Donald Trump says individual states can decide whether to legalise marijuana

Sonya Yruel/Drug Policy Alliance

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Donald Trump says individual states can decide whether to legalise marijuana

17 April 2018

By Mythili Sampathkumar,

President Donald Trump has said he supports states deciding whether to legalise marijuana or not.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president supports states’ rights on the matter despite a threat made just three months ago by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Republican Senator Cory Gardner from Colorado, one of the states that has already benefited from legalising and regulating the sale and distribution of the drug, said Mr Trump made the pledge to him in a conversation between the two earlier this week.

Mr Gardner has been pushing to reverse a decision made by Mr Sessions in January that allowed federal prosecutors to pursue cases against people who were following marijuana laws in states that have legalised it.

The drug has been fully legalised in eight states, and 24 states allow some form of marijuana use.