# What will happen in marijuana-friendly states after the election? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 8, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-in-marijuana-friendly-states-after-the-election/748297 "2016-03-08T17:14:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-in-marijuana-friendly-states-after-the-election/748297/1 "2016-03-08T17:14:15Z")
Several cities and states have gone against federal law to legalize marijuana. I do think it should be legal federally, but that is a topic for a different thread. The Obama administration has respected the wishes of these places, and asked the DEA not to enforce marijuana laws there. Is this going to continue in 2017 when we have a new president? I know Bernie Sanders wants to legalize it, but would any of the other candidates? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-in-marijuana-friendly-states-after-the-election/748297/2 "2016-03-08T17:28:42Z")
I’m guessing the current policies will continue. There doesn’t seem to be much interest or support for cracking down. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-in-marijuana-friendly-states-after-the-election/748297/3 "2016-03-08T17:42:53Z")
The candidates, particularly the Republicans, are in a tough place–they still have a conservative and anti-drug constituency, but also have to support “states rights.” [Clinton says](http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2014/07/22/38484/hillary-clinton-on-ukraine-gaza-and-the-hard-choic/) that she does not support or encourage federal intervention in state cannabis laws. And she supports rescheduling cannabis federally to allow for federal funding of medical cannabis research. Cruz has been hit and miss, but [has said](http://www.breitbart.com/video/2015/04/16/cruz-feds-should-recognize-state-decisions-on-marijuana/) that he also does not believe the feds should prosecute. Rubio opposes legalization and [has called for enforcing federal law](http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/meet-the-candidate-marco-rubios-full-mtp-interview-501174852001) in states that have legalized. He’s been pretty consistent about it. If he were President, I can’t believe he’d be willing to send the DEA into legalized states, but he might be willing to push back somewhere. The Donald has no coherent position, which is more or less par for the course. [Back in the day](https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19900414&id=eUoeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EHoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4675,4533445&hl=en) he took a pretty libertarian stance in favor of legalization (of everything). [Recently](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/10/29/trump-wants-marijuana-legalization-decided-at-the-state-level/?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_daily202), he’s pretty clear about supporting medical use but generally seems to oppose recreational use. I can’t imagine he’d interfere with any state laws, but he doesn’t seem likely to push strongly for federal decriminalization or rescheduling. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-in-marijuana-friendly-states-after-the-election/748297/4 "2016-03-08T17:46:44Z")
Sanders would recommend legalizing it, but congress won’t do it. Why piss off the anti-drug constituency? So current policy would continue. Clinton would say (correctly IMO) that there are higher priorities for drug enforcement resources to be focused on, especially meth and opium abuse. So the current policy would continue. Republicans would give lip-service to enforcing the laws against marijuana, but again, won’t actually do anything different. There’s just not enough political upside for anyone to change what’s happening now. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-in-marijuana-friendly-states-after-the-election/748297/5 "2016-03-08T18:14:22Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > The Obama administration has respected the wishes of these places, and asked the DEA not to enforce marijuana laws there. This is not entirely correct. The current administration most certainly continues to [conduct](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/28/denver-marijuana-raid_n_6063066.html) enforcement operations against marijuana growers in states such as Colorado, in keeping with the policy guidelines it laid down in 2013. > [@](#): > > • Preventing the distribution of marijuana to minors; > • Preventing revenue from the sale of marijuana from going to criminal enterprises, gangs and cartels; > • Preventing the diversion of marijuana from states where it is legal under state law in some form to other states; > • Preventing state-authorized marijuana activity from being used as a cover or pretext for the trafficking of other illegal drugs or other illegal activity; > • Preventing violence and the use of firearms in the cultivation and distribution of marijuana; > • Preventing drugged driving and the exacerbation of other adverse public health consequences associated with marijuana use; > • Preventing the growing of marijuana on public lands and the attendant public safety and environmental dangers posed by marijuana production on public lands; and > • Preventing marijuana possession or use on federal property. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-in-marijuana-friendly-states-after-the-election/748297/6 "2016-03-08T20:32:06Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > This is not entirely correct. The current administration most certainly continues to [conduct](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/28/denver-marijuana-raid_n_6063066.html) enforcement operations against marijuana growers in states such as Colorado, in keeping with the policy guidelines it laid down in 2013. All those things are still illegal under the state law, though. Yes, if you’re feeling pedantic, the feds still enforce _some_ marijuana laws in the states that have legalized it, but they don’t do any enforcement on people who are in compliance with their state’s marijuana laws. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-in-marijuana-friendly-states-after-the-election/748297/7 "2016-03-09T01:24:45Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > All those things are still illegal under the state law, though. Yes, if you’re feeling pedantic, the feds still enforce _some_ marijuana laws in the states that have legalized it, but they don’t do any enforcement on people who are in compliance with their state’s marijuana laws. It’s illegal under _Federal_ law, only Congress can change that. The current administration is only enforcing the above as a matter of policy. The next administration could tighten up, and the law is with them. It would be unwise, where it is legal it has become entrenched. Maybe potheads can start ratting out the heroin traffic. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-in-marijuana-friendly-states-after-the-election/748297/8 "2016-03-09T01:44:58Z")
One possibly complicating factor is that about half a dozen states, including California, are likely to vote to legalize it this year. And not all of them are in the West either; Maine and Massachusetts will likely have it on their ballot this year too. The more states with legalization, especially if they’re geographically widespread, the more difficult it is for the Feds to police it. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-in-marijuana-friendly-states-after-the-election/748297/9 "2016-03-09T02:04:42Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > It’s illegal under _Federal_ law, only Congress can change that. The current administration is only enforcing the above as a matter of policy. The next administration could tighten up, and the law is with them. It would be unwise, where it is legal it has become entrenched. Maybe potheads can start ratting out the heroin traffic. Yes, I understand that, but I’m saying that the fact that the Feds continue to prosecute people who _aren’t_ in compliance with their state’s marijuana laws isn’t particularly relevant to the discussion at hand. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-in-marijuana-friendly-states-after-the-election/748297/10 "2016-03-09T02:31:12Z")
They can do nothing. They would be overplaying their hand and everyone knows it. They’d be at risk of being considered a laughingstock.