PanAm Podcast: Paul Armentano of NORML on Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition

NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) deputy director Paul Armentano joins PanAm Post English editor David Unsworth for a discussion of Jeff Sessions recent repeal of the Cole Memo, which prohibited the Justice Department from using federal resources to prosecute the production or consumption of marijuana in states that have legalized marijuana. Armentano sees an immediate backlash for the Trump administration, and suggests that Republicans will target state marijuana laws at their own peril. Ultimately, he holds out hope for a bipartisan approach to ending federal marijuana prohibition, noting that polls consistently reveal that voters in both parties are no longer enthusiastic about treating marijuana as a criminal justice matter. Several bills are currently working their way through Congress that seek to end classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug, and treat marijuana as a public health, not a criminal justice matter. Ultimately, the principles of self-ownership and non-aggression are key to changing the philosophical mentality of politicians on both the left and the right that seek to regulate the behavior of adults in the privacy of their own homes. Americans should be free to make their own decisions for their own lives as long as they do not violate the Constitutional or human rights of others.