Ted Cruz Says He Won't Interfere With CO Pot en Route to GOP Convention Win

Texas senator Ted Cruz took nothing for granted when it came to the Colorado Republican Convention, which took place over the weekend.

Unlike his two rivals, mogul Donald Trump and Ohio Governor John Kasich, Cruz appeared in person at the event, staged at Colorado Springs' World Arena.

And during interviews, he made it clear that he wouldn't move to crush Colorado's legal marijuana system should he be elected president.

No telling how much of an impact his pot statements had on the final vote. But his organization definitely trumped that of GOP frontrunner Trump.

Cruz secured all 34 delegates up for grabs (another three are reserved for party bosses), prompting Trump to declare that Colorado's system was "rigged" — and his campaign manager accused Cruz of "Gestapo tactics" during the delegate sweep.

As for Cruz's approach to marijuana as it pertains to Colorado, it's really nothing new. Last September, we shared the Marijuana Policy Project's cannabis-policy grades for presidential candidates, with Cruz earning a C+.

Here's the MPP rationale for his mark:

Where does he stand?

At the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference, Sen. Cruz said he is opposed to the legalization of marijuana for adult use, but he believes states should have the right to establish their own marijuana policies.

Previously, the senator had criticized the Obama administration for not enforcing federal marijuana laws in Colorado and Washington after voters in those states adopted laws that regulate and tax marijuana similarly to alcohol.

No such criticism cropped up during a chat with 7News. 

"When it comes to drug legalization, personally, I would vote against marijuana legalization," Cruz said. "If the state of Texas had a referendum on it, I would vote no. But I think it is the prerogative of the states to make that determination. I think the people of Colorado have the right to make the decision that they've made under the Constitution, and as president, I would respect that right,"

Trump, for his part, was graded slightly lower than Cruz when it came to marijuana, notching a C:


This is the MPP text regarding Trump.

Where does he stand?

In 1990, Trump said he favored legalizing all drugs, but more recently he has said he opposes legalizing and regulating marijuana for adult use.

He supports legal access to medical marijuana, and he has indicated support for letting states set their own marijuana policies.

Of course, Trump has been more outspoken than Cruz about Colorado marijuana, stating that he'd been hearing about "big problems" with the state's recreational industry during an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity last year.

And he parroted this line last month, making reference to "some very negative reports coming out of Colorado."

If Trump continues to lose delegates, as he did in Colorado, he won't get a chance to do anything about these matters. And that's fine by Ted Cruz.

Look below to see the aforementioned 7News piece, which includes Cruz's comments about marijuana.