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Bill Maher’s Liberal States’ Rights Rant Includes Legal Marijuana

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“States’ rights” has long been an adage of the political right.

But on Friday’s night’s episode of his HBO show, “Real Time,” liberal comedian Bill Maher spun it around, pointing out that Democratic-leaning states like California are enacting progressive local policies in defiance of the Republican-controlled federal government.

For Maher, that includes marijuana legalization, protections for immigrants and environmental regulations.

“We don’t much cotton to when the federal government thinks it knows better how to do things that we do here in our own state,” he said, putting on a fake Southern conservative accent that sounded not very much unlike that of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, an ardent legal cannabis opponent.

“We’re just following in a long and hallowed conservative tradition,” he said. “It’s just that now we’re the state that wants to be left alone.”

Still image screencapped from HBO’s “Real Time” YouTube page.

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Tom Angell is the editor of Marijuana Moment. A 20-year veteran in the cannabis law reform movement, he covers the policy and politics of marijuana. Separately, he founded the nonprofit Marijuana Majority. Previously he reported for Marijuana.com and MassRoots, and handled media relations and campaigns for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

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