Roger Stone caused an internet sensation last week when he wrote a blog post on his website imploring the Trump administration not to interfere with marijuana legalization efforts.

In doing so, he criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions while invoking individual and states’ rights, industry growth and even the Bible.

“Tens of millions of Liberty minded Americans… (are) fully expecting (Trump) to end the ineffectual and wasteful War on Weed,” Stone wrote in the post titled, “Mr. President: Marijuana Is A States (sic) Rights Issue.”

A vocal Trump loyalist, Stone authored politically charged books during the 2016 presidential campaign including “The Clintons’ War on Women” and “Jeb! and the Bush Crime Family.” He’s also an unabashed Nixonite, with a portrait of the 37th president tattooed on his back.

https://twitter.com/RogerJStoneJr/status/832065660381495296

Given his political proclivities, some were surprised to hear Stone’s soapbox stance on prohibition. “There is little room left for debate as to the origin of the marijuana prohibition laws and how they were formulated as a tool to bludgeon both the poor and minorities,” he declared.

The outspoken Republican operative took exception to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ previous statement that, “Good people don’t smoke marijuana.”

“This plainly false statement, made in all earnestness, clearly demonstrates how far from the mainstream Sessions is on this topic,” Stone wrote. “Very few Americans would agree with him on this, as evidenced in the wave of legalization that washed over the United States over the past five years. More importantly, sick people use marijuana whose medicinal value is proven yet strangely still denied by the Federal Government.”

Stone framed legalization as both a states’ and individual rights issue. “The Trump Administration should be mindful that the recreational marijuana measures that passed in several states all passed … with overwhelming popular support,” he wrote. “This was clearly the Will of the People. It is not Jeff Sessions place to prosecute his version of morality and President Trump should not allow him to do so.”

He also appealed to Trump the businessman. “Cracking down on legalized marijuana will starve States out of much needed revenue streams. Colorado is a great success story when looked at from a tax base point of view, and much needed revenue is coming in to fund education and government services. Colorado generated over sixty-six million dollars in tax revenue in 2015 and has increased by double digits’ year over year since. Losing that money will put them deep into the red and cause a burden upon the whole State, as well as throwing thousands of people out of work while destroying a billion-dollar industry.”

Stone reached back to the Old Testament to support his argument:

“I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” Genesis 1:29

And also dropped pearls of wisdom from Thomas Jefferson:

“If the people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.” — Thomas Jefferson

A self-proclaimed Libertarian, Stone’s stance should not be surprising. The national Libertarian party platform states “we favor the repeal of all laws creating ‘crimes’ without victims, such as the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes.”

This is not the first time that Stone has given his opinion on what Trump should do about marijuana. In December, he posted on his site, “We cannot leave it to ‘Law Enforcement’ types to decide what is to be allowed and what is to be prohibited. The People must decide for themselves, and they have decided. Overwhelmingly so. They have decided they want legalized marijuana.”

Stone appeared on “Real Time” with Bill Maher the same evening he published his latest post. Not surprisingly, Maher had a punchline teed up. “There’s an issue we agree on: Marijuana,” said Maher. “You think Jeff Sessions is wrong… Is that because you yourself are a Roger Stoner?”

“Only when I’m in the states where it’s legal,” replied Stone.

Later in the show, Maher had Stone deliver a “420 cake” to celebrate the 420th episode of “Real Time.”

https://twitter.com/JacobEngels/status/848003986141696000

Stone, on a press tour for his latest book on Trump’s campaign, seems to be enjoying engaging with public figures who share his views on marijuana, including this shout-out to the band Smashmouth:

https://twitter.com/RogerJStoneJr/status/848657584672444418

This article was first published on TheCannabist.co.