Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, says the fight to keep marijuana illegal is effectively over and it’s time for Congress to act accordingly.
US Senator Tom Tillis (R-NC) (photo credit: Al Drago / Getty Images).
Speaking during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that included representatives from the DEA, DHS and FBI, Tillis said opponents of legalization have “lost” and Congress must acknowledge that fact by establishing a regulatory system that allows states to set their own marijuana laws without federal interference.
“I have tried to keep pounding the table and saying, ‘Folks, those of us who were not necessarily eager to legalize pot have lost,’” said Tillis. “The majority of states have legalized it at some level or another.”
Although he said he doesn’t have strong personal feelings on the issue, Tillis expressed concern about the lack of federal oversight, saying the legal patchwork has created an environment in which illegal operators, including drug cartels, can flourish.
“We’ve got to get this under control,” he said. “We have to realize that pot is going to be legal in this country in one form or another, and virtually every other state.”
Tillis said it’s time to regulate marijuana like alcohol and tobacco, potentially with oversight from agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.
He also warned that without national standards, the growing demand for potency could lead cartels to produce increasingly dangerous products.
Tillis concluded by saying he believes Congress should hold a dedicated meeting on how to create a system that states could choose to opt into, short of full federal legalization, in order to rein in the current chaos.
