Sessions Plans to Rescind Policy That Allows States to Legalize Marijuana

This is a developing story and this post may be updated.

On the heels of a California law legalizing recreational marijuana use, which took effect Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions is planning to rescind the federal policy that has enabled Americans to grow, sell, and use cannabis in places where it has been legalized, without federal intervention, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

"The move will leave it to US attorneys where pot is legal to decide whether to aggressively enforce federal marijuana law," the AP noted, a move that will likely "add to confusion about whether it's OK to grow, buy, or use marijuana in states where it's legal, since long-standing federal law prohibits it." The report cited anonymous sources with knowledge of the decision.

"RED ALERT!" the Drug Policy Alliance tweeted in response to the report. "This is not a drill. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is going after legalized marijuana."

In California -- which was the first state to legalize medical marijuana -- state officials have, according to the Los Angeles Times, "issued dozens of permits for retailers to begin recreational sales this week, expanding a market that is expected to grow to $7 billion annually by 2020."

California is the sixth state to introduce the sale of recreational cannabis, following Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. In response to ballot measures from the 2016 election, Maine and Massachusetts are expected to start sales later this year -- despite protest from state leaders like Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who in November vetoed a law that would have regulated the state's marijuana sales.

Several states have passed legislation or ballot measures to relax statewide policies of marijuana use for medicinal and, increasingly, recreational purposes. The Marijuana Policy Project, which lobbies in favor of cannabis-friendly laws, tracks the state-by-state rules on its website:



Sessions is a long-time opponent of the nationwide push to legalize recreational and medicinal use of marijuana. Journalist and former lawyer Glenn Greenwald used the news to offer the analysis that "Conservatives' self-professed belief in federalism was always a huge fraud," tweeting:


Glenn Greenwald

@ggreenwald
Conservatives' self-professed belief in federalism was always a huge fraud. It never extended to any state policies that they disliked, and still doesn't: https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/948921688519008256 …

8:21 AM - Jan 4, 2018
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http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/43123-sessions-plans-to-rescind-policy-that-allows-states-to-legalize-marijuana

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GOP, what happened to states rights?

Sessions promised the Republican senator from Colorado that he would not be changing the federal policy concerning pot. Trump promised the same on his campaign. There is nothing surprising when dealing with proven liars. I would be in a pickle without the relief I am getting from the medical pot.

Sea you've just touched on something that keeps nagging at me whenever I try my damndest to understand how anyone in this nation could possibly still support, much less seemingly worship, Trump and his administration: If nothing else, HOW IN THE WORLD do they condone the constant, mind-numbing, deeply disturbing LIES?????? Didn't their parents or their religion or SOMETHING teach them ANYTHING???? It's beyond appalling at this point. Words fail me.

The lies have always existed, but not as a foundation of policy, rather to cover a mistake. I guess the whole Trump presidency is one big mistake.

Yeah, taking away rights people already have is always a really popular idea. Remember the 18th amendment and Volstead Act? Prohibition? That worked out great, didn't it? Set up an organized crime system that's continued to this day, just applied to other areas.

But hey, at least we got Boardwalk Empire out of it, right?

Jeff Sessions has shares in a couple of private prison industries (private prisons are the worst idea ever, by the way -- I'm amazed anyone even entertains that concept), and he's got to fill them with somebody if he's going to make a profit. And that's likely what's behind this -- he needs more stuff to be illegal. Letting people have freedoms is a conflict of interest in a place where locking people up is profitable.

I'm not a drug user, I don't even drink, but this is really frickin' stupid. There's an opioid crisis which is a much more serious problem, and they're playing "Reefer Madness" again and going after weed? And regardless of what anyone feels about recreational pot, who in their right mind would be against medical marijuana? If a drug is helpful, let people use it! Medical marijuana should be about as controversial as aspirin. It's a medicine used to help people. What crazy witch-hunter would be against production of medicine?

I would say the Republicans were trying to drag us back to the 18th century... except pot was legal then.

So funny!!! If one stops to look at this objectively what did Sessions REALLY do besides vacate 2 memo's? Nothing. Relax scaredy-cats it doesn't look like anti-MJ storm troopers are coming to get your weed.

I guess the Republican senator from Colorado must be blowing smoke when he has taken Sessions to task for his actions. When medical pot cannot be disbursed from a hospital dispensary because of federal regulation despite the people of a state voting to make the same legal, it really becomes more about who is paying Sessions than why he is being paid.......the why part is simple. Legalized pot hurts alcohol sales. Legalized pot hurts big Pharm profits. Legalized pot hurts restaurant profits who sell alcohol. This is about being true to your donor class. I cannot wait until Christmas 2018 when the mid term elections are over and the people have spoke.

2seaoat wrote:I guess the Republican senator from Colorado must be blowing smoke when he has taken Sessions to task for his actions.  When medical pot cannot be disbursed from a hospital dispensary because of federal regulation despite the people of a state voting to make the same legal, it really becomes more about who is paying Sessions than why he is being paid.......the why part is simple.  Legalized pot hurts alcohol sales.  Legalized pot hurts big Pharm profits.  Legalized pot hurts restaurant profits who sell alcohol.   This is about being true to your donor class.   I cannot wait until Christmas 2018 when the mid term elections are over and the people have spoke.

It also fills up for-profit prisons.

This action more than anything has slowed the capital which has been pouring into legalized pot. Canada just legalized pot and one of the largest investor in pot enterprises are members of the alcohol industry. As more corporate money and efficiencies enter the market, the more frightened the folks who have donated historically to Sessions are.......this medical pot is a frickin miracle, and when the older population finds about the anti inflammatory edibles big pharm will lose billions on their toxic medicines which have horrible side effects and can be substituted for inexpensive anti inflammatory medicines from cabinoids.

The ignorance about pot is hysterical. After forty years of not using any pot, these edibles are just wonderful. I kinda want to purchase some traditional weed which my card allows, just to see the difference between the non THC or low THC edibles and weed in regard to cognitive functions. The problem is with four marble size tumors in my lung lobes.....not the best idea, but I may check out vaping a higher thc mixture. I have zero desire to get high on pot, but right now this medicinal pot does nothing for me in regard to getting high....I am just curious to see the difference just once to better gage when at the end I increase my doses from half doses to full dose.

They have strains that are high cbd and low on thc... usually called girl scout cookies or some play on those words. I'd recommend those to start with. There are also two major categories of weed. Sativa that has a more energetic high... and indica that has a more mellow buzz and is good for pain.

I really like the 2-1 ratio tincatures which I place on my tongue and relieves the horrible tongue sores which are developing at the end stages of the disease. Without a doubt, and hour after I have applied the same, my sores shrink back into the tongue and are hardly noticed. It will get so bad at the end that eating yogurt will be a struggle. I just am so happy that I can control them now.

Floridatexan wrote: ....
It also fills up for-profit prisons.

Ah, the private prison industry. Kind of, in it's own special way, both a jobs-program and a good portfolio play.

EmeraldGhost wrote:

Floridatexan wrote: ....
It also fills up for-profit prisons.

Ah, the private prison industry.    Kind of, in it's own special way, both a jobs-program and a good portfolio play.  

https://www.followthemoney.org/research/institute-reports/prisons-and-politics-profiling-the-pecuniary-political-persistence-of-private-prisons/

EmeraldGhost wrote:

Not too many black people in my small S Texas town, and most of them played football. That didn't stop me from going to the black juke joint. I loved the music. That was in the late '60's and early '70's. Beauregard...sounds like a Basset Hound. What a throwback. I always loved this, for example: