AG Jeff Sessions on pot

The only thing surprising about U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinding the Obama administration’s policy of nonenforcement in states that have legalized recreational use of marijuana is how many people acted surprised by it.

Three separate polls released this week forcefully conclude that the voters disagree with Sessions’ reversal of Obama-era protections that relaxed federal marijuana laws in states where it is legalized.

The abrupt announcement by Sessions was the latest example of sudden actions by the Trump administration that have blind-sided its own government agencies on major policy shifts. By federal law, marijuana is a Schedule I drug, the most unsafe designation. We will continue to look at cases individually and assess whether charges are appropriate considering the best needs of our community.

Maybe it’s the process of attaining a permit from the state and clearing all the red tape from localities, or maybe it’s the fear of breaking laws that deter the opening of marijuana retail shops. The rescission of the Cole Memorandum also has had little effect on Canopy Growth, a Smiths Falls, Ont. -based producer of cannabis. It has been amended many times since but congresspeople have not seen fit to remove marijuana from Schedule I.

“If anything I feel more galvanized”, she said.

As U.S. Attorney, I have traveled throughout the state to meet with community leaders and citizens to discuss distinctive issues facing rural Oregonians. “But the Canadian Securities Administrators and the Ontario Securities Commission came out with positions that you could be delisted [from stock markets]”, he said.

Others noted what they called the hypocrisy in Sessions’ ruling.as he and many other Republicans are adamant supporters of the 10th Amendment, which leaves to the states decisions regarding issues that are not addressed in the U.S. Constitution. Canadians who cross the border and attempt to purchase the drug should be wary, said Solomon.

Williams wants to convene law enforcement and other groups to confront the problems. “Who knows what’s going to happen?”

We should not selectively enforce laws in this country.

Good luck with that in 2020!

Eugene Oscapella, Oscapella & Associates Consulting Ltd.

Sessions’ directive comes only days after California legalized the recreational use of cannabis.

To be clear, I believe the people of Colorado have clearly spoken. “And that was probably one of the reasons the legislation didn’t go through”. Generally, the FinCEN guidance outlined terms under which the banking system may serve the legal cannabis industry, including without limitation, by requiring banks to perform extra due diligence on legal cannabis business clients and to consider whether such clients’ business implicates one of the Cole Memo priorities or violates state law.

We mention voters specifically because they’re playing a role in liberalizing policy. He said he would hate to lose that ability to federal politics. His legislation has attracted increased attention – including from one MA congressman – in the week since Sessions revoked an Obama-era policy that had essentially given the green light to state-sanctioned cannabis commerce. “But clearly what he did (last week) was, I don’t think, the same commitment that he gave us prior to (his) confirmation”. That way, if pro-legalization states suddenly find themselves in the grip of Reefer Madness or whatever, the feds can always revisit their decision and decide to crack down.

Overall, 29 states have legalized medicinal marijuana; eight states plus the District of Columbia have legalized recreational use; and 18 states allow for the use of cannabinoid oil, also known as CBD, which is non-psychoactive. Even so, the allure of such revenue only goes so far. “But I’d say the chances of passage are slim”.

So, the federal government is going to crack down on pot, is it? In states where recreational pot sales are legal, do sellers, buyers and users face arrest? “These principles require federal prosecutors deciding which cases to prosecute to weigh all relevant considerations of the crime, the deterrent effect of criminal prosecution, and the cumulative impact of particular crimes on the community”. Solomon said it remains to be seen what enforcement tools are used.