President Donald Trump has asked Congress to continue protecting state-run medical marijuana programs from federal interference. While at the same time, he wants to keep a rule that prevents officials in Washington, D.C. from legalizing recreational cannabis sales.
In his budget request for 2027, Trump proposed continuing a provision that bars the Department of Justice from using funds to interfere with state laws that allow the use, sale, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana. However, the proposal still excludes Nebraska, even though the state has a medical cannabis law. The reason for this remains unclear.
While Congress has the final say on such budget provisions, it has consistently kept this protection in place since it was introduced in 2014, even when presidents recommended removing it. At the same time, lawmakers have not extended similar protections to recreational marijuana programs.
During his first term, Trump approved budgets that included this safeguard but indicated that his administration could interpret how strictly to enforce it.
Meanwhile, Trump is also seeking to retain a separate rule that blocks Washington, D.C., from legalizing and regulating recreational cannabis sales. Despite this ongoing restriction, local officials have expanded access through the city's medical marijuana system, allowing residents and even visitors to self-certify without needing a doctor's recommendation.
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