Will a Trump Administration Do About Marijuana Legalization?

(NBC) Trump has made seemingly supportive statements for marijuana legalization in the past, but the potential inclusion of politicians who are traditionally conservative on drug policy in his future administration — such as Rudy Giuliani, Chris Christie and Mike Pence — has harshed some legalization supporters' mellow. "I'm mostly concerned by the people around Donald Trump," said Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance Ethan Nadelmann — the man considered the major powerhouse behind marijuana legalization in the country. The opposition also believe Trump's potential appointees could point toward future policy. "When we see Guiliani and Christie and Sessions around him, I think things could change pretty quickly," said Dr. Kevin Sabet, co-founder of anti-legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana. "Everything is up in the air right now." Like many issues, Trump has been all over the map on the marijuana question. In April 1990, addressing the War on Drugs, Trumptold the Miami Herald that the United States needed to legalize all drugs and use the tax revenue to educate Americans about the dangers of drugs. More recently, the president-elect said it isn't the federal government's business. In February, Trump told Fox News host Bill O'Reilly that he was "in favor of medical marijuana 100 percent" and had seen people benefit from its use, but he backtracked when asked whether he supported Colorado's recreational marijuana industry. "Perhaps not. [Legal pot is] causing a lot of problems out there," Trump said. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks did not respond to a request seeking comment.