At the one-month mark, we now have a working theory of what makes an employee fireable (or not even hireable) in the Trump administration. There are two main types.

1. In December, Jason Miller, who was tapped to be the White House communications director, quit after another transition official, A.J. Delgado, tweeted her jilted love at him. Miller and his wife were expecting a new baby, so, via Twitter, “Delgado congratulated ‘the baby-daddy’ on his promotion,” ominously adding: “The 2016 version of John Edwards.”

Delgado then deleted her Twitter account and, after Politico reported on the rumored affair, privately disclosed the details of the relationship to the transition team.

If you reach back into the deep part of yourself where you catalog other people’s misbehavior, you may even recall that Page Six reported back in October that, the night before the last presidential debate, Delgado and Miller, along with several journalists, were spotted together at the world’s largest strip club.

2. In January, Monica Crowley similarly backed out of her appointment to the National Security Council after CNN revealed she had plagiarized extensively in a book she published with HarperCollins. Politico followed up with a report that she had plagiarized parts of her doctoral dissertation. She had been accused of plagiarism before, by the Wall Street Journal. Crowley never admitted any wrongdoing. Here’s an example of a passage that popped fully formed into her head years after it popped into someone else’s, varying by a mere 18 words:

3. In early February, Vincent Viola, the nominee for Army Secretary, withdrew because of insurmountable conflicts of interest. The Wall Street billionaire was making an effort to untangle himself from his many business ties, but, as the New York Times put it, “if his nomination had continued, he would have faced certain scrutiny for potentially becoming a government official who benefits from federal contracts.” Of course, there’s also the fact that it had just been revealed that, last August, Viola was “accused of punching a concessions worker at a racehorse auction.”

4. Michael Flynn resigned from his post as head of the National Security Council after it turned out he had lied to Mike Pence about discussing Russian sanctions with the Russian ambassador, thereby exposing himself to potential Russian blackmail—plus, every time someone lies to Mike Pence, a fairy’s light goes out forever and an angel loses its wings.

Later it was revealed Flynn had also lied to the FBI.

5. Trump’s pick for Labor Secretary, Andrew Puzder, withdrew his nomination after Oprah gave the Senate a VHS tape of his ex-wife Lisa Fierstein appearing in disguise on Oprah’s show for an episode called “High Class Battered Women.”

Puzder had also, like the high class man he is, employed an undocumented immigrant in his home.

6. Last week, six staffers were booted out of the White House after they failed FBI background checks. Trump’s director of scheduling, Caroline Wiles, resigned before the background check was completed, while several others were walked out by security. “The intensive background check… includes questions on the applicant’s credit score, substance use and other personal subjects.”

7. And, not that he’s part of the administration or anything, but the president did threaten to cut funding to UC Berkeley in his honor, so let’s throw it out there anyway: the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) threw internet troll Milo Yiannopoulos under the bus after video resurfaced in which he defended pedophilia. The next day he resigned from Breitbart News.

There are two takeaways here. The first is how low the low bar has dropped. So many things that used to be scandals—being racist, being absurdly unqualified, just actually hating the agency you’re in charge of—aren’t scandalizing anymore, at least not for Republicans. Steve Bannon provided a media platform for white supremacists. Jeff Sessions is pretty darn racist. Betsy DeVos hovers somewhere between not knowing what an IEP is (cue the public school teachers rolling their eyes) and thinking it’s great when voucher schools make kids sign away their federally guaranteed right to one. Poor Ben Carson. Rex Tillerson was literally just now the CEO of ExxonMobil, a corporate name synonymous with “sinister.” Scott Pruitt hates all life on planet earth more than you hate Donald Trump. And, if you strain your memory way back to Day Zero, you’ll recall that even the appointment of James “Pretty Reasonable Guy” Mattis (as I’ve taken to calling him, since it’s become apparent that “Mad Dog” is the new normal) was a disquieting breach of the important American tradition of civilian oversight of our military.

The second takeaway is that Donald Trump is made of Teflon. He has been accused, at various points, of each of the scandals mentioned above, and yet nothing has stuck to him. Melania plagiarized Michelle at the RNC; Trump has massive, almost incalculable conflicts of interest; Trump lied to Mike Pence about the same thing Flynn did (another angel gone); Trump has also been accused of sexual assault and wife battery; Trump hired undocumented workers; Trump has even been accused of pedophilia; and it probably goes without saying at this point, but Trump definitely would not pass an FBI background check. His credit score alone would kill him. He’s so uncreditworthy that no major banks will lend to him (except for Deutsche Bank with its shadowy Russian—there’s that word again, “Russian,” it just keeps coming up!—money laundering). To quote a great man, SICK!

The only good news is that at least Trump’s immunity does not seem to extend to anyone in his orbit. Which would make you think he must be scouting for less scandalous replacements for all these fallen Trumpists—a canny assumption after he replaced conspiracy theorist Flynn with upstanding citizen H. R. McMaster and domestic abuser Puzder with really quite normal Republican guy Alexander Acosta. (Well, normal except for one little thing, which is, and really you can’t make this stuff up, that Acosta was the federal prosecutor who gave convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein a sweetheart plea deal—that is, the same convicted pedophile in whose company Trump himself has been accused of raping a 13-year-old girl.)

But, if you think that, you are ignoring one crucial factor, and that is:

Fireable Offense Type #2: Not Having Always Wanted Donald Trump to Be President (or Kind of Hating It Now)

You see, when it comes to hiring less scandalous people, the catch is that it’s hard to find people who aren’t a little bit—what’s a nice word for this? “eccentric”?—who have also never, at any point, publicly voiced the opinion that maybe Donald Trump wasn’t the best candidate for President of the United States of America. But those people—true believers—are the only people Trump wants! Loyal people! The best people!

This has caused some problems!

Not only are the true believers perhaps a bit more scandal-prone than the average American (my survey above seems to imply a lot of punching, both on the face and not on the face, in that demographic), but one must also consider all the messy purging that purity entails.

1. Earlier this month, Trump suddenly and unilaterally rejected Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s decision to make Eliott Abrams his own second in command—and not because of Abrams’ involvement in the Iran-Contra affair, which apparently falls under the rubric of scandals that are no longer scandalous. Rather, Trump axed Abrams “after reading news reports about their meeting, which included references to Abrams’ criticisms of Trump during last year’s presidential campaign.” Abrams was never even a Never Trumper, a group that has been blacklisted by the administration.

2. Last week, Ben Carson’s longtime aide and friend Shermichael Singleton was fired when the White House realized he had written an anti-Trump op-ed for The Hill in October. Carson was left speechless and baffled. Singleton was escorted from the building by security. In his op-ed, Shermichael wrote:

3. Over the weekend, the White House forced the resignation of NSC aide Craig Deare after he criticized Trump in a private meeting at a think tank. Apparently Deare complained about the administration’s dysfunction, about Steve Bannon, about a lack of access to the president—and, hilariously, he “gave a detailed and embarrassing readout of Trump’s call with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.”

4. And, of course, acting attorney general and Obama-era holdover Sally Yates was fired for refusing to enforce the Muslim travel ban.

It’s so hard to find true believers that the White House is sailing with a skeleton crew. There’s nobody home and no one in charge. We don’t know if they’ve figured out how to turn the lights on yet. As Gertrude Stein put it, there’s no there there. Staffing is such a problem that Steve Bannon had to bring his own Bannon to work. (And he brought in Jeff Sessions’ own Bannon, Stephen Miller, too—everyone has a Bannon now. You’ll soon see that you have one yourself. If, on the night of the new moon, you stand before the mirror in the light of one flickering candle, and regard your own reflection with malice in your heart, the grim outline of the devil on your shoulder shall appear, and its heinous whispers become audible.)

So, what will happen next? Will Trump be forced to let reasonable (if still somewhat unconventional) people do normal jobs, like Acosta and McMaster, or will Trump staff the entire government with “alt-right” radicals, like Julia Hahn and Steve Miller, so the government stops functioning in any way except as a white supremacist propaganda machine? Will he do both things at the same time?

I have no idea! But, as Gertrude Stein also said, “It is natural to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes to that siren until she allures us to our death.”</s>The White House on Thursday put states that have legalized recreational-use marijuana on notice that federal law enforcement agents could be targeting them soon.

It was the clearest warning yet that the Trump administration may move to disrupt the marijuana trade in the eight states, including California, that have legalized the recreational use of pot.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters that the administration had no plans to continue the permissive approach of the Obama administration and that it viewed recreational marijuana use as a flagrant violation of federal law.

Spicer’s statement that the Department of Justice could initiate enforcement actions in states that have legalized recreational pot alarmed the multibillion-dollar marijuana industry and set up the administration for yet another confrontation with liberal states.

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Spicer said recreational marijuana was a scourge, likening its widespread use to the opioid addiction epidemic — an incendiary charge that many medical experts would dispute. But the comments intensified concerns that the robust recreational marijuana trade that has been brought out into the open in recent years — generating hundreds of millions of dollars of tax revenue — could soon be disrupted by federal agents.

“When you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming around so many states … the last thing we should be doing is encouraging people,” Spicer told reporters. “There is still a federal law we need to abide by in terms of when it comes to recreational marijuana and other drugs of that nature.”

Asked whether states that have legalized recreational use could be targeted by federal actions, Spicer said, “I do believe that you’ll see greater enforcement.” He said that while federal law prohibits raids of medical marijuana operations, “that’s very different than the recreational use, which is something the Department of Justice, I think, will be further looking into.”

It has been years since the Drug Enforcement Administration sent agents on busts of pot businesses operating legally under state laws. The Obama administration issued an administrative policy putting a stop to such federal raids, even as it continued to classify the drug as more dangerous than cocaine. Congress further reassured marijuana users in 2014 by banning the DEA from using federal funds to go after medical marijuana operations operating legally under state laws.

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To many, the legal recreational pot trade in America has grown so large, routine and socially acceptable that it has become too big to jail.

But the marijuana industry has been on edge since Trump’s election. While the president’s position on the drug has been murky, his appointment of former Sen. Jeff Sessions as U.S. attorney general rattled dispensary owners and growers. Sessions is a longtime crusader in the war on drugs, as is Vice President Mike Pence.

“It looks like the first shoe is dropping as expected,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. “Trump was never all that reassuring on the issue of marijuana legalization.”

How far the administration would go in provoking states that have legalized pot is unclear. The options range from largely symbolic gestures such as cracking down on the illegal transportation of marijuana between states or initiating a few seizures from dispensaries, to filing injunctions seeking to nullify state legalization laws.

Any such enforcement brings political risk, and could undermine Trump’s positioning as a champion of states’ rights. Spicer’s announcement comes only days after the formation in the House of the first Cannabis Caucus. The founding members are two Democrats and two Republicans, a reminder of the bipartisan appeal of the issue.

“The federal government should stay out of this. Period,” Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), one of the caucus founders, said as it was launched last week. “I am happy to say that we will butt heads with the attorney general when we have to. We will do our job.” Alaska, a deeply Republican state, is among those that have recently legalized recreational use.

The Trump administration positioned itself to go after recreational pot on the same day a new Quinnipiac poll showed 71% of Americans surveyed are opposed to the kind of enforcement action Spicer suggested is coming. The same poll found 59% of Americans support full legalization of marijuana.

“We have hoped and still hope that the federal government will respect states’ rights in the same manner they have on several other issues,” said Derek Peterson, chief executive of the Irvine-based marijuana firm Terra Tech. “The economic impact, job creation and tax collection associated with both medical and recreational legalization have been tremendous throughout the country.”

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But he said states should start preparing to fight the administration in court.

“We hope that the states make a point of defending their independence in regards to this and protect their constituents,” he said.

“I took an oath to enforce the laws that California has passed,” California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra said in a statement Thursday. “If there is action from the federal government on this subject, I will respond in an appropriate way to protect the interests of California.”

Some, however, take a different view.

“The current situation is unsustainable,” said Kevin Sabet, the president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a group opposed to legalization. “This isn’t an issue about states’ rights. It’s an issue of public health and safety for communities.”

Halper reported from Washington and McGreevy reported from Sacramento.

evan.halper@latimes.com

Follow me: @evanhalper

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UPDATES:

6:05 p.m.: Updated with a statement from California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra.

This article was originally published at 4:20 p.m.</s>Americans can expect to see “greater enforcement” of federal laws banning recreational marijuana use, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday, signaling the Trump administration might be considering a crackdown on legalization drives spreading state to state.

At a press briefing, Spicer said President Donald Trump was supportive of a federal rule that gave states leeway to allow medical marijuana use.

“I’ve said before that the president understands the pain and suffering that many people go through who are facing, especially, terminal diseases and the comfort that some of these drugs, including medical marijuana, can bring to them,” Spicer said in response to a reporter’s question. But he added, “There’s a big difference between that and recreational marijuana. I think that when you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around this country, the last thing we should be doing is encouraging people.”

Spicer didn’t indicate how the president intended to enforce federal laws in states that had approved recreational marijuana consumption. Twenty-eight states have medical marijuana laws on the books, while eight states — including California — permit recreational cannabis.

When a reporter pressed him for clarity, he said it was “a question for the Department of Justice.”

A spokesman for the Justice Department declined to comment on the matter.

Aaron Herzberg, a cannabis real estate investor based in Costa Mesa, said it would be unrealistic and “political suicide” for Trump to “wage an all out war” against recreational marijuana, pointing to millions of dollars in tax revenue flowing to states with legal cannabis laws. He said he suspects Spicer’s comments are “saber rattling” more than a viable threat.

Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but the Obama administration largely let states carry out their own legalization schemes, as long as they enforced regulations aimed at preventing sales to minors, money laundering and other criminal offenses. Thursday’s comments from Spicer were perhaps the clearest indication yet that the Trump administration may not go so easy on legal weed states.

California’s new Attorney General Xavier Becerra noted he took an oath to enforce the state’s laws.

“If there is action from the federal government on this subject, I will respond in an appropriate way to protect the interests of California,” Becerra said via email.

Smart Approaches to Marijuana, which funded opposition to California’s marijuana legalization measure Proposition 64, applauded Spicer’s comments.

“This isn’t an issue about states’ rights; it’s an issue of public health and safety for communities,” SAM President Kevin Sabet said.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions made statements similar to Spicer’s when he was being vetted by Congress. As a result, Paul Armentano, deputy director of the marijuana rights organization NORML, said Spicer’s comments weren’t surprising. But he pointed to the irony of Quinnipiac polling out just hours earlier that found 71 percent of voters oppose enforcing federal laws against marijuana in states that have already legalized pot.

