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Donald Trump has put on the agenda an executive order that will see federal agencies draft affordable health care legislation, reopen two controversial oil pipelines, and cancel the Mexican leader's visit to Washington.
But we still don't know much about Trump's plans to legalize marijuana. There is a fairly simple explanation for this uncertainty: his administration found itself in a slightly paradoxical situation.
When it comes to marijuana legalization, there are two main paths Trump can take. He could try to eradicate the $6.8 billion legal marijuana industry or support the rights of states to legislate their own drug policies.
Marijuana is regulated by federal law that gives Trump and his administration the ability to review programs in US states that have legalized marijuana for medical use, recreational use, or both. The Department of Justice can easily send cease and desist letters to companies that touch the industry. However, Trump is unlikely to follow this path.
Support for marijuana legalization reached its highest level in 2016. Sixty percent of Americans polled by the Gallup Poll last year said they favor direct legalization, up from 35% in 2005. It seems that even Republicans, who traditionally oppose legalization, tend to support this.
Eight US states voted to legalize marijuana in the 2016 elections. Five of them are Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota. Of those five, four states have legalized cannabis in one form or another.
Tom Angell, chairman of marijuana legalization group Majority, told Business Insider in November that the new administration must recognize that "fighting widespread laws in more and more states will create huge political problems that they don't need."
Alternatively, Trump could allow states to continue to ignore the drug's federal status and regulate marijuana. This approach has the potential to satisfy both conservatives who support legalization and conservatives who respect the political powers reserved for state governments rather than the federal government under the US Constitution. A decision would leave marijuana legalists on both sides of the camp happy.
Trump can support states' rights on paper by finding other ways to undermine the legal marijuana industry. Many of these options are remnants of President Barack Obama's administration, which has also been soft on marijuana reform.
His administration is very good at keeping the Plan I classification for marijuana, making it difficult for scientists to get drugs for research.
The federal government can punish banks that take money from companies in the industry. (Although the Department of Justice has largely stayed on the sidelines of marijuana-focused companies that abide by state law, few banks and credit unions are at risk of opening accounts for these entrepreneurs.)
It's hard to predict how Trump will continue. The real estate billionaire must have faced the challenge throughout his public life. He has publicly stated his support for medical marijuana and the rights of states to regulate it, but his administration has yet to take a final stand.
What do you think about legalization and will it be appropriate on the territory of Ukraine?
