Roy Moore: I am not for marijuana, but the federal government should leave legalization up to the states

Earlier this month, the push to legalize medical marijuana suffered what could be considered a setback with Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s letter to lawmakers that warned against that legislation.

In his letter, Marshall argued such a law would be in “direct conflict” with existing federal law, which could be problematic for the state of Alabama on various levels.

During an appearance on Huntsville radio’s WVNN on Wednesday, former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, a candidate for U.S. Senate, decried the federal government exerting its authority on marijuana and in other areas, including education and marriage.

“Madison said in his writings in the Federalists 45, ‘The government powers are few and defined,’” Moore said. “Those that are left to the states are many and varied. We have most of the power in the state, and the federal government was supposed to have limited power. You see, that enlarged. In education, for example, the Education Department became under [Jimmy] Carter. They were not supposed to be in education. Reagan said he would get rid of it, and he met the lobbyists and the teachers – and we have an Education Department, a huge education department. Now we’re seeing programs passed by education – No Child Left Behind, different programs from every administration. That’s what’s going on.”

Moore went on to preface his remarks by saying he was not a proponent of marijuana legalization and said it should not be up to the federal government to decide its legality.

“Marijuana – you know marijuana, I am not for marijuana,” he continued. “I don’t smoke marijuana. Never smoked marijuana. And you know, it does harm. But the point is – it shouldn’t be the federal government. I think they should leave it to the states … the health, safety, and welfare of the states belongs to the states, as does marriage. The United States Supreme Court recognized that in 2013. Then in 2015, they passed the Obergefell v. Hodges that redefined marriage. And now they just take over one thing after another.”

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly and host of Huntsville’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN.