In an interview with Denver Post published Monday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said that the federal government should respect laws like the one passed by Colorado last year that legalizes marijuana for recreational use.
“The state (Colorado) has spoken. The law has been passed,” Pelosi said. “There are issues with taxation and regulation, and we need to get on with it.”
The former House Speaker said she supports the leadership of Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), the Colorado congressman who’s one of the most outspoken proponents of legalization on Capitol Hill. Pelosi said states that have legalized marijuana for recreational or medical use must be respected, adding that Colorado and the federal government should resolve any “taxation issues” that may arise from the new pot law.
“And in order to do that, there has to be a level of respect for the fact that if you are going to have recreational marijuana somebody is in business to do that and they have to have tax treatment in order for them to function as a busines,” Pelosi said. “So how the state of Colorado interacts with the federal government on the taxation issues is something they have to work out, but I think they should.”