The press secretary’s statement linking legal marijuana to the opioid epidemic drew immediate criticism from cannabis rights advocates, who cited research indicating the opposite is true.

“Spicer has it exactly backwards,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of Drug Policy Alliance. “Greater access to marijuana has actually led to declines in opioid use, overdoses and other problems.”

Thursday’s controversy came days after Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Costa Mesa, and three other congressional representatives from states that have legalized marijuana officially formed a “Cannabis Caucus” to advance federal laws allowing cannabis cultivation, sale and use.

A group of Democratic legislators in California is floating a bill that would make it illegal for state or local authorities to assist federal agents in investigations and enforcement actions involving Californians who are complying with state marijuana laws.

“We have hoped and still hope that the federal government will respect states’ rights in the same manner they have on several other issues,” said Derek Peterson, CEO of Irvine-based cannabis firm Terra Tech. “We also hope that the states make a point of defending their independence in regards to this and protect their constituents.”</s>WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration said on Thursday for the first time that it will crack down on marijuana sales in states that have approved recreational pot use.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the Department of Justice will pursue enforcement of federal law against recreational use, but not medical use. The statement marked a major break with the Obama administration’s hands-off approach to the growing marijuana legalization movement.

“I do believe that you’ll see greater enforcement,” Spicer told reporters at his daily briefing. “Because again there’s a big difference between the medical use that’s very different than the recreational use, which is something the Department of Justice will be further looking into.”

The decision is certain to provoke a fight with the states that have legalized recreational marijuana. Those states are Alaska, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington and the District of Columbia.

Jay Inslee, Washington state’s Democratic governor, made it clear earlier this month that the state would fight hard if the Trump team tried to block its recreational pot sales. “I think it would be a really big mistake for them to pick this fight, and I hope it will not occur,” Inslee said.

California legalization could translate to $5 billion in annual retail sales if Trump doesn’t intervene, according to estimates from Marijuana Business Daily. A cannabis caucus formed in Congress last week and vowed to fight Trump, if necessary, and protect legalization. Among the co-founders is Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican and Trump supporter whose name was floated for secretary of state before ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson got the job.

Nevada Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford called on the state’s attorney general to “vigorously defend” the state’s laws.

“Not only did voters overwhelmingly vote to approve the legalization of recreational marijuana, the governor’s proposed education budget depends on tax revenue from recreational marijuana sales,” Ford said. “Any action by the Trump administration would be an insult to Nevada voters and would pick the pockets of Nevada’s students.”

Seventy-one percent of voters say the government should not enforce federal marijuana laws in states that have legalized medical or recreational marijuana use, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released Thursday. Fifty-nine percent support legalizing recreational marijuana while 93 percent of Americans support medical marijuana use.

Washington and Colorado were the first states to legalize marijuana in 2012, while California followed suit last year. Twenty-eight states, including Minnesota, have legalized the drug for medical use.

Spicer compared the use of recreational marijuana to the opioid addiction crisis that has ravaged some communities across the nation. “The last thing we should be doing is encouraging people,” he said. He referred specific questions on enforcement to the Justice Department.

But there’s little evidence to connect marijuana to opioid addiction. In 2014, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health published a report that found in states that had legalized medical marijuana “the annual number of deaths from prescription drug overdose is 25 percent lower than in states where medical marijuana remains illegal.”

“Science has discredited the idea that marijuana serves as any kind of gateway drug, and the addiction and death rates associated with opioids simply do not occur in any way with cannabis,” said Taylor West, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association.

Backers of marijuana legalization had been waiting to see how the Trump administration would respond to the growing conflict between state and federal marijuana laws.

Trump has voiced conflicting opinions about marijuana legalization through the years. At one point, during the presidential campaign, he said he supported allowing states to choose how to legislate medical marijuana. “In terms of marijuana and legalization, I think that should be a state issue, state-by-state,” Trump told reporters in 2015.

But Trump’s appointment of former Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions, a longtime marijuana foe who criticized President Barack Obama for not enforcing the ban on pot sales, rattled pot backers and had them braced for the worst. Obama, who smoked marijuana in his younger days in Hawaii, had left states to deal with the issue after famously telling ABC-TV’s Barbara Walters in 2012 that he had “bigger fish to fry.”

During his recent confirmation hearing, Sessions did not reveal whether he would enforce the laws. “Using good judgment about how to handle these cases will be a responsibility of mine,” he said. “I know it won’t be an easy decision, but I will try to do my duty in a fair and just way.”

Marijuana advocates said Trump risks a public backlash if he cracks down on weed.

“If the administration is looking for ways to become less popular, cracking down on voter-approved marijuana laws would be a great way to do it,” said Tom Angell, chairman of the pro-legalization group Marijuana Majority.

“The vast majority of Americans agree that the federal government has no business interfering in state marijuana laws,” said Mason Tvert, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project. “This administration is claiming that it values states’ rights, so we hope they will respect the rights of states to determine their own marijuana policies.”

