Concentrate its effort on the opioid epidemic. So the federal government should step in. So on todays washington journal, were asking for your views on marijuana legalization. If you oppose any legalization, call 2027488000. If you support medical marijuana only, you can call 2027488001. And if you support medical or Recreational Use of marijuana, you can call 2027488002. You can also reach us on social media on twitter. Com cspanwj and facebook. Com cspan. And more on the effect of that move by attorney general Jeff Sessions on the Washington Post. Is this stuff legal . Doesnt have a Crystal Clear answer anywhere in america. N many places, it is now simultaneously legal and illegal, the same way first sis will tell you that light is both a particle and a wave. The story goes on to say that attorney general Jeff Sessions took on the Marijuana Industry by rescinding enforcement guidelines that have been issued by the Obama Administration. Those guidelines have finessed the state federal conflict that say it wouldnt go after people who comply with state laws and would concentrate on drug cartels and other high priority targets. And with more states legalizing marijuana, including california just this year, that change is having a big effect. And joining us to help explain exactly what the changes of that attorney general sessions made in the impact were having, were joined by jeremy burk, a reporter for Business Insider. Jeremy, thank you for joining us today. Caller guest thanks for having me, kimberly. Host why did attorney general Jeff Sessions make this move . I mean, especially with the growing up in number of states of the district of columbia legalizing marijuana, why the move to beef up photograph enforcement of marijuana laws . Guest its the shot across the battle of the Marijuana Industry. It gives a way for sessions to what he and thats really accomplished here. The market tanked 30 at the news. Weve seen a lot of confusion with investers and a lots of confusion with companies. So i think this is something hes wanted to do for a long time and this is his opening sell, repealing the 2013 memo. Host talk a little bit about that cole memo and what does its decision mean . Should we expect to see beefed up enforcement and prosecution of Marijuana Possession even in states where its legal . Guest so i think thats actually kind of unclear at this time. I mean what, the repeal of the cole memo does is add another layer of complexity to an already complicated issue. If you read the memo that sessions wrote on thursday or the Justice Department released on thursday, it doesnt really outline a specific message to crack down the marijuana business and what it does and what you mentioned is the sort of kicks the ball down the court to federal prosecutors. And so depending on which side of the bed these prosecutors wake up, thats marijuanas legal status on the marijuana state and its important to know that, you know, out of 93 federal prosecutors, the significant portion are still on an interim basis. So they havent really had to air their views in public. We dont really know how aggressively theyre going to pursue marijuana in their district. Host what does this mean for people who live in states like california, colorado, massachusetts, the district of columbia, who had been or had planned to use marijuana legally somehow . Guest my sense is that the regular consumers, as long as you comply with state law is not going to get prosecuted. What it apply is businesses that deal directly with the marijuana flower. If those are not completely above the board, theyre going to open themselves up to a zealous prosecutor who doesnt really like the industry and sort of wants to see it tamped down. But for the average consumer who is just maybe buying a small amount of product, i doubt theyre at risk of sort of getting prosecuted for that. Host and what about states, a number of states are legalizing either the medical use or Recreational Use or both of marijuana . What does it mean for those tates . Guest a recent gallup poll show around over 60 of americans want marijuana legalized and even 51 of republicans but Jeff Sessionss own party. And, i mean, as we saw, it doesnt mean to be seem to be slowing down the legalization. The vermont house passed one albeit one that doesnt create a recreation market but allows people to smoke and use marijuana and that was just yesterday. So it doesnt seem to be taking wind out of the sails but what it does seem to be doing is tampering down enthusiasm somewhat. Its unlikely that states that were borderline going to introduce bills will do in 2018. But that being said, anything can really happen. Your guess is as good as mine at some point. Host ok, jeremy berke, thank you so much for joining us today and helping to break this down. Guest thank you. I appreciate it. Host and in another Washington Post, it talks about some of the pushback that the decision by attorney general Jeff Sessions has gotten. It says for republicans who have found themselves at odds with President Trump or his policies, there have generally been at least two options. Buckle on the recent tax bill or give up entirely twooze senators did in deciding to retire and then theres corey gardner, the junior senator from colorado who host lets take a look a what senator gardner said in response of this new policy. Now, perhaps the department of justice didnt think this would be a big deal. I understand Jeff Sessions, attorney general