Is the U.S. ban on cannabis about to come to an end?

Quite possibly, if President Donald Trump sticks to his word. On Friday, June 8, Trump declared that he is in favor of supporting a bipartisan effort in Congress that would lift the ban on cannabis.

Should Trump’s proposal materialize into something real, the nation’s legal market for cannabis users and businesses will metamorphose.

Trump’s proposal will give states the freedom to establish cannabis rules

Cannabis-friendly states have not been shy in protesting against the federal ban on cannabis – a ban that puts the green plant in the same category as heroin and LSD.

Conflicts have arisen, which has led to the creation of a two-tiered enforcement system at the state and federal levels.

If legislation moves forward, states would be able to figure out the best approach to cannabis within their territorial boundaries.

However, certain U.S. restrictions would remain in place, one of which would prevent people below the age of 21 from legally purchasing recreational cannabis.

Trump made a promise to Senator Cory Gardner to protect the cannabis industry

It seems that Trump’s proposal is exactly what he promised to Senator Cory Gardner, too.

In April, Gardner claims he received a promise from the president to support legislation protecting the cannabis industry in weed-legal states.

Gardner has joined a bipartisan group that has inaugurated a bill to establish authority to states.

According to Gardner, the bill was introduced to overrule the government from “closing its eyes and plugging its ears while 46 states have acted” to permit medical or recreational cannabis.

“In 2012, Coloradans legalized marijuana at the ballot box and the state created an apparatus to regulate the legal marijuana industry. But because of the one-size-fits-all federal prohibition, state decisions like this put Colorado and other states at odds with the federal government,” Senator Gardner said in a statement.

“I support Senator Gardner. I know exactly what he’s doing. We’re looking at it. But I probably will end up supporting that, yes,” Trump responded to reporters in Washington when questioned about legislation.

Trump’s words may have put him in U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ bad books, however, what with Sessions being a vocal cannabis opponent. The controversial attorney general prompted federal prosecutors to fiercely pursue cannabis-related cases in states that have legalized the drug.

Considering the fact the president has previously criticized cannabis legalization, Trump’s proposal comes as a bit of a shocker. In the past, he even suggested scrapping legalization altogether.

Time will tell what happens next for the U.S. ban on cannabis.