LOS ANGELES — Former White House Communications Director for the Trump Administration Anthony Scaramucci says that Trump will legalize marijuana.
Scaramucci predicted in an interview with Succeed.com that the president would legalize marijuana sometime after the midterms "I do. I think he's going to legalize marijuana," said the former Trump official.
"I think he's waiting for after the midterms. I think he's on the side of legalization. I think the attorney general probably wasn't, but I think the president is," Scaramucci concluded.
The Trump Administration has not been an advocate of legalizing marijuana so far. U.S. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Cole Memo in January, a federal policy implemented under President Obama which protected legal marijuana states from federal prosecution. Sessions was against legalizing marijuana.
The move prompted anger from politicians in legal marijuana states and a letter authored by 54 bipartisan legislators to request that Trump reinstate the Cole Memo. It also set the stage for lawmakers to draft a bipartisan bill to protect legal marijuana states from the federal government called the STATES Act.
Trump Anti-Cannabis Committee Conflicts with Scaramucci Prediction
An August report from BuzzFeed News also contradicts Scaramucci and indicates that Trump may not be considering legalizing marijuana. The report states that Trump has convened a committee to stop public acceptance of marijuana legalization and label weed as a threat to national security.
However, U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) told Fox Business back in October that the president would address legalizing marijuana after the midterms.
"I have been talking to people inside the White House who know and inside the president's entourage," said Rohrabacher. "I have talked to them at length. I have been reassured that the president intends on keeping his campaign promise." Trump promised to leave marijuana legalization up to the states during his campaign, yet his actions have leaned towards an anti-legalization stance.
Scaramucci believes that the president will legalize marijuana during his last two years in office. Scaramucci was only employed by the White House for several days before he was fired by the chief of staff John Kelly for using questionable language during an interview.
