Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (who originally opposed legalizing marijuana in Nevada) joined a group of 12 governors calling on Congress to pass a bill that provides federal protections to state legalized marijuana programs. This bill is called “Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act”. The governor’s bi-partisan letter to Congress says in part, “Our Citizens have spoken, we are responding.”
In January, Attorney General Jeff Sessions instructed the U.S. Justice Department to roll back federal protections to existing legal marijuana programs. Now, President Trump has indicated he is again considering a major shift on federal marijuana policy. “We’re looking at it. But I probably will end up supporting that, yes,” the president said last week when asked about a proposal that would let states legalize cannabis.
Additionally, mayors from six cities with legalized marijuana have formed a coalition to call for the feds to remove marijuana from its list of illegal drugs. Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman is an active founding member of this coalition.