Indopedia All Things Marijuana
According to two top cannabis law firms, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ threats to crack down on America’s legal cannabis industries could be mere bloviation. The cannabis industry is playing a waiting game for the time being, but they may be able to relax, at least for now.
Sessions heads the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which oversees federal law enforcement agencies including the FBI and DEA. In past years and recent months, he has publicly stated, “Good people do not smoke marijuana,” and, “I’ve never felt that we should legalize marijuana.” His anti-pot position harkens back to the days of President Reagan’s “Just Say No” era, with a zero-tolerance approach.
The anxiety caused by Sessions’ statements has been bolstered by the uncertainty surrounding the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment, attached to the U.S. government’s federal spending bills since 2014. This amendment prevents the DOJ from prosecuting medical marijuana patients, cultivators, and distributors who follow their state laws. In September, a House committee blocked a vote to include the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment in the 2018 spending bill, signaling the end of a…
