Who?
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) — Member, Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Committee
LISTEN: Laslo & Tillis
Ask a Pol asks:
The Supreme Court’s weighing a handful of 2nd Amendment cases that examine the conflict between states rights to legalize cannabis and the federal prohibition on marijuana — do you have any problem with marijuana users owning firearms?
Key Tillis:
“Why would I have a problem with that any more than somebody who drinks alcohol?” Sen. Thom Tillis exclusively told Ask a Pol. “There’s a big talk right now, I don’t know if you noticed, about states running afoul of federal law. Now, in some cases, we seem to think that’s a bad thing.”
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Caught our ear:
“I say, ‘guys, we know how the play is going to end,’ so why not come up with a regulatory construct for consumer protection, for child safety, for health,” Tillis told us. “And then do it in a way that requires states to opt in.
“So I’m just thinking about a framework where you have excise taxes, you have money flowing to law enforcement and other agencies and then have the Congress have a simple up or down vote on it.”
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Thom Tillis (10-
SCENE: Sen. Thom Tillis is about to hop an elevator in the basement of the Capitol when Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo hops a ride up to the 2nd floor so the Senator can vote on the Senate floor. .
Thom Tillis: “Hey man!”
Matt Laslo: “Random one for you.”
TT: “I like randos.”
ML: “Do you have any problem with marijuana users owning firearms?”
TT: “No more than I have — why would I have a problem with that any more than somebody who drinks alcohol?”
ML: “I mean, we have the Hunter Biden thing — but Supreme Court’s deciding whether to take up a couple cases, because now to buy a firearm, they have to declare federally, ‘I don’t use.’”
TT: “Well, but see, that is — you know what? That really speaks to the whole problem of we’ve got to get out of this mode of — you know, there’s a big talk right now, I don’t know if you noticed, about states running afoul of federal law. Now, in some cases, we seem to think that’s a bad thing.”
ML: “Yeah?”
ICYMI — interview first appeared in Marijuana Moment*
*Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo also runs The LCB — a regionally-focused, national wire service
TT: “In the case of cannabis, we don’t, but it’s creating this — it’s creating so many gateways for illegal and illicit actors in this space and safety issues.”
ML: “Yeah.”
TT: “We got to act on it.”
ML: “Well — and voters have spoken nationwide.”
TT: “Well, that’s what I mean, I say, ‘guys, we know how the play is going to end,’ so why not come up with a regulatory construct for consumer protection, for child safety, for health and then — and not do it in a way, I mean, do it in a way that requires states to opt in.”
ML: “Yeah?”
TT: “So I’m just thinking about a framework where you have excise taxes, you have money flowing to law enforcement and other agencies, and then have the Congress have a simple up or down vote on it.”
ML: “Yeah? I’ll be watchin.”
What should we ask Congress next?