But Kevin Sabet, president of the anti-legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, called the current situation “unsustainable.”

“States that have legalized marijuana continue to see a black market for the drug, increased rates of youth drug use, continued high rates of alcohol sales, and interstate trafficking, with drug dealers taking advantage of non-enforcement,” he said. “This isn’t an issue about states rights — it’s an issue of public health and safety for communities.”

Still, some industry officials said it was hard to take the White House announcement seriously, given the growing popularity of marijuana and widespread pubic acceptance for legalization.

“I don’t think it’s realistic for Trump to wage an all-out war against recreational marijuana. My guess is that this is saber rattling,” said Aaron Herzberg, partner and general counsel of Calcann Holdings LLC, a California medical marijuana real estate company.

Spicer said the administration would not go after medical marijuana use.

“The president understands the pain and suffering that many people go through who are facing, especially terminal diseases, and the comfort that some of these drugs, including medical marijuana, can bring to them,” Spicer said.</s>White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday that voters could expect to see “greater enforcement” of federal laws against the use of recreational marijuana, seeming to signal that President Donald Trump was willing to put down nascent attempts at legalization that are spreading nationwide.

At the same time, Spicer said that the president was supportive of a federal rule that gave leeway to states allowing medical marijuana use. He did, however, suggest that fighting recreational cannabis use took on special importance in light of a nationwide opioid addiction crisis.

The comments come as congressional representatives from states that have legalized marijuana have formed a “Cannabis Caucus” to advance federal laws allowing cannabis cultivation, sale and use.

“I’ve said before that the President understands the pain and suffering that many people go through who are facing, especially, terminal diseases,” Spicer said, ” and the comfort that some of these drugs, including medical marijuana, can bring to them.”

He added, though, that “there’s a big difference between that and recreational marijuana. I think that when you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around this country, the last thing we should be doing is encouraging people.”

Spicer did not immediately say how the President intended to enforce federal laws in states that had approved recreational or medical marijuana. The Hill reported that Spicer later said that “I think you’ll see greater enforcement” of marijuana laws, while adding the exact policy is “a question for the Department of Justice.”

Spicer’s comments linking legal marijuana to the opioid epidemic drew immediate, sharp criticism from cannabis rights advocates.

“Spicer has it exactly backwards,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of Drug Policy Alliance. “Greater access to marijuana has actually led to declines in opioid use, overdoses and other problems.”

Aaron Herzberg, an attorney and cannabis real estate investor based on Costa Mesa, said it would be unrealistic and “political suicide” for Trump to “wage an all out war” against recreational marijuana. He pointed out the millions of dollars in tax revenue flowing to states with legal cannabis laws, along with the fact that Trump advisor Peter Thiel has heavily invested in the industry.

Herzberg said he suspects Spicer’s comments are “saber rattling” more than a viable threat.

“The White House press secretary’s comments are hardly surprising and they are similar to comments made by the new US Attorney General Jeff Sessions during his vetting process when he made clear that any use of marijuana remains against federal law and that ‘it is not the Attorney General’s job to decide what laws to enforce,’” Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML, told The Cannifornian.

Sessions, who was recently confirmed as Attorney General, has long been an opponent of marijuana use, saying in past years that “good people don’t smoke marijuana.”

Related: Jeff Sessions: What can the new attorney general do to stop cannabis? What will he do?

Armentano pointed to polling out today from Quinnipiac that says 71 percent of voters “oppose the government enforcing federal laws against marijuana in states that have already legalized medical or recreational marijuana.”

“In short,” he said, “undermining voters’ wishes and state laws in this regard not only defies common sense, it is also bad politics — particularly for an administration that is defining itself as populist in nature.”

Marijuana Majority pointed out a 2016 clip of Trump saying in response to a question about legalizing cannabis that “medical should happen,” but then implying that laws on recreational use “should be a state issue.” However, Trump also said that “there’s a question as to how it’s all working out there” in Colorado, which fully legalized marijuana in 2014.

Staff writer Brooke Edwards Staggs contributed to this report. Check back for updates to this breaking news story.</s>The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) pushed back against President Donald Trump’s apparent anti-marijuana threats on Thursday. The NCIA, who’s mission is to promote a legal and responsible cannabis industry, challenged the belief that marijuana regulation should be a Federal issue.

As reported by Vox, speaking on behalf of the President, Press Secretary Sean Spicer stated on Thursday:

“There’s two distinct issues here: medical marijuana and recreational marijuana. I think medical marijuana, I’ve said before, that the president understands the pain and suffering that many people go through, who are facing especially terminal diseases, and the comfort that some of these drugs, including medical marijuana, can bring to them. And that’s one that Congress, through a rider in [2014], put an appropriations bill saying that the Department of Justice wouldn’t be funded to go after those folks.” “There’s a big difference between that and recreational marijuana. And I think that when you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around this country, the last thing we should be doing is encouraging people. There’s still a federal law that we need to abide by when it comes to recreational marijuana and other drugs of that nature.”

