Republican vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) told KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs, Co. the federal government shouldn’t interfere with states that have legalized medical marijuana, the Associated Press reports. “It’s up to Coloradans to decide,” he saidin response to a reporter’s question. A clip of the interview aired Friday.
A spokesman said Ryan agrees with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who has said that marijuana should never be legalized. Ryan’s statement contrasted with the administration of President George W. Bush, which sent federal agents to raid dispensaries in California that were legal under that state’s voter-approved medical marijuana law. Barack Obama’s Justice Department has angered marijuana activists by shutting down dispensaries in California and Colorado.