PHOENIX, AZ — Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, a prominent Republican who helped lead the opposition to a failed ballot measure that would have legalizde marijuana in Arizona, said this week that he expects the Trump Administration to crack down on medical marijuana laws nationwide and to “end the charade” of marijuana legalization in the states that have done so.
At a press conference Wednesday, Montgomery, a staunch opponent to all things marijuana, said that he hopes the incoming Trump Administration will work with the Department of Justice and Congress to bring state programs into alignment with federal law, and make medical marijuana subject to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval process.
“It’s the job of the executive branch that laws are being executed,” he said “Today we have a number of states, through their own process of declaring something medical, that created a patchwork system of regulations and programs around the country that are in direct conflict with federal law.”
Montgomery said there should be a crackdown on people “abusing the medicinal-marijuana system” and on states that have approved the recreational use of marijuana.
“If this administration does not underscore that we are a nation of laws and not men, then we forgo the legitimacy of our system of federalism,” Montgomery said. “Either this administration means what it says about law and order, or it’s a farce. And in which case, Arizona should be able to pass its own immigration laws, should be able to pass its own laws and regulation on abortion, and the federal government should stay out of our business.”
“We ought to end the charade, and the next administration has the opportunity to do so,” he said.
As Maricopa County Attorney, Montgomery is responsible for overseeing criminal prosecutions — including marijuana cases — in the largest county in Arizona, which includes the cities of Phoenix, Mesa, Glendale, Scottsdale, and Tempe. With a population of over 3.8 million, Maricopa County is the fourth largest county in the United States, according to Wikipedia, and has a larger population than 23 states.
Voters in Arizona narrowly defeated Proposition 205 in November 52% to 48%, which would have legalized marijuana for recreational use by adults. Of the nine states voting on marijuana related initiatives in the general election, Arizona was the only state to see a defeat. The opposition to Prop. 205 relied largely upon misinformation about the results of legalization in Colorado.
Montgomery was a leader in the efforts to defeat the legalization proposal, having joined forces with Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk to file a lawsuit in an attempt to prevent the measure from appearing on the ballot. A Maricopa County judge rejected the lawsuit in August.
Montgomery also came under fire from marijuana legalization supporters earlier this year after comments he made that suggested marijuana was too dangerous to regulate for adult use. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, backers of the failed legalization campaign, called upon Montgomery in April to either prove his claims that marijuana was more dangerous than alcohol, or to return over $8,000 in campaign contributions he received from the alcohol industry.
Montgomery 2016 received at least $8,050 in contributions from members of the alcohol industry in 2015, according to campaign finance reports.
Perhaps Montgomery has other motives for demonizing marijuana and maintaining the status-quo of prohibition. Possession of any amount of marijuana in Arizona, even for first time offenders, is considered a felony that could land an offender in prison for up to two years and fines of up to $150,000.
Tags: Bill Montgomery, Maricopa County, marijuana legalization, medical marijuana, Trump Administration