09 May Confusing Trump Cannabis Statement

The President signed a budget bill last Friday that will keep the government funded through the end of September. After signing the bill, the President issued a statement which, among other things, declared some provisions in the bill unconstitutional, and seemed to suggest that he will not comply with others (like denying funding for certain presidential advisors).

He also commented on the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment on medical marijuana which has been renewed in budget bills every year since 2014. His statement: “Division B, section 537 provides that the Department of Justice may not use any funds to prevent implementation of medical marijuana laws by various States and territories. I will treat this provision consistently with my constitutional responsibility to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.”

It is not clear what he means. He has previously publicly said he is “100%” in favor of medical marijuana. Does this statement mean that he will honor the law preventing the use of federal funds to interfere with legal state medical marijuana? Or that he might go back to prosecuting the space and raiding dispensaries as President Obama did in his first term? A number of commentators have asked for greater clarity from the White House, and we can all hope that better guidance can be provided.