Despite earlier comments stating that he does not believe cannabis plays a part in the war on drugs, it seems that the Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly has had a change of heart.
Speaking at George Washington University this past weekend, Kelly took a far more detrimental stance on cannabis and explained that the plant remained "a dangerous gateway drug that frequently leads to the use of harder drugs". Kelly also remarked that fighting cannabis will play a significant part in the Trump administrations efforts to halt illegal immigration.
The turnaround in John Kelly's comments have arisen in the wake of similar comments made by Attorney General Jeff Sessions over the past two weeks. Sessions is firmly opposed to the legalization of recreational cannabis and has made his feelings known to the media.
Prior to Kelly's reversal in opinion, there was some discussion as to whether their was in-fighting within the Trump administration as to the legalization of cannabis. However, it now seems that miraculously, everyone is on the same page. Kelly remarked;
“Cannabis use and possession is against federal law and until the law is changed by the United States Congress, we in DHS, along with the rest of the federal government, are sworn to uphold all the laws that are on the books. Finally, ICE will continue to use marijuana possession, distribution and convictions as essential elements as they build their deportation, removal apprehension packages for targeted operations against illegal aliens.”
