Shares of Canadian and U.S. marijuana producers fell Friday after the Trump administration suggested a crackdown on recreational marijuana may be in the works.

Most of Canada’s publicly traded pot growers ended Friday lower after White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer predicted the Justice Department will be looking more closely at the issue.

“I do believe that you’ll see greater enforcement of it,” Spicer said at a White House briefing.

In Israel, one of the leading countries in marijuana research, a push to decriminalize the drug is picking up steam, and the usual suspect are not leading it. Instead, political hawks and skullcap-wearing businessmen have taken on a cause that was once the domain of the peace camp.

“It is an issue of citizens’ rights,” said Sharren Haskel, who at 32 is the youngest Knesset member in the Likud party. Haskel is proposing a bill to downgrade marijuana possession and use from a criminal offense to an administrative offense. Under her bill, anyone caught with the herb in private would be subject to a 300 shekel fine ($81), while carrying and using in public would be subject to a 1,500 shekel fine ($405).

A bill that's now in Congress could protect Colorado's marijuana laws.

It comes just as the White House hinted at a crackdown on recreational marijuana earlier this week.

It's H.R. 975 and it was introduced by Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.).

The bill is referred to as the "Respect State Marijuana Laws" act. Its purpose is to protect people from being prosecuted under the controlled substance act as long as they are following their state`s laws regarding marijuana.

A stark rejoinder to what Sean Spicer said on Thursday about applying federal drug laws to recreational marijuana use even in states that have legalized the drug. The public’s not keen on that idea.

And neither is Trump’s party:

Lawmakers are looking for public feedback on how to proceed with the many complicated aspects of marijuana legalization.

On Tuesday, a special committee charged with facilitating Maine’s transition into a legal marijuana marketplace will hold a meeting to hear public comments on the process. The 17-member Committee on Marijuana Legalization Implementation was created to help guide state agencies that will craft the rules and regulations around the industry, as well as to review the dozens of marijuana-related bills pending in the Legislature.

Journalists from The New York Times, CNN and Politico were prohibited from attending a briefing by President Trump’s press secretary on Friday, a highly unusual breach of relations between the White House and its press corps.

Reporters from The Times, CNN and Politico were not allowed to enter the West Wing office of the press secretary, Sean M. Spicer, for the scheduled briefing. Aides to Mr. Spicer allowed in reporters from only a handpicked group of news organizations that, the White House said, had been previously confirmed to attend.

Organizations allowed in included Breitbart News, the One America News Network and The Washington Times, all with conservative leanings. Journalists from ABC, CBS, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and Fox News also attended.

Yesterday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer suggested that the Justice Department under newly installed Attorney General Jeff Sessions will be more inclined to enforce the federal ban on marijuana in states that have legalized the drug for recreational use. A large majority of Americans, including most Republicans, think that's a bad idea, according to poll numbers released the same day as Spicer's comments.

The Cannabis Business Alliance (CBA) has released a statement regarding recent comments from the White House on adult-use marijuana.

Is pot in the hot seat?

Local businesses were caught off guard after Press Secretary Sean Spicer hinted that there would be “greater enforcement” of recreational marijuana.

“There’s a big difference between (medical marijuana) and recreational marijuana,” said Spicer in a news conference Thursday. “And I think when you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around this country, the last thing we should be doing is encouraging people.”

Dr. James Lathrop, owner of Cannabis City in Seattle, said the only distinction between medical and recreational marijuana is access, and connecting marijuana to opioid addiction is misleading.