Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is urging the Trump administration to view marijuana as an economic opportunity. Her comments came as Attorney General Jeff Sessions hinted Tuesday at a federal crackdown on recreational cannabis.
Sessions made his remarks to a gathering of state attorneys' general. He's the second Trump administration official to suggest the federal government will step up anti-pot efforts in states that have legalized recreational marijuana, including Oregon.
Brown just returned from Washington, D.C., at a separate meeting of the nation's governors. She said the Trump administration's possible crackdown is contrary to its goal of creating jobs.
"It's a great opportunity for us to grow a nascent industry that could create good-paying jobs around the state of Oregon and help grow our economy,” Brown said. “That's what we should be focused on."
Stronger enforcement of federal marijuana laws would be a shift from the Obama administration, which did not directly challenge state legalization laws.
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