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Joe Manchin says he isn’t thinking about marijuana — but his son once considered getting into the business.

By Andrew Perez, The Lever

Joe Manchin is setting himself up again to serve as a major roadblock to another popular idea within the Democratic party: making cannabis legal.

This week, in the wake of the House of Representatives passing legislation that would decriminalize marijuana nationwide and create a process for expunging records of non-violent cannabis offenses and arrests, HuffPost asked Manchin if he supports legalization. Manchin joked: “Marijuana? I haven’t even thought about marijuana. Jesus Christ, you smoking?”

But one member of the Manchin family has thought a bit about marijuana, and how to make money from it: his son, Joseph Manchin IV.

Joe Manchin wears a suit and speaks at an event with a blue background

While the idea of legalizing cannabis nationally is broadly popular among the public, legalization is unlikely to move forward in the Senate due to opposition from a few conservative Democrats, including Manchin, despite the fact that they represent states that have legalized cannabis for recreational or medicinal use. Manchin recently told The Hill he supports medical marijuana, but has concerns “about legalizing recreational marijuana.”

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