In response, the NCIA issued a press release that reminded the Trump administration of marijuana promises made during the campaign:

“As a candidate, President Trump said on many occasions that he believed marijuana policy – both medical and adult-use – should be left to the states. When asked if he would allow his Attorney General to shut down adult-use programs like Colorado’s, he said, ‘I wouldn’t do it – no…I think it should be up to the states, absolutely.'” “Voters agree, and that should guide the administration’s policy.”

The Trump administration’s new plans to crack down on the marijuana industry are contradictory to the United States changing views on an increasingly legal medical and recreational drug. As reported in Society’s Changing Views of Cannabis, there is growing support for legalization, especially among younger Americans, with 70 percent of 18 to 29-year-old Americans supporting legalization. There are now eight states, plus the District of Columbia, where recreational marijuana use is legal.

Smith also conveyed that the current laws supporting the adult right to use marijuana are working.

“It would be a mistake for the Department of Justice to overthrow the will of the voters and state governments who have created carefully regulated adult-use marijuana programs. It would represent a rejection of the values of economic growth, limited government, and respect for federalism that Republicans claim to embrace.” “These programs are working. Marijuana interdictions at the Mexican border are down substantially, youth use has not increased in states with legal access to cannabis, and responsible cannabis businesses are contributing tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact to their communities.”

In the same week, as NCIA pointed out the Trump administration’s contradictory application of Federal regulations, President Trump also revoked Obama’s protections for transgender students. As Politico reported, Spicer explained why transgender protections are a state’s rights issue.

“The president has maintained for a long time that this is a states’ rights issue and not one for the federal government. So while we have further guidance coming out on this, I think that all you have to do is look at what the president’s view has been for a long time, that this is not something the federal government should be involved in, that this is a states’ rights issue.”

As the NCIA works to bring economic growth throughout the cannabis industry, the issue may not be decided on whether legalized marijuana is popular or can be successfully regulated. The fight may be whether the Trump administration has the authority to enact Federal laws on some controversial issues while leaving others for States to decide.</s>White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday that voters could expect to see “greater enforcement” of federal laws against the use of recreational marijuana, seeming to signal that President Donald Trump was willing to put down nascent attempts at legalization that are spreading nationwide.

At the same time, Spicer said that the president was supportive of a federal rule that gave leeway to states allowing medical marijuana use. He did, however, suggest that fighting recreational cannabis use took on special importance in light of a nationwide opioid addiction crisis.

The comments come as congressional representatives from states that have legalized marijuana have formed a “Cannabis Caucus” to advance federal laws allowing cannabis cultivation, sale and use.

“I’ve said before that the President understands the pain and suffering that many people go through who are facing, especially, terminal diseases,” Spicer said, ” and the comfort that some of these drugs, including medical marijuana, can bring to them.”

He added, though, that “there’s a big difference between that and recreational marijuana. I think that when you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around this country, the last thing we should be doing is encouraging people.”

Spicer did not immediately say how the President intended to enforce federal laws in states that had approved recreational or medical marijuana. The Hill reported that Spicer later said that “I think you’ll see greater enforcement” of marijuana laws, while adding the exact policy is “a question for the Department of Justice.”

Marijuana Majority pointed out a 2016 clip of Trump saying in response to a question about legalizing cannabis that “medical should happen,” but then implying that laws on recreational use “should be a state issue.” However, Trump also said that “there’s a question as to how it’s all working out there” in Colorado, which fully legalized marijuana in 2014.

Newly-confirmed Attorney General Jeff Sessions has long been an opponent of marijuana use, saying in past years that “good people don’t smoke marijuana.”</s>Coming on the back of widespread discussion, government has recently approved the production of cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, for medicinal purposes. While the drug has conventionally been used as a recreational drug, in a climate of overwhelming drug abuse within the country, the medicinal usage of the plant has for years been noted, particularly in the treatment of various cancers. Despite the move hailed a major victory for some, groups such as the South African Anti- Drug Alliance has sighted the need for public and professional awareness on the issue.

To unpack the pros and cons of its use, Unani Tibb Medicine Practitioner, Dr Faeeza Abdulatief, discusses the role of cannabis with the natural health fraternity.

Abdulatief explains that while there is controversy surrounding the use of cannabis, the use of cannabis for medical purposes was initiated by the Inkatha Freedom Party’s previous MP, Mario Oriani-Ambrosini, who spoke to the medical advantages of cannabis oils use in treating ailments.

She says that if cannabis is to be legalised, patients will be provided with access to what many describe as the healing properties of cannabis.

“So the access to natural treatment, alternative to what is currently available, would then open up more doors for patients,” she stated.

Commenting on the reported benefits of cannabis, Abdulatief asserts that the plant used in a medical capacity acts a “powerful” pain reliever, relief’s side-effects of cancer treatment, and relieves anxiety and stress.

