There was little oxygen in any media last Friday. A most tragic elementary school shooting rightly filled TV screens …and our hearts. What some missed was a subtle but critical whisper from President Obama about the federal government’s role in enforcement of anti-marijuana provisions of national law.
The night before, Obama told Barbara Walters and the nation that the feds would not come after people in the states of Washington and Colorado. In both states, government and private sector hopefuls have begun to put in place a complex regulatory scheme for the production, processing, and retail sale of cannabis, which now may be legally possessed and recreationally used by adults.
The cloud is lifted. Hanging over all the push and shove, regulatory infancy and anticipation was the federal enforcement hammer. Would the feds bust the folks at the state-level who were handling the product? Would the FBI, or DEA start making examples of otherwise compliant state citizen users? Looks like the answer is no.
Obama’s comment that the feds have “bigger fish to fry,” and his hint that the economic conditions of law enforcement require certain mature priorities, left the impression that if we are stay within the lines, they won’t bother us.
On the surface it sounds as if both Colorado and Washington officials are free to carry out the mandate of their citizens. But are they? In an email response this weekend, Washington State Liquor Control Board member Chris Marr shared his perspective on the announcement.
“This is [the] clearest indication we’ve received so far regarding the Obama Administration’s intent. It doesn’t answer every question — for instance, would the feds withhold federal public safety or public health funding as leverage? Having said that, I think we should take it as a clear indication to move ahead,” Marr wrote.
This brings relief to those who are hiring lobbyists and public affairs firms as they gear up for the Washington State Liquor Control Board’s first cannabis regulation, and the private businesses that are lining up to tap into the multi-tiered production, processing, wholesaling and retail platform of cannabis consumption in Washington.
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