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Support For Pot Seems To Be Growing, But Not In Trump's White House

In a recent CBS poll, 61 percent of people said they believe recreational marijuana use should be legal.
Posted at 1:35 PM, Apr 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-20 13:35:25-04

The number of Americans who support legalizing marijuana seems to be getting higher and higher.

A whopping 61 percent of people in a recent CBS poll said they believe recreational marijuana use should be legal.

According to CBS, that's the highest percentage ever recorded in its annual survey on the subject.

Support for medical marijuana was even higher at 88 percent.

Almost 3 out of 4 of the poll's participants said the federal government shouldn't stop the sale and use of marijuana in states that have already legalized it.

But the White House doesn't seem to agree.

"I do believe that you'll see greater enforcement of it," Spicer said.

Back in February, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said there will likely be a crackdown on federal drug laws. Those laws still list marijuana as an illegal substance.

And not long after, Attorney General Jeff Sessions echoed that sentiment.

"I'm not in favor of legalization of marijuana," Sessions said. "I think it's a more dangerous drug than a lot of people realize. I don't think we're going to be a better community if marijuana is sold in every corner grocery store."

The Obama administration had previously said it wouldn't interfere in states where marijuana was legal, as long as the states controlled the drug's use and distribution.