Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is criticizing a Trump administration decision to rescind an Obama-era policy that paved the way for legalized marijuana to flourish in numerous states.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Session's move would leave it to U.S. attorneys where pot is legal to decide whether to aggressively enforce federal marijuana law.
Inslee said Thursday that would be a mistake. Inslee says the decision disregards Washington voters who approved the legalization of recreational pot in 2012.
Inslee said the impact could come down to how local U.S. attorneys decide to handle the decision.
"That person's going to have a hard time walking down the street in the state of Washington if they decide to go back to the previous century in marijuana policy," said Inslee. "They just might want to think about that.”
Inslee says Washington will vigorously defend the state's laws against federal infringement.
Last year, Inslee and state Attorney General Bob Ferguson wrote to Sessions urging him to respect Washington state's marijuana laws.
"This is a big, big issue," Ferguson said Thursday. "In grappling with big issues it helps to actually have a conversation. The attorney general will not meet with legislative leaders, he will not meet with the governor, he will not meet with me."
Ferguson also said the medical marijuana system could be in peril because of the Trump administration move. More than two dozen states have legalized pot for medicinal use, and he finds that "especially troubling."
Washington state Senate Majority Leader Sharon Nelson, D-Maury Island, said Washington has come to rely on the money from marijuana taxes.
Sen. Ann Rivers, R-Clark County, said she was opposed to the initiative, but noted that taxes on pot sales have generated millions for education and health care.
"Rightly or wrongly, we need that money to take care of the people of our state," she said.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and City Attorney Pete Holmes condemned the overreach by the Trump administration on legalized marijuana Thursday.
During a press conference, Mayor Durkan announced that the Seattle Police Department will not participate in any enforcement activities against anything that's legal under Washington state law.
“Our police department will not spend any resources cooperating with the dismantling of the system that is working,” Mayor Durkan said. “We will not enforce law against small time marijuana users, and we will not be closing down any legal businesses. Let me be very clear, we will not be cooperating in doing that.”
U.S. Senator Patty Murray Issued a condemnation of Session's memo on Twitter.
U.S. Representatives Suzan DelBene and Denny Heck also condemned the DOJ decision on Twitter.
Geranios reported from Spokane.
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