The Feds Will Go After (Legal) Recreational Weed — Because There's Nothing Better to Do

If you live in one of the eight states where recreational marijuana is legal, the feds might still be coming for your pot — at least according to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

During a press conference on Feb. 23, Spicer suggested that the Department of Justice will crack down on states where recreational marijuana is legal. "I do believe that you'll see greater enforcement," Spicer said, adding that the policy will be "a question for the Department of Justice."

Jeff Sessions, current attorney general, has a history of condemning recreational marijuana. He actually once said "good people don't smoke marijuana," although Sessions was predictably coy about whether he would enforce federal marijuana laws during his confirmation hearing.

Spicer also said there was a difference between recreational marijuana and medicinal use. Referring to the president's position, Spicer added that medical marijuana would remain protected. "[The president] understands the pain and suffering that many people go through who are facing especially terminal diseases, and the comfort that some of these drugs, including medical marijuana, can bring to them," Spicer said.

He also seemed to compare the opioid crises with encouraging recreational marijuana. However, experts agree marijuana is nowhere near as addictive as opiates — other than both providing medical uses, the drugs are not comparable, despite Spicer's suggestion. In fact, most experts also concur that marijuana is actually a safer substitute for pain killers.

What also makes Spencer's comments troubling is the hypocrisy over when the federal government can interfere in the states. While the White House will allow individual states to decide whether transgender students can use the bathroom of their identified gender, it might not allow individual states to decide whether their recreational marijuana laws are legal. The inconsistency is astounding.

It should be noted that the Department of Justice cannot go after states with medical marijuana laws because of a budget rider that prevents the government from allocating funds to do so, which Spicer refers to. However, the rider does not stipulate anything about recreational laws, so the feds are seemingly free to pursue an enforcement of that law.

A federal crackdown on recreational marijuana could also exacerbate the nationwide issue of overcrowded prisons. But considering the Department of Justice also rejected an Obama-era memorandum ending contracts with private prisons, that might not be a concern for Trump's administration.