White House spokesman Sean Spicer suggested Thursday that the Justice Department is going to crack down on states that legalized recreational use of marijuana.
“I do believe you will see greater enforcement of it,” Spicer said during his press briefing. Spicer declined to elaborate, directing questions to the Department of Justice.
Spicer did say that there is a difference between medical marijuana, legal in more than 20 states, and recreational use laws in eight states. Four of those states legalized recreational use in the November elections.
“There is a big difference between medical marijuana, which in the states that were allowed have set forth a process to administer and regulate that usage versus recreational,” he said.
Spicer then said recreational marijuana could be linked to the opioid epidemic raging across the U.S.
The comments represent a marked departure from the Obama administration.
Recreational marijuana use is illegal under federal law. However, the Obama administration essentially turned a blind eye to prosecuting people in the states that legalized its use recreationally.
