Indopedia All Things Marijuana
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday rescinded an Obama administration policy that had eased enforcement of federal marijuana laws in states that have legalized the drug, instead giving federal prosecutors wide latitude on pursuing criminal charges.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, known as a strong opponent of legalizing marijuana, overturned the policy but stopped short of directly encouraging U.S. prosecutors to bring marijuana cases.
His action drew immediate condemnation from marijuana legalization advocates and some lawmakers in both parties who said it trampled on the rights of voters in states where the drug is now legal and created uncertainty about how strictly federal drugs laws will be enforced.
The administration’s move also raised questions about how the new policy will impact the burgeoning marijuana industry in places like California and Colorado.
The policy put in place under Democratic former President Barack Obama, outlined by then-Deputy Attorney General James Cole, recognized marijuana as a “dangerous drug,” but said the Justice Department expected states and localities that authorized various uses of the drug to effectively…
