Attorney General Barr Calls Current Marijuana Situation ‘Intolerable,’ Indicates Support for Reform Bill

Barr told a Senate panel that a newly reintroduced marijuana reform bill is under review in the Justice Department.

ATTORNEY GENERAL William Barr said Wednesday he would prefer Congress pass legislation allowing states to decide their own marijuana laws to the current situation, in which states have legalized marijuana at odds with a federal prohibition on cannabis. 

Speaking to the Senate Appropriations subcommittee, Barr called the current marijuana situation in the U.S. “intolerable” and also said the Justice Department is currently reviewing the recently reintroduced Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act, or STATES Act. The measure would shield people complying with state marijuana laws from federal intervention, effectively leaving it up to states to decide their own marijuana rules. 

“I would prefer one of two approaches rather than where we are,” Barr said, in response to a question from Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski, a sponsor of the proposed measure. “Personally I would still favor one uniform federal rule against marijuana, but if there is not sufficient consensus to obtain that, then I think the way to go is to permit a more federal approach so states can make their own decisions within the framework of the federal law, so we’re not just ignoring the enforcement of federal law.” [Read More @ US News]