Trump signals support for pot

LOS ANGELES -- President Donald Trump said Friday he was inclined to support a bipartisan effort in Congress to ease the U.S. ban on marijuana, a proposal potentially dramatically reshaping the nation's legal landscape for pot users and businesses.

The federal ban puts marijuana on the same level as LSD and heroin and has created a conflict with about 30 states legalizing pot in some form, creating a two-tiered enforcement system at the state and federal levels.

The legislation would ensure states have the right to determine the best approach to marijuana within their borders, but some U.S. restrictions would remain, including sales of non-medical pot to people younger than 21.

The proposal introduced Thursday has support from members of Congress from both parties, including Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado.

"I support Sen. Gardner. I know exactly what he's doing," Trump told reporters in Washington, when asked about the legislation. "We're looking at it. But I probably will end up supporting that, yes."

The president's remarks place him in conflict with his own Justice Department and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who staunchly opposes marijuana. He lifted an Obama administration policy and freed federal prosecutors to more aggressively pursue cases in states that have legalized marijuana.

Asked about the measure in an interview with Colorado Public Radio, Sessions said, "We'll see how far it goes and how much support there is. ... My view is clear: The federal law remains in effect nationwide, just as it does for heroin and cocaine."

The proposal's prospects in Congress were unclear.

Gardner, who heads the Senate Republicans' campaign arm, is close to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The Kentucky Republican has consistently opposed legalizing marijuana but has called hemp and marijuana "two entirely separate plants."

The bill would change the definition of marijuana in federal drug law to exclude industrial hemp, which like marijuana is part of the cannabis plant family but doesn't contain the THC giving pot users the high. Hemp produces the non-intoxicating cannabinoids, or CBDs, now a health rage and a lucrative crop in Kentucky and other states.

Oregon Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a co-sponsor, said momentum was building in the House but "we just need Republican leadership in Congress to get on board or get out of our way, and for Trump to keep his word."

Despite his comments, Trump has sent mixed signals on the drug: While campaigning for president, he pledged to respect states legalizing marijuana, but he also has criticized legalization and implied it should be stopped.