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A freshman Republican representative from Virginiaintroduced legislation this week that wouldend the federal prohibition on marijuana use and allow states to fully set their own course on marijuana policy.

The billseeks to remove marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act and resolve the existing conflict between federal and state laws overmedical or recreational use of the drug. It would notlegalizethe sale and use of marijuana in all 50 states it would simply allow states to make their own decisions on marijuana policy without the threat offederal interference.

Virginia is more than capable of handling its own marijuana policy, as are states such as Colorado or California, Rep.Thomas Garrett (R)said in a statement. Currently neither the recreational or medical uses of marijuana are allowed in Virginia.

The bill does specify that transporting marijuanainto states where it is not legal would remain a federal crime.

Marijuana is currently a Schedule 1 controlled substance at the federal level, meaning the federal government considers the drug to have a high potential for abuse and no medically accepted use. But more thanhalf the states have set their own policies allowing either medical or recreational use of marijuana.

Garrett'sbill is identical to legislation introduced in 2015by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). That bill didn't receive any co-sponsors, nor did it get a Senate hearing. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) has already signed on to Garrett's bill, as haveRep. Scott W. Taylor(R-Va.) and Rep. Jared Polis (D.-Colo.).

Law enforcementgroups and conservatives have traditionally been among the biggest skeptics of loosening marijuana laws. As a Republican and a former prosecutor, Garrett might seem like an unlikely champion for marijuana reform.

But the freshman lawmaker frames the issue as both about states' rights, and creating jobs: Thisstep allows states to determine appropriatemedicinal use and allows forindustrial hemp growth, somethingthat will provide a major economic boost to agricultural development in Southside Virginia, he said in a statement.

One group that provides data services to the marijuana industry estimates that the legal pot industry could be worth $24 billion by 2020 and create 280,000 jobs. In Colorado alone, marijuana sales topped $1.3 billion last year.

In 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration reviewed the federal classification of marijuana and declined to loosen restrictions on the plant.

Congress has shown increasing interest in tackling marijuana policy issues in recent years, to the extent that there is now an official Congressional Cannabis Caucus.But the most significant piece of marijuana legislation coming out of Congress in recent years was a budget rider preventing the Department of Justice from interfering with state-level marijuana laws.

Tom Angell, of the pro-marijuana legalization group Marijuana Majority, said in an email that while most of our federal gains to date have been through amendments attached to much broader spending bills, I'm hopeful that with the growing number of states changing their laws these stand-alone bills [like Garrett's] will get enough traction to at least finally start getting hearings.

The Trump administration has been skeptical of the merits of making the drug legally available. Incoming Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said that good people don't smoke marijuana, and press secretary Sean Spicer hinted that the administration may crack down on marijuana in some states where it's now legal.

In introducing the bill, Garrett's statement tackled that skepticismdirectly:

In recent weeks, the Trump administration and Attorney General Jeff Sessions promised to crack down on federal marijuana crimes, his office wrote. During his confirmation,then-Senator Sessions pointed out that if legislators did not like this approach, they should change the laws accordingly. Garrett anticipates bipartisan support as his legislation makes its way to the appropriate committees of jurisdiction.

Originally posted here:
Virginia Republican introduces bill to end federal marijuana prohibition - Washington Post

New York Times

Across the Country, a Republican Push to Rein In Protesters New York Times In a season rife with demonstrations over immigration, pipelines, abortion, women's rights and more, Republican legislators in at least 16 states have filed bills intended to make protests more orderly or to toughen penalties against ones that go awry. and more »

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Across the Country, a Republican Push to Rein In Protesters - New York Times

Virginia Republican Reps. Rob Wittman and Scott Taylor will fly to Newport News on Air Force One Thursday with President Trump to watch him give a speech at the company that builds the nations aircraft carriers.

For Wittman, head of a subcommittee in charge of the expanding Navy fleet, and Taylor, a freshman and former Navy SEAL focused on national security, the trip dovetails with their interests.

But Rep. Bobby Scott (D), one of the most senior members of the Virginia congressional delegation whose district Trump will visit, was not invited to the event. He declined to comment.

Traditionally, presidential visits to a region include invitations to the local delegation, regardless of party.

In his speech to shipyard workers, Trump is expected to talk about his commitment to increased defense spending.

Wittman, a five-term congressman who chairs the Armed Services subcommittee that oversees seapower wants the Navy fleet to expand from 274 to 350 ships a goal Trump endorsed on the campaign trail.

With the Navy today having been used very hard based on these recent conflicts, we want to make sure we get the construction part right and the maintenance part right, he said in a brief interview. I think the president will be very impressed with the shipbuilders and with the level of skill and the complexity of those ships and what they can do.

Taylor sits on the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees military construction and veterans affairs.

Obviously Newport News Shipbuilding is huge for my region and for the national security apparatus, Taylor said. Its important for me to support my area and make sure we have predictability for the industrial base and skilled workforce.

Newport News is part of the states third congressional district that is represented by Scott and which voted for Hillary Clinton in November. Wittman and Taylor represent neighboring districts that voted for Trump.

Over the years, politicians of both parties have coalesced around the importance of Virginias military installations and defense industry.

In 2013, then-congressman Scott Rigell, a Republican, joined Scott, the Democrat, along with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va) and President Barack Obama for a visit highlighting the perils of across-the-board federal budget cuts, known as sequestration, in Newport News.

And in 2009, Kaine, who was governor at the time, gave the opening remarks at the commissioning of the aircraft carrier Republican President George H.W. Bush, which was attended by then-President George W. Bush.

Phil Rucker and Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.

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Two Virginia Republican congressmen join Trump in Newport News - Washington Post

MSNBC

Republican officials take aim at progressive protests MSNBC Earlier this week, Donald Trump rolled out an interesting new conspiracy theory: the progressive protests that have unfolded in the wake of his election, the Republican president said, are his predecessor's fault. I think that President Obama is ...

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Republican officials take aim at progressive protests - MSNBC

As Trump advanced to the White House, commentators closely and regularly monitored the vital signs of the Religious Right. Last night, that pulse started to flatline.

During his first address to a joint session of Congress, the new president avoided any of the hot button issues that regularly animate social conservatives. In 60 minutes, Trump didn't talk marriage and he didn't breathe a word about abortion. Those omissions were deliberate, chances are.

The Trump White House appears completely uninterested in waging the culture wars that defined the last sixteen years. That doesn't just mean a major realignment among the Republican Party, it also represents a potential shift in national politics. Pundits would call this a pivot. In reality, it's more like a giant aircraft carrier turning on a dime.

Think back to the prime time addresses of the last two presidents. While Presidents Bush and Obama were diametrically opposed, they had one thing in common. Both were happy culture warriors, who used their bully pulpit to advance social causesalbeit in opposite directions.

When Obama talked to Congress, it almost sounded like he was reading from a Think Progress newsletter. And Bush wasn't much different. He hardly ever passed up a primetime opportunity to permanently brand Republicans as the anti-abortion party. Six of his eight State of the Union addresses mentioned the right to life.

And the Texas president was never subtle. In his first State of the Union after winning re-election, Bush absolutely hammered social issues. For voicing his support of "a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage," Bush got a standing ovation from Republicans. In less than three minutes, the GOP caucus was back on its feet applauding Bush's words about "striving to build a culture of life."

Those social conservative crowd pleasers were often the bread and butter of Bush's messaging. But last night that base was left hungry when Trump didn't mention their favorite culture fights. So far his rhetoric has mirrored his policy.

Despite the warnings broadcast from the left, Trump isn't coming for women's birth control or gay couples' marriage licenses. Sure, he has reinstated the Mexico City policy and withdrawn Obama's bathroom directives. But otherwise, Trump has taken a hands-off approach. Vice President Mike Pence summed up this new federalism when he told Focus on the Family's James Dobson that many controversies "can be resolved with common sense at the local level."

What's all of this mean? It means the culture wars will rage on, but the White House will be sitting it out.

Also from the Washington Examiner

The White House ruffled CNN anchor Jake Tapper after Vice President Mike Pence was made available for several interviews Wednesday but not with the network the administration fights with the most.

In a Twitter message that morning, Tapper suggested the White House was being petty.

"'Trivial fights' should be 'behind us,'" Tapper wrote, quoting a piece from Trump's joint session speech from the night before, "but hours later White House offers Vice President Pence interviews to every major U.S. TV broadcaster except CNN."

Sure enough, Pence's official schedule did include several interviews, including with NBC, ABC and CBS.

03/01/17 2:55 PM

Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.

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Republican Rebranding: Trump completely skips social issues - Washington Examiner