The threat of stricter marijuana enforcement by the Trump administration has legal pot advocates on edge – and preparing for a "worst-case scenario," Fox News reported Wednesday.
"It’s definitely an interesting time. We are nervous," Beth Collins, senior director of government relations with Americans for Safe Access, told Fox News.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has repeatedly signaled a shift to tougher federal marijuana enforcement – with an announcement last week that a crime reduction task force would focus on “evaluating marijuana enforcement policy” and other issues.
Marijuana advocates wonder how that approach will play out in states that have legalized pot for medical or recreational use — or both; eight states have legalized recreational use, while more than half of states allow medical marijuana, Fox News noted.
But in one sign of tensions, the Senate in the legal pot state of Colorado has passed a bill allowing marijuana growers and sellers to classify their product as medical if there’s a federal crackdown, the Denver Post reported.
Steph Sherer, founder and director of ASA, told Fox News one step being taken in preparation for stricter federal enforcement includes "trying to pass legislation to change federal laws so that we don’t have to have that conversation when it comes to patients and their medicine."
She said they’re also preparing for the “worst-case scenario” – federal raids.
“We do have raid trainings, we do have tools that they can use to be safe if there is a federal raid and make sure that they get through that experience safely,” she said.
Sessions has argued the push to legalize overlooks marijuana’s harmful effects, and last month said he thinks medical marijuana has been "hyped," according to the Washington Post.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.