She, however, notes that cannabis is dosage-dependent and should, therefore, be used within a controlled environment.

“It can have one effect in a small dose and have an opposing effect in a large dose. Therefore, it should be controlled in terms of who is prescribing and having access to this medication in order for it to be used for medicinal value and for it not to be abused.”

While cannabis is known to have side-effects, Abdulatief says that numerous everyday products also have hallucinogenic properties when used in large quantities, including the popular spice, nutmeg.

“Other things like, lavender and camomile are also sedatives. Obviously, the effects might be milder in those cases, and that’s why we have to look at how detrimental the dosage is on the patient,” she noted.

Abdulatief further states that when assessing the two conventional methods for the administration of cannabis, the two main methods is through smoking and the use of the oil extracted from the plant.

In comparing the two uses, she asserts that the use of the oil would be “more beneficial” and “less detrimental” than smoking the herb itself.

“The conventional way is smoking; when you are smoking you introduce a lot of other toxins into your body when burning the herb itself. So we produce carcinogens and tars by burning the herb at high temperatures.”

As a natural medicine practitioner, she adds that anyone who is prescribing the drug would require the correct training to prescribe cannabis in order to ensure that the correct dosage is administered.

Given the fact that there is no regulation of the growing of cannabis with South Africa, in terms of pesticides and other contamination concerns, users are not provided with a guarantee on the quality of the product that they are currently accessing.

Abdulatief, therefore, encourages consumers to make the distinction between the two most popular uses of cannabis and to use it responsibly.

“Cannabis was around for thousands of years and it has been in the pharmacopeia for the use of more than a hundred separate illnesses. But in 1971, it was taken away due to the war on drugs and that affected the use of cannabis medicinally.”

What does Islam say?

 Medical doctor and exco member of the Muslim Judicial Council, Dr Yusuf Arieff explains that there does exist a misnomer with regard to the government’s choice to address the issue of cannabis, and that the current discussion relates not to a abroad based legalisation of its use, but instead relates to the medicinal and controlled usage of the plant in its medical form.

He says that once a well-regulated medicinal cannabis product is produced, which has undergone clinical controls then the use of cannabis will be considered in a different light within the context of Islam.

“In that scenario we will have to look at the possibility of permissibility. If we look at every single product we will have to be weighed on its own credit Islamically.”

With regards to similar rulings, Arieff notes that fuqaha who have contributed to this field of science, have stipulated five categories that would need to be fulfilled in order for the product to be regarded as permissible.
• The first is that of ‘dharurah’, absolutely necessity, where the illness of the patient warrants the use of the product.
• The second category relates to clinical controls that have proven that the product is of benefit.
• While the third category requires that the minimum amount of the product is used, therefore, ensuring that overdosing and harm to the user is prevented.
• The fourth category relates to the assessing of safer options that does not provide room for intoxication.
• While the final category relates to the fact that Islam requires that the use of a product does not cause more harm through its use.

“So if a person has cancer and is using [cannabis]; is it going to cause greater harm or is it taking away the symptoms only?” Arieff added.

Arieff states that within the context of Islam, cannabis used as a recreational tool acts as an intoxicant, removing the user’s sense of judgement and consciousness.

While cannabis has been reported to have positive benefits when used in medicinal products, he asserts that more research needs to be conducted in order to have a comprehensive understanding on the effects of its use.

“We are not saying that if somebody wants to use it for recreational use it is permissible. We are saying that if doctors prescribe it and it is proven to be of benefit and all the five criteria are being used, then there wouldn’t be anything disallowing us from saying that it is impermissible – [but]this is definitely not a fatwa,” Arieff explained. VOC</s>With the emerging cannabis industry extending its reach across the country, many marketers are venturing into this new frontier with questions about how to best make an impact. In a field this new, which saw revenues of nearly $7 billion in 2016, there are no established rules to guide you (although there are laws -- but we'll get to that in a moment).

HOW can you market your cannabis products for success? Here are a few strategies that will expand your appeal and position you as a successful pioneer in this yet-uncharted territory.

1. Think "sophisticated" rather than "stoner"

The days of the stoner stereotype are behind us, so leave the smiley faces, 420, and Rasta flags out. Today, cannabis brands are seeking to widen their appeal to a broad range of consumers, not just giggling hippies.

Take Leafs by Snoop, the cannabis line that is owned and promoted by rapper Snoop Dogg. Leafs has a clean, classy appeal that looks like it could be sold at any luxury boutique or spa; it would fit in a gift basket alongside fine soaps, candies, or perfumes.

Think of it this way: you want your cannabis brand to have an aesthetic that would look right on a shelf at Whole Foods rather than behind the counter at the 7-Eleven.

Part of escaping the old stoner trope involves lending cannabis a more refined lexicon. That's why we're calling it the "cannabis" industry rather than the "pot" or, even, the "marijuana" industry.

Use language that pushes your products into a more refined space. "Buds" become "flowers." "Hits" are now "doses." And so forth.

Forget the slang, and speak to a higher conversation.

The modern consumer is more concerned with health than ever. She eats organic, practices yoga, and has quit smoking. He traded coffee for tea, grows his own food, and uses a fitness app to track his workouts.

Bring this thinking to cannabis. Not only does it fit naturally into this lifestyle, but we're learning more and more about the health benefits of cannabis all the time.

Leverage this, and let people know that your cannabis product is an integral part of any health routine.

4. Join the conversation and the community

Cannabis is more than a product -- it's a movement. Whether we're talking about medicinal applications, legal issues, or simply the enjoyment value, remember that there is a larger culture around your product.

Your brand needs to be a driving force in that culture. That means joining the conversation and getting involved. Create a blog that provides the latest industry news. Participate in industry events and expos. Support relevant causes.

Make your company synonymous with the cannabis community.

5. Know the law, and follow it

Different states and localities have widely varying laws pertaining to cannabis marketing. Educate yourself and stick to the rules lest you end up facing penalties that can span fines to losing your business license, or worse.

For example, be careful when it comes to making cartoons or videos. Any marketing that could be construed as being directed at minors could land you in hot water.

So study up, and stick to the rules.

When it comes to the cannabis industry, there is no beaten path, which means it is a space that is rife with opportunity for innovation. Not only that, but cannabis consumers tend to be somewhat more open-minded, creatively inspired folks.

Have fun. Don't think you have to do what everyone else is doing. Take risks. Experiment and make mistakes.

In the end, it's important to remember that you're on the forefront of an entirely new industry, and that you're positioned to set trends rather than follow them.

So think different. Think new. Think forward.

After all, isn't that kind of what cannabis is all about in the first place?</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department will step up enforcement of federal law against recreational marijuana, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Thursday, offering the Trump administration’s strongest indication to date of a looming crackdown on the drug, even as a solid majority of Americans believe it should be legal.

“I do believe you’ll see greater enforcement of it,” Spicer said in response to a question during a news conference. But he offered no details about what such enforcement would entail. President Donald Trump does not oppose medical marijuana, he added, but “that’s very different than recreational use, which is something the Department of Justice will be further looking into.”

A renewed focus on recreational marijuana in states that have legalized pot would present a departure from the Trump administration’s statements in favor of states’ rights. A day earlier, the administration announced that the issue of transgender student bathroom access was best left to states and local communities to decide.

Enforcement would also shift away from marijuana policy under the Obama administration, which said in a 2013 memo that it would not intervene in state’s marijuana laws as long as they keep the drug from crossing state lines and away from children and drug cartels.

But the memo carried no force of law and could be rewritten by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has consistently said he opposes legal marijuana but has not indicated what he might do.

Eight states and Washington, D.C., have legalized marijuana for recreational use. The Justice Department has several options available should it decide to enforce the law, including filing lawsuits on the grounds that state laws regulating pot are unconstitutional because they are pre-empted by federal law. Enforcement could also be as simple as directing U.S. attorneys to send letters to recreational marijuana businesses letting them know they are breaking the law.

Washington’s attorney general, Bob Ferguson, said he and Gov. Jay Inslee, both Democrats, requested a meeting with Sessions about his approach to legal, regulated marijuana. Ferguson led the states in fighting off Trump’s executive order on immigration in court and said Thursday he’s prepared to lead the way in defending legal marijuana, too.

“We will resist any efforts to thwart the will of the voters in Washington,” Ferguson said.

Kevin Sabet, head of the anti-marijuana group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, said pot enforcement is a matter of public safety.

“The current situation is unsustainable,” Sabet said in a statement. “This isn’t an issue about states’ rights, it’s an issue of public health and safety for communities.”

Spicer’s comments came the same day as a Quinnipiac poll said 59 percent of Americans think marijuana should be legal and 71 percent would oppose a federal crackdown.

Pot advocates said they hoped Spicer’s prediction would not come to pass.

“It is hard to imagine why anyone would want marijuana to be produced and sold by cartels and criminals rather than tightly regulated, taxpaying businesses,” said Mason Tvert, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project.

States have been flouting the U.S. Controlled Substances Act since at least 1996, when California voters approved marijuana for sick people, a direct conflict with federal guidelines barring the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

And presidents since Bill Clinton have said the federal government unequivocally rejects a state’s ability to modify federal drug law.

However, three presidents over the last 20 years have each concluded that the limited resources of the U.S. Department of Justice are best spent pursuing large drug cartels, not individual users of marijuana.

Nevada state Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford said in a statement Thursday that meddling in recreational pot laws would be federal overreach and harm state coffers that fund education.

In Washington state, sales at licensed pot shops now average nearly $4.4 million per day — with little evidence of any negative societal effects. That’s close to $1 billion in sales so far for the fiscal year that began last July, some $184 million of which is state tax revenue.
The Trump administration signals that it plans a crackdown on U.S states that legalize the use of cannabis.