Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat, has come to the defense of her state’s medical and recreational marijuana laws after years of rallying against legalization.
Ms. Feinstein said in an interview Tuesday that she opposes enforcing federal anti-marijuana laws in states that have legalized the plant for medical or recreational purposes, lending her support to California’s voter-approved cannabis industry while seeking re-election in November.
“Federal law enforcement agents should not arrest Californians who are adhering to California law,” Ms. Feinstein told McClatchy.
“My state has legalized marijuana for personal use, and as California continues to implement this law, we need to ensure we have strong safety rules to prevent impaired driving and youth access, similar to other public health issues like alcohol,” said Ms. Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Commitee.
California became the first state in the country to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, and 20 years later voters approved Proposition 64, a ballot measure legalizing recreational marijuana and paving the way for retail sales to start earlier this year, by a margin of 57 to 43.
Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, however, and Ms. Feinstein was vocally opposed to Prop 64 after it passed in 2016.
“I think there’s a lot about marijuana we don’t know,” Ms. Feinstein Rolling Stone in August. “I think marijuana has potential dangers to it.”
Ms. Feinstein has shifted her stance after recently meeting with constituents who have benefited from medical marijuana, including young children, her office told McClatchy.
The change of position also occurred as the politician seeks re-election, drawing a reaction Tuesday from California state Sen. Kevin de Leon, a progressive candidate hoping to unseat Ms. Feinstein in November.
Ms. Feinstein’s new stance “is not surprising,” said Jonathan Underland, a spokesperson for de Leon.
“It is good to see that Senator Feinstein is catching up to what voters knew 22 years ago, but values should transcend political quests to hold on to power,” Mr. Underland told Marijuana Moment, a pro-cannabis website.
The Obama administration advised the Department of Justice in 2013 against pursuing marijuana-related convictions in states that have legalized cannabis, but President Trump’s attorney general, Jeff Sessions, rescinded those policies in January.
Twenty-nine states and D.C. have legalized medical marijuana, and nine states and D.C. have legalized recreational marijuana, including six that permit weed sales at state-regulated dispensaries: Alaska, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington state.
Sixty-three percent of U.S. voters favor federally legalizing marijuana, and 70 percent oppose the Justice Department enforcing federal anti-marijuana laws in states that permit the plant for recreational or medical purposes, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released last month.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.