In one of his strongest statements since the medical marijuana crackdown started in October 2011, California Governor Jerry Brown came out in favor of letting the states decide what happens with their marijuana laws. In response to two states legalizing pot last week, Brown said on CNN’s State of the Union“
“It’s time for the Justice Department to recognize the sovereignty of the states. … We have a laboratory of democracy. We don’t always agree. … I believe the President and the Justice Department ought to respect the will of these sovereign states. … It shouldn’t try to nullify a reasonable state regulation. The measures that have gotten so far have gotten there after vigorous debate. … So, we are capable of self-government.”
“We don’t need some federal gendarme to come and tell us what to do. I believe in comity toward the states, that is, a decent respect ought to govern the policy, and that means: change the policy, now. There’s a logic to states’ rights.”
