Article snippet: On the day the first two state-sanctioned recreational pot shops opened their doors in Massachusetts, Representative Joseph Kennedy III came out in favor of legalizing marijuana at the federal level, reversing his previous opposition to it. “Our federal policy on marijuana is badly broken,” Kennedy wrote in an opinion piece for STAT announcing his change of heart. “Given the rapid pace of state-level legalization and liberalization, I believe we must implement strong, clear, and fair federal guidelines. To do that requires us to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and legalize it at the federal level,” he said. Kennedy opposed his home state’s move to legalize marijuana, which voters approved by ballot measure in 2016, and as recently as March voiced skepticism of the push to legalize the drug. In Congress, Kennedy established himself as one of the Democratic caucus’ most consistent opponents of marijuana decriminalization efforts, casting votes against several bills, including a 2015 measure that would have prevented the Department of Justice from going after medical marijuana businesses in states that have approved the industry. He’s drawn criticism from pro-pot and progressive groups, and The New Republic earlier this year declared “Democrat Joe Kennedy has a pot problem.” In an interview with The Boston Globe, Kennedy said his concerns have not abated; he remains worried, in particular, about the public health fallout that could accomp... Link to the full article to read more