In a bid to play on tech mogul Elon Musk’s new mandate from President Donald Trump to identify places where the federal government can slash spending, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) sent Musk a note last Thursday, in which she argued that the new administration could save “hundreds of millions of dollars” by curtailing marijuana-related law enforcement.
In a letter to Musk, who is now also the chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on top of running Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), SpaceX and X, Warren provided a list of 30 suggestions on where the Trump administration could find upwards of $2 trillion in savings.
Amongst those, she wrote, was by targeting “waste in unnecessary federal arrests and detention programs,” including those still focused on marijuana by the Department of Justice.
“Almost half of states have legalized recreational marijuana, yet federal arrests for marijuana possession account for roughly a quarter of all drug possession arrests,” Warren wrote. “Additionally, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Customs and Border Patrol continue to raid marijuana businesses and seize marijuana plants, including in states where marijuana is legal.”
“These arrests and seizures unnecessarily drain federal resources. DOGE should recommend that DOJ and DHS conserve resources by deprioritizing costly arrests and other enforcement actions targeting marijuana activity, at least where the activity is legal in the jurisdiction where it occurred,” Warren wrote.
Warren also suggested various Department of Defense spending cuts, tackling fraud and abuse in federal healthcare programs, and ways to save on education spending in the detailed missive.
While it’s far from clear whether Musk will take Warren’s cannabis enforcement proposal seriously – particularly since they’re on opposite sides of the political aisle – he has made headlines for using marijuana, and the tech giant does have the president’s ear.
Meanwhile, it’s unclear what fate broader marijuana reform efforts may have under the new GOP control in Washington, D.C., given that Trump has appointed a DEA chief who is vocally anti-cannabis, and an attorney general pick who has yet to stake out any clear position on the matter. With Democrats in the minority in both the Senate and House, they’re in no position to advance cannabis interests, or anything that Republicans don’t prioritize.
[[{“value”:”Rolling back federal marijuana enforcement could be a big easy financial win for the Trump administration, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote in a letter last week to Elon Musk.
The post Warren to Musk: Cutting DEA cannabis enforcement could save ‘hundreds of millions’ appeared first on Green Market Report.”}]] Read More
