Rep. West responds to Trump order reclassifying cannabis

ST. PAUL – State Rep. Nolan West, R-Blaine, issued the following statement Thursday in response to President Donald Trump that afternoon issuing an executive order rescheduling cannabis to a lower drug classification.

"Thanks to president Trump for following through on his commitment to reschedule cannabis," West said. "Federal drug policy has been drastically out of step with the American people for years. It is great to see that finally changing. This rescheduling comes at a perfect time for Minnesota. Our cannabis market's roll-out has been a disaster due to anti-business overregulation. Without this rescheduling, these new businesses would be facing effective tax rates around 70 percent. This change allows people in the cannabis market to deduct operating expenses just like any other business, which will lower their taxes dramatically. We will build on this momentum as efforts to fix our state’s cannabis laws continue so that more people can have a fighting chance to succeed despite this rocky roll-out."

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