Speaking on the legalized sale of marijuana in both Colorado and Washington, Cardin said he believes Congress and the federal government as a whole are taking a "wait-and-see" approach.

"I think you're seeing federalism played out," he said. "Law enforcement is a state and local issue; it's not generally a national issue."

Cardin said he doesn't believe national marijuana decriminalization or legalization had any support at this time, but his Senate colleagues are monitoring how the individual state systems were panning out in the states that had passed referendums.

"We want to see whether the claims of concern or positive results pan out," he said. "To me, that's how federalism operates, the states pilot different programs and if they work, we adopt national policy."

Cardin likened the issue to drunken-driving laws of the past, which varied in different states until a national effort created the uniform, nationwide 0.08 blood alcohol concentration limit.
2/26/14

Web: http://cardin.senate.gov/

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