Jacob Sullum on Growing Republican Support for Marijuana Federalism

Last
week, by a vote of 219 to 189, the House of
Representatives approved an amendment aimed at stopping
federal interference with state medical marijuana laws. Similar
measures have failed in the House six times since 2003, but
this year the amendment attracted record support from Republicans,
49 of whom voted yes, compared to 28 last time around

Yet Republicans still overwhelmingly opposed the amendment,
while Democrats overwhelmingly supported it. Given the GOP’s
frequent lip service to federalism, says Jacob Sullum, the party’s
lack of enthusiasm for letting states set their own policies in
this area requires some explanation, and so does the need for this
amendment under a Democratic administration that has repeatedly
said it is not inclined to use Justice Department resources against
medical marijuana users and providers who comply with state
law.

View this article.