Just days after California celebrated the legalization of recreational marijuana; Attorney General Jeff Sessions has moved to reverse an Obama-era policy on the legalized herb.