Trump's Anti-Marijuana Committee Was Told to Ignore Positive Stats About Legalization

By Joseph Misulonas

Yesterday Buzzfeed reported on a secret committee in the Trump White House whose goal is to derail efforts to legalize marijuana in the United States. But something people might be overlooking is exactly how the committee is doing so.

One memo Buzzfeed published discussed how the committee wanted federal agencies to submit data that would show the "threat" marijuana places. They specifically wanted agencies to only show statistics or trends that were negative towards cannabis, and wanted them to hide anything that could offer any support to legalization.

“The prevailing marijuana narrative in the U.S. is partial, one-sided, and inaccurate,” one memo read. 
A follow-up memo read, “Departments should provide … the most significant data demonstrating negative trends, with a statement describing the implications of such trends.”

Clearly this secret committee's goal is to bring back the old myths about marijuana that make it seem like the worst drug imaginable. Unfortunately Americans are more educated on the issue, and the success of legalization in various states makes it harder for anti-marijuana policymakers to simply make up whatever they want about it.

The one thing that's not clear in Buzzfeed's reporting is what President Donald Trump's role in the committee is. While we can virtually assume Attorney General Jeff Sessions is involved. Trump has spoken mostly positively about marijuana legalization in the past and has even indicated he would sign legislation protecting states that legalize cannabis. 

But obviously this entire committee would indicate that either Trump's been lying in the past or he has no awareness that the committee exists.