the Washing Post. “My colleagues and I are continuing to work diligently on a bipartisan legislative solution that can pass Congress and head to the President’s desk to deliver on his campaign position.

The co-directors of the 2012 Amendment 64 campaign that legalized marijuana for adults in Colorado, Mason Tvert and Brian Vicente, have issued statements in response to the news.

Statement from Mason Tvert, who co-directed the Amendment 64 campaign and serves as vice president of communications at VS Strategies, a Denver-based public affairs firm that specializes in the cannabis industry:

“We are grateful to Sen. Gardner for standing up for the people of Colorado, as well as to President Trump for respecting states’ rights to adopt their own cannabis policies.  Colorado has taken great strides toward replacing the illegal marijuana market with a responsibly regulated system. It has been a long and difficult process, but we may now be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. This is one more step toward ending the irrational policy of marijuana prohibition, not only in Colorado, but throughout the country.”

Statement from Brian Vicente, who co-directed the Amendment 64 campaign and is a founding partner of Vicente Sederberg LLC, one of the nation’s leading law firms specializing in cannabis law and policy:

“We see today’s announcement as an endorsement of the work we have been doing in Colorado for the past decade. From the birth of our regulated medical marijuana market in 2010 to the opening of the adult-use market in 2014, we have sought to be the model for responsible cannabis regulation. We are incredibly proud that Sen. Gardner was able to represent not just our state, but our industry in his discussions with the president. This is a great day for everyone in Colorado and around the country who risked their personal freedom to shape the regulated cannabis market.”

Debra Borchardt

Debra Borchardt is the Co-Founder, and Executive Editor of GMR. She has covered the cannabis industry for several years at Forbes, Seeking Alpha and TheStreet. Prior to becoming a financial journalist, Debra was a Vice President at Bear Stearns where she held a Series 7 and Registered Investment Advisor license. Debra has a Master's degree in Business Journalism from New York University.


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