Lawmakers are pushing for federal legalization of marijuana — an effort gaining traction despite signals the Trump administration is moving toward stronger enforcement of federal pot laws, The Hill reported.
The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act, sponsored by Virginia GOP Rep. Thomas Garrett, would lift federal restrictions on pot and let states regulate medical and recreational marijuana. It has 11 co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle, The Hill reported.
Introduced in February, Garrett hopes to build consensus for the measure, believing there are "redeeming medical uses for cannabis," The Hill reported.
"The first time I heard the term 'medicinal marijuana' 25 or 30 years ago, I probably chuckled," he said Wednesday, The Hill reported.
"My background on this issue is shaped by my own experiences as a criminal prosecutor, where in fact, I did enforce the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia as they relate to marijuana, and some would say, did so quite vigorously."
But he said he grew tired of "creating criminals out of people who otherwise follow the law," The Hill reported.
"If there's anything I cannot tolerate as a citizen and as a prosecutor, it is the unequal application of justice," he said.
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