Jeff Sessionss opposition to marijuana, of legalization of marijuana. I oppose the legalization of marijuana in colorado but this is about a decision by the state of colorado and we were told that states rights would be protected and not just by the attorney general, then the nominee to the attorney general. We were told by then candidate donald trump. In colorado in july of 2016, President Trump was asked this question. When asked if President Trump then candidate trump would use federal authority to shut down sales in states like california, he said, i wouldnt do that. When asked if he, then candidate trump thinks colorado should be allowed what to do what its doing, then candidate trump said its up to the states, absolutely. That was then candidate trumps position. I would like to know from the attorney general why, what has changed . What has changed President Trumps mind that the memorandum would be reversed and rescinded . Why is donald trump thinking differently about today of what he promised people of colorado in 2016 . The reverse course today . What changed . Id like to know that. I think the people of colorado deserve to have that answer. Host and ted is calling from warrenton, oregon, one of the states where marijuana use is legal in some form. He supports both medical and Recreational Use. Ted, tell us why. Caller well, my stance on this issue goes to one thing and one thing only how can anybody argue against to plant the growth out of the ground . Everything from beer to liquor to opiates to Everything Else is has had the hand of man to turn it into what it is. Whereas marijuana, you put the seed on the ground, its like growing tomatoes. To be honest with you, ive been smoking since knicks was president. Im going to be 60 years old. I dont have a single ache or pain and the day i turned 57, i retired and that was the end of it. And me, i did a lot of hospital work and i found that when purdue would come into a hospital, they would give away trips, money, prizes, to the med k. O. s for pushing their product which is one of the biggest downers for anybody thats got anyone in their family thats a illhead. Youve got a guy like Jeff Sessions, another typical dimestore scissor bill lawyer thinks hes got a word in this. He has not word in this. He brings nothing of the table except hate and discontent. Its time for him to go. Time for Mitch Mcconnell to go and time for paul ryan to go. Host paul opposes marijuana use. Tell us why, george. Caller im a retired addictions counselor. Ive been recovering alcoholic. Ive been sober for almost 35 years. Marijuanas exceedingly dangerous drug. Its abused regularly. It causes medical problems such as slow mens yall periods in women and infertility. And weve already got the most dangerous drug in the world known to man and its called alcohol legally and we dont need anything else legal. Marijuana is an exceedingly dangerous drug and my son was addicted to it and he went to treatment and got straightened out. And i just dont see any reason why it should be legalized. We already got lotteries that are ripping people off. And this is just another, another thing. Marijuana is exceedingly angerous drug. I dont think marijuana is used is any good at all. Theres other things you can take. Host ok. And the issue is dominating the headlines, particularly in states that have legalized marijuana use in some form. The front page of the Los Angeles Times yesterday starts, said crack down on marijuana, annoyed but not worried. Saying that dispensary businesses see the move as a step backwards but theyre not closing up shop entirely. In colorado, it says Marijuana Policy in flux but gardner vows to protect legal pot. Talking about the republican senator from colorado, voicing his opposition on the senate floor. And in spokane, washington in the spokesman reviewed says taking a potshot, returning to the rule of law is what attorney general Jeff Sessions calls his decision to rescind that obama guidance on marijuana prosecution. Glens calling in from susanville, woupt california. You support both. Tell us why. Ller for one, i use medical marijuana in lieu of pharmaceutical drugs. That point being said, i believe any american has the right to choose their destiny as long as they choose it well and with purpose. Jeff sessions is beating a dead horse. This issue has to stop. Thank you and everybody have a good weekend. Host all right. Ron is calling in from michigan. You also support both. Ron, give us your reasons why. Caller first of all, i start smoking marijuana in sexram never had any problems vietnam and never had any roblems. Hes done a lot of harm to his patience. Now the problem patients. Now the problem with marijuana is the legalization. President obama should have rammed through the 160 judges. It was shown that he had power. He had strength. He had reason. But he wanted to play kumbaya. Now its up to the republicans and trump and their gang of fools and idiots to make the rules. And their rules is going to rule, plain and simple. Theres reasons for the way things go. And if you dont vote, this is what weve got, plain and simple. Host what about the role of congress in this . Should Congress Step in and sort of clear this uncertainty up . While thats been created between the federal Justice Department and states . Caller yes, it should but in this Political Climate we have now, the people who ruled this country, the republicans, theyre going to do nothing but throw monkey wrenchs and theyre going to try and hold it up until big businesses can get their fangs into the legal sedation and the control of marijuana. Plain and simple. We had our chance. When obama was the president , but im sorry, he was a weak leader. I never voted republican. Im so sorry we picked him, plain and simple. Host all right. Thomas is calling from north carolina. You support both as well, thomas. Whats your reasons . Caller well, my reason is that been evidence has proven so far since the allowance of being able to overseas, not being done here, eing able to really properly experiment with it and check to see if there is any actual medical use for it. There is. Colettely and totally. Completely and totally. This is ridiculous thats going n. But i actually saw this coming. I told several people. I was going to move into the states and get involved in the industry but im glad i didnt because of this right here. Host let me ask you this. What about folks like our other caller who have had experience with addiction himself and his family and who says hes seen the negative affects effects of the use of marijuana . Caller because each individual, it doesnt they dont experience the very exact thing. So each individuals different. Different people have different addictions. Its very easy for somebody who has a very addictive personality to make anything addictive. So there was for families who have Serious Problems like that there, are other issues besides that. It wasnt because of marijuana. Host all right. Caller but at the same time though too, Everybody Needs to Pay Attention and keep an eye out because this what states are saying that theyre not worried about them coming in, people need to keep their eyes open. Because all it has to take is just one decision and every state will start going down. Host all right. Lets take a look at what democratic senator cory booker said about the move. Booker has introduced legislation to legalize marijuana use in some instances, federally. Lets take a look. This memo was a critical step in the move in the right direction, undoing some of the catastrophic damage thats been caused by the failed war on drugs. It is a step forward for the federal government and mending or broken drug policies that so hurt our nation in so many ways. I believe it is a step forward that the vast majority of americans who believe the war on drugs failed agreed with. Its a step forward that improves americans safety, saves money, and better aligns our laws with the most fundamental values of fairness, uality equality and justice but attorney general Jeff Sessions has instructed the department of justice to not just double down on failed policy, but to turn back the clock and undermine the wellbeing of our country. Host and we are talking to you, getting your views on miracle marijuana use both medical and recreational. Again, if you oppose any legalization, you can call 2027488000. If you support medical use only, you can call 2027488001. And if you support both medical and Recreational Use, 2027488002. A little more from Business Insider on exactly what the attorney what attorney general Jeff Sessionss memo does. It says Jeff Sessions is rescinding the Cole Memorandum that stipulates that the Justice Department played low priority on enforcing marijuana laws against businesses and organizations that comply with state laws. It stipulates that the federal government would not stand in the way of state set Legal Marijuana as long as officials keep it from migrating to places where it remained outlaws out of gangs and children. Host barry ice calling in from chesapeake, virginia. You support the use of both medical and recreational. Why is that, barry . Caller i do. Thanks for taking my call. Well, just to echo a lot of the pro rec use people, its not about Public Health or legislation. I mean, we live in a country where alcohol is legal. Guns are legal. Were allowed to have swimming pools in our backyards without lifeguards. I like to stress the point of the diversity of strains that exists nowadays. This is not your grandmas marijuana. There are strains available now to help with all manners of ailments that helps you increase appetite or lose weight. Antidepressants and the list goes on and on. Host no, its not your grandfathers marijuana and a lots of casesen the marijuana products that are made, whether it is to be smoked or edible are a lot stronger than the marijuana that, you know, folks did in the past in college. Is there any concern that some of this might be really, really stronger than the people who use this expect it to be . Caller yeah, i agree. There is a lot of concern but thats not a cause for criminalization. I would suggest begin with yourself before you start using. Drug use, i find it a symptom of peoples underlying problems. And, you know, thats another thing. In terms of the strength of the drugs, yeah, i agree. It is a concern. And regulation is necessary for legal substances. So thats a debate on capitol hill, i think. Host ok. And according to business snyder, california, which Business Insider, california xpects the market to boom. It is beginning of to be bigger than beer. Says it is set to begin in california on january 1. And the market is expected to haul in billons of dollars in revenue next year as disprince roll out across the state. Sales of cannabis will hit 3. 8 llion in 2018 alone host brian is calling in from robertsville, missouri. Youre undecided about marijuana legalization. What issues have you undecided, brian . Caller hey, thank you for taking my call. Actually, im for just the criminalization of really, all drugs. I grew up in the 1970s. The drug war that came about on the Ronald Reagan and the bushes is the problem bigger than the drugs. Now what you do in your own house is your own business. Its just like the guns. I think you auto just leave your guns ought to just leave your guns in your own house to protect yourself. As long as youre not hurting anybody else or hurting your kids or anything like that thats your own business. And the republicans are always talking about small government. Well, theyre sticking their nose a lot more into our business than everybody else is. And in my opinion, the people that have been in jail right now for drug offenses ought to be released and their records be clean and go out and get a job and, man, look how much money we would save there, huh . So, thats just decriminalize all drugs and if they want to go after the drug cartels, that might be all right. But you what do in your own house is your own business as far as im concerned. Thank you very much. Host all right. Roberts calling from dallas. You agree with only medical marijuana being legalized. Why not recreational, robert . Caller well, i have to tell you the reason why i dont believe in Recreational Marijuana is because im actually a senior in high school and ive seen what marijuanas done to students. The vast majority of my class actually smokes marijuana. And i have to tell you, most of the students that smoke marijuana are the ones that have the lowest g. P. A. s, the ones with the lowest s. A. T. Scores because it makes them lazy, honestly. And ive known five students that have already gone to rehab for marijuana. And my father is actually a recovering alcoholic and he tells me that students that get early into marijuana, when they become more addicted, they actually start getting into heroin and oxycontins, and opioids and stuff like that and once they get into that, theyre dead. And its horrible. And so, you know host robert, let me ask you this, i mean, given what youve seen in this case, if u. S. Attorney start prosecuting these crimes, these are going to be young people facing, you know, criminal liability. Do you think that thats the way to go . Or would you like to see more efforts focused on treatment of folks who use marijuana . What would you like to see happen . Caller oh, more efforts on treatments, totally. I dont think someone should be locked up for smoking a little pot. I think the main distributors that sell, you know, big loads of marijuana or sell heroin such as that, i think they should be prosecuted and placed in prison. I think more effects on treatment is much better because people who smoke marijuana when they go into prison t not going to do them much good. Theyre just going to send them to the cell and detox themself. And treatment is better. Have a nice weekend. Host the wall street journal had an opinion piece about the attorney generals move. It says Jeff Sessionss marijuana candor, he is being lambasted as the uncool parent in washington and maybe the universe for rescinding an Obama Administration directive that decriminalize marijuana in states that have legalized the drug. And even if youre a legalizer, you should give the a. G. Some credit for forcing a debate on the rule of law that congress should settle. Goes on to say that we report the legalization debate has been dominated by a haze of culture ntiment devoid of facts host were talking to you, getting your thoughts about legalization of marijuana. Davids calling from todd, north carolina. You support both medical and Recreational Use. Why is that, david . Caller independent. We came from europe to get independents independence. A group has come together to get their salaries off of or work and labor and its not working for me. And i had to wait on line so long. This is absolutely all i can give you. We need to go back to independence and i cant hear all right. Thank you. But please, dont put me on the line so long on hold, thank you. Host we have a lot of callers who want to chime in on this. Clinton calling. Max from alaska. You support both . Why is that, clint . Caller yes, thanks for taking my call. I really love cspan. I get up at 3 00 every morning and watch it. My experience with marijuana going back to the late 1950s when i began using it and have used it all this time, whenever its been available has opened my eyes to the benefits of this product. Its really a mind expanding issue. I believe that youths smoking below the age of 18 might be detrimental as has been pointed out. I would like to mention the history of how marijuana has become so demonized. It begins back in the 1930s from the original d. E. A. , head of d. E. A. Who is a racist and was the first appointed to control drugs coming into america. And his view, because of his fear that marijuana used by jazz musicians was going to be reating a treatment or problem for america and he was always concerned about black musicians and white women. He made it a big issue. And he created this drug war on drugs that the republicans under reagan did make into this, fry your brain on pot, etc. Host do you think that states have done enough to regulate the use of marijuana . I mean, things such as using marijuana or even talking about education, using marijuana and, for example, going and driving under the influence of marijuana, operating machinery or how it might have an effect on workplaces . Do you think that the state should do more . The federal government shouldnt get involved . Caller the problem at the federal level is designation of marijuana is a scheduled one drug. Thats a huge mistake that louse the criminalization issue to allows the criminalization issue to expand. If it gets removed from level one to level two or three which other drugs are in, marijuana wouldnt be having this issue of criminalization. As far as the states go, alaska recently legalized marijuana two years ago, after many years of fighting. And we had a Supreme Court case here back in the 1970s thats allowed alaskans to grow up to six plants and have up to an ounce in their homes. But until there was a an initiative by the people of alaska that made it legal, alaska was still in a position of criminalizing use in public, etc. Now, i think the states are regulating it very well. Theres really high stricters on quality, the places that it can be sold, identifying the age and in a sense, background of people that are purchasing it. As youth, just lick a young people wants to get beer or whatever is not approved for under 18, theyre going to get marijuana. Marijuana has been widely available in the black market for years and years in this country. And i think that the regulation of marijuana as a recreational drug is going to serve a lot to drive away these cartels and others that have used marijuana as a cash cow and mexico is thriving under the old marijuana laws. I used to get marijuana from mexico. It was full of seeds and low grades. A person who smokes marijuana definitely develops a sense of inebriation or mind expansion. They get a sense of their own personal level that they like to get to. Its like alcohol. If you have alcohol running from ever clear, which is 100 alcohol to beer at 5 , a person isnt going to drink ever clear like they drink beer. Host all right. Ok. And we saw a wall street journal editorial supporting the move by the attorney general, another fairly conservative editorial page. The Boston Herald in massachusetts where they have voted to legalize marijuana has a different view. It says surely, with an opioid ped you facing this host johns calling in from liverpool, new york. You support both, john. Why is that . Caller oh, of course i do because its common sense. Lets get some Historical Perspective in here. It didnt start with reagan. It started with nixon. Nixon was the first one that start a drug war and 20 years later, we get reagan and then we get the bushes. Now we got trump. This is why i dont vote republican even though i share a lot of republican opinions, especially on immigration. I definitely am a republican on immigration. But i dont vote republican. Because they support this drug war and they always have. A leopard does not change its spots. They will always be like this. I will never vote republican until they get some common sense n the marijuana issue. This garbage that the pot today is stronger than the pot 50 years ago. Ive been smoking pot for 50 years. They had pot 50 years ago that was every bit as strong as the stuff we have today. And just like an apple. An apple was just as good 100 years ago as it was today. A tomato. Its a plant. Its not any better today than it was 100 years or 1,000 or 1 million. Anyone that brings that up, theyre wrong theyre lying, its prop began d. A. We had strong pot 50 years ago. So thats just a lie. But dont vote republican, people. Dont vote republican. Host all right. Reva is calling in from tennessee. You support medical use only. Ive us your reasons why. Caller ive watched a lot of documentary, 8yearold children that never spoken and they have autism and i see them go to a different state to get the help that they need and see them speak their parents and live a normal life. I feel like it should be used for medical use help those that really need it. Host ok. Caller it also helps with depression. Ive never used it myself but i have seen the effects. Host why do you not support it for Recreational Use . Is it different to you than say alcohol . Caller i do support it for Recreational Use because marijuana, how many cases do you see of people having car wrecks using marijuana as opposed to alcohol . We lose so many young people to death due to alcohol and drinking. And you never hear cases of people from smoking marijuana. Host ok. Lets take a look at what attorney general Jeff Sessions said last month about marijuana in remarks before meeting on drug policy at the Justice Department. I think its a big issue for america, for the country. And im of the general view that this is not a healthy substance. I dont think i think thats pretty clear. And as a policy response as we in the federal government need to do, be prepared to take and do so appropriately with good sense. I do believe and im afraid that the public is not properly educated on some of the issues related to marijuana. That was the [indiscernible] may be helpful and working on it. That would allow the policy to be enacted. Host kristens calling from atlanta. You support legalized marijuana, kristen. Give us your reason. Caller well, theres been a lot of good points that other callers have made that i was going to bring up. When it goes back to the history of it, it really goes back to big business trying to dominant the little guys and to racism in america. When you talk about having marijuana added to schedule one and b becoming legal in the first place, it was, at the time, a big paper and big timber because temp becoming something that could be legitimate in the marketplace, combined with the government trying to keep down racism people and immigrants that they thought were demographics that represented the users of this drug. So even from the beginning, it wasnt made illegal in order to protect any Public Health. It was racism and big business from the getgo and thats still what these decisions when it comes the republican party, its still what theyre based on. They want to protect the Tobacco Industry and the liquor industry and theyre really not focusing on reality, the things that we dont know like Jeff Sessions said, the things that we dont know that arent being told to us the truth about marijuana are those things. Its a racial issue and a big business issue and its about keeping the little guy down. From that, right away im against policies that go towards disenfranchising the population. But from just a medical standpoint, it can treat many, many things. And when it goes to the comparison that alcohol is legal and marijuana is not in many places, i have seen so many drunk people become extremely violent and i have never seen anyone intoxicated on marijuana become violent. If anything, i have seen violent people calm down on this drug. So theres a lot of things that really can benefit our society. You can use marijuana as a drinking succession aid from a medical standpoint in addition to treating caesars, treating depression. And from a recreational standpoint, it doesnt create the same kind of violence that lcohol does. And when people stay its all these different chains and theyre super strong and people dont know what theyre getting. Some people want to deny that, that this truth on some level but thats not necessarily a bad thing. If it was regulated and legal, people would know what theyre getting. Host ok. Lets go to dorothy from cleveland. You oppose legalizing marijuana. Why, dorothy . Caller for a lot of reasons and amen to the caller from georgia. This is a racism trying to keep the underdog down. What it is is what really pissed me off about it why i really dont want see it legal is you got a lot of young youths in jail for selling marijuana. Ok. The reason why they were selling it in the first place is because they couldnt get a job because they had a felony. Now they saw how much money that these young boys who are trying to survive out here was trying to make off it. Now they want to go and kick it over and make a big business out of it. And some states are legalizing it and some states arent and that raises racist in the white house trying to take away the mandate that barack obama had about it. So that he could keep on putting states that hasnt legalized it, they could go to jail. This is a big all this is is a big setup for these millionaires to get richer and like she said, hurt the little guy and make money. Host all right. And in some other news, the president has been tweeting this morning. Hes tweeted at least three tweets in succession. Lets take a look at them. Says now that russian collusion after one year of intense study has proven be a total hoax on the american public, the democrats and their lap dogs, the fake news mainstream media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence says throughout my life, my two greatests a is the is mental zpablet being like really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton played these cards very hard and went down in flames. I went from a very successful businessman to top tv star. The president of the United States on my first try. I think that would qualify as not smart but genius and very stable genius at that. The president tweeting this morning as we continue our discussion about medical marijuana. What are your thoughts on it . Pat is calling from huntington, west virginia. You support the legalization of marijuana. Pat, tell us why. Caller well, yes, maam, i do. Ive used it all along my life. But first thing id like to say is Jeff Sessions made the Public Statement that good people do not smoke marijuana. And i will say this. Some of the best people ive ever known. Some of the sweetest people ive ever known have used marijuana in their lives. But this is what i wanted to say. Back in the 1800s, there was a famous guy by the name of mark twain. And the society came to him and questioned mr. Twain about the fact that he liked to smoke cigar and have a shot of whiskey in the evenings. And they wanted him to as a figure he was, to disallow this. And this is what mark twain said about this issue. He said nothing as other peoples habits. Fanatics will never learn that. Though it will written in letters of gold across the sky. It is the prohibition that makes anything precious. So i will leave those words are the west of the people today to think about. We will do not need to be telling other people in their lives what they should and shouldnt do. Thank you, maam. Host all right. And teresa is on the line from redding, california. You support both there, teresa. And its been legalized in your state. What are your thoughts . Caller it has. Medically, specifically, im a caretaker, fulltime caretaker to my husband. Hes a very sick guy. And his doctor has seen fit to go ahead and allow him or recommend to him to smoke marijuana for the simple fact that my husband is a hardcore diabetic and about five, seven, he runs anywhere from 112 to 170 pounds. Hay recommend this so he can eat. My mom passed away a year and a half ago and half the reason she passed away was because she had doctor peddling her 160 vicodins a month. I would rather have her pick unan edible to take care of her pain than to pop those pain pills because now, i dont have her. Im going keep my husband healthy and happy with the legalization of marijuana. Thats just all i wanted to say. Host ok. And in some other headlines this morning. Fox news is reporting that democratic congressman elijah couplings has been hospitalized and his wife has halted his Gubernatorial Campaign in maryland. He underwent an operation to treat an infection at a baltimore hospital. Hours after his wife suspended at campaign, he said doctors Johns Hopkins drained the infection he is resting comfortably and expect a full ecovery. Don is calling in from elwood city, pennsylvania. You only support medical use of marijuana, don. Why . Caller to clarify some information the lady from georgia that said theres no riminal with marijuana, but the first seven minutes from pittsburgh, theres people killing people over the marijuana sales. And a lot of the marijuana is ok to treat regular marijuana, i spoke it. Smoke it. I smoked it at different times in my life and it does impair you. And people say that, you know, they get hive of it like they do liquor and you do, but it impairs you. So these people that go around and say well, theres nothing wrong with smoking a joint, blah, blah, blah. There is something wrong with it. Ok . And i just im just so tired of hearing this crap. Host all right, john is calling in from chicago. You support both medical and Recreational Use. John, what do you say about folks who are concerned about people being impaired, driving impaired, things like that . Caller i can appreciate that concern. The reason that i am in favor of it is it work on the south of chicago, im a physician. I see disabled patients in their homes. I typically worked with a young woman who drives me from residence to residence. Ive been mugged once. Ive been shot at once on the eisenhower expressway. That came t my at people who were last drug culture on the south side of chicago, that is financed by the sale of an ncredibly inexpensiveing a agricultural product. And i dont think that criminalization has done nything. Ive never seen anyone who was suffering from the ill effects of marijuana. I just certainly think that driving impaired is a problem, but we deal with it with alcohol all the time. I dont think that that is a reason to criminalize the drug. Host ok. And in some other headlines as well. The Washington Post reports that former congresswoman Michele Bachmann is taking a look at the senate seat formerly franken. Nnesota al and she announced on a show that shes mulling a run for the u. S. Senate seat of al franken who initially resigned tuesday over legations of misconduct sexual misconduct. We have kevin calling in from whitesville, virginia. You support both medical and Recreational Use of marijuana. Kevin, do you think that the states are doing a good enough job to regulate it . Caller im pretty sure they are. I dont know whats about it. Its not legal in virginia except medical. But i do believe you can control the sale to minors and you get the tax dollars. And now i believe were hurting the drug cartels of colorado and the other states that have legalized it because theyre no longer getting that money. If you really want to hurt the drug cartels, legalize the marijuana and start from there. And i believe that ive smoked it on and off through my life and im doing fine. Host ok. Judys on the line from washington, d. C. , where it has been legalized in some form. You support both. Judy, you think the washington, the law in washington, d. C. Is going well . Caller i do. But i think that they should have congress intervene and made it impossible for them to sell marijuana legally. You can smoke it but you cant buy it and you cant sell it. So there are ways of getting around that. But the loss of residence of d. C. Is tremendous and its ridiculous and they should be able to have legalized pot, like they do in colorado and now in california and Washington State. The road systems in Washington State are incredible because of the taxes that we brought in and the infrastructure could certainly use that tax money. So there are a million reasons why im in favor of legalizing it both for medical reasons and for recreational purposes. Host and to that point, judy, according to kuow in Washington State, the medical the Marijuana Industry is bringing in 168 million per year. It breaks down exactly how thats being used it says weed taxes are 37 but state sales tax are over 9 . For a 30pound bag of weed, washington gets 7. 57 in cannabis taxes on the biggest chunk of that money, almost 4 goes to the states medicaid fund. And cannabis taxes goes to Substance Abuse prevention and drug education. About 3 million has been spent on Public Service announcements. Back to that 30 bag of organic weed, 90 will go to Washington Department of social and health services. Some of the what is that the tax money, the taxing come from marijuana use has been spent in states like washington. Teresas calling from michigan. You also support both, teresa. Whats your reasons . Caller i have a lot of reasons. I mean t just ridiculous leave it legal that plant is god given. And you can use every bit of it. It helps even children. C. B. D. s parate the from the t. H. D. s from children that have seizures. It gives off more oxygen than any other plant. It does take money away from the drug dealers. And i think its just ridiculous that Jeff Sessions is doing this. I think somebody ought to get in there and see what other laws hes changing around. Because this is something that actually, they should ask the people. And not just themselves. Host ok. And roberto is calling in from washington, d. C. , where it is legalizing in some form. You oppose both medical and Recreational Use. Roberto, why . Guest good morning, yes. The reason is because science nowadays is supposed to be pretty much advanced under medical research and medical institutions that can come up with Something Better than marijuana. It is an excuse to say ok, we are going to sell marijuana. Ut by the way, they said, we can also allow physical regulation for the beautiful ladies or man and women who want to smoke pot. It is an excuse. If it comes to like many people are saying, medical use, please, let the scientists go and do what they do and come up with the right answer. Now, why dont they legalize also [indiscernible] you have all of this big war in Central America and everywhere where the american folks are saying to combat this. Ut they dont want to legalize it. Why dont they legalize also prostitution . It could be a very nice recreation, you know . Activity in most cases. And so on and so forth. Its a sham it and should not be allowed. Host ok. And from the column from Timothy Eagan from the new york times, hes criticaled of the move by Jeff Sessions. After forge thug the dumpster of discarded idea the trump conversation dragged out as a part of its campaign to roll back common sense and the will of the people. Host george is calling from tennessee. You support both legalization of recreational and medical marijuana. Good morning. Caller good morning, yes, i do. Actually, i just took a trip to las vegas. Got back not too long ago for new years and it was actually we went into the local dispensary there and it was well regulated. There were Police Officers there. Got our i. D. We went through. It was a. T. M. I guess its still a situation where you cant use your card to buy marijuana there. I guess you still have to bite with cash for some reason. Yeah, it was very well regulated. There were percentages for any amount of c. B. D. In a certain strain. And so i feel like it was very well regulated. You had a caller earlier that it was regulated well and i think it was extremely well regulated. Host matt is calling in from long island city, new york. You oppose both, matt. Why . Caller i would say mainly because of the medical reason, how much money goes into waste like this. It gets pretty crazy. I didnt really know about the sale regulation of stores and i just listened to the previous caller. And i got to say. Even though i still oppose it personally, i might say this is something we could bring up. And we did seing . The long beach tribune from a writer. He likes to analyze this and he said host all right. Ron is calling from old fort, tennessee. You only support medical marijuana, ron. Why do you oppose Recreational Use . Caller well, i just think that its bad for the youth. Yeah, they can get some now. But imagine if everything was legal. Yes, maam. Host you said imagine if everything were legal. What do you mean, ron . Caller oh, ok. The kids look, when i was a kid, i admit it, i smoked it. Its here and there. But not like your parents got a pack of marijuana like cigarettes. Host ok. All right. And coming up, we will be joined by abraham denmark he will be here. Hes the director of the asia program at the Wilson Center and discuss rising tensions with north korea. And later on, a closer look at how veterans programs might change in 2018 with nikki wentling, a veterans reporter with the newspaper, stars and stripes. Stay tuned. Well be right back. Q a on cspans i propose action instead of words. I propose it now for the sake of a better world, again and again and again that i propose it for our own american self interests. Henrik take meyer with his book arthur vandenberg. Vandenberg frames himself in opposition of the majority of the senate 30th 10 opposition for the next dozen years, and that means that to get anything done, which often meant resisting some of Franklin Roosevelts initiatives, there needed to be a coalition. He needed to reach across the aisle. Q a sunday night at 8 00 eastern. Afteray night on wards, federal appellate judge hn noonan look appellate judge john Noonan Newman looks back at his book benched. Blumenthal he will from advocating a case to judging. Was that a difficult case for you, and did you ever miss the life of advocacy, so to speak . Judge newman it was not difficult. I have known people who became judges and so disliked the decisionmaking process that they left the bench. I was an advocate. I was glad to be an advocate. I found the decisionmaking process enormous lee challenging and enormously satisfying. The opportunity to resolve disputes, large and small they all matter to somebody of large political public significance, and that is a very satisfying role. Watch after words sunday night att 9 00 p. M. Eastern on booktv. Washington journal continues. Now is abrahams denmark, the Asia Program Director at the Wilson Center. A belligerent Tweet Exchange between president and north Korean Leader kim jongun, not the first one we have seen this past year. Abraham, thank you so much for joining us. Lets start wi