A Democratic congresswoman says the Trump administration's push to make states pay a larger share for public services such as food assistance and health care amid his efforts to cut federal spending might ultimately "push them in the direction of legalizing marijuana" so they can offset those costs with cannabis tax revenue.
In an interview on the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) Voice of Cannabis podcast that was released on Thursday, Congressional Cannabis Caucus co-chair Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) commented on a wide range of marijuana policy issues—including bipartisan legalization legislation, stalled action on federal reform and the destigmatization of cannabis use in her state after enacting an adult-use marijuana market.
One of the "only good things that comes out of the policy of the White House is that they are pushing more things to the states to pay for—like [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)] and like Medicaid—and so states may be looking for additional sources of revenue," Titus said. "That may push them in the direction of legalizing marijuana, to some extent, so they can get that tax revenue generated."
Titus said the lawmakers who back reform were initially "optimistic" about the prospects of a federal policy change under President Donald Trump because of comments he made on the campaign trail in favor of rescheduling, industry banking access and a Florida adult-use legalization ballot initiative left the impression "he was going to be supportive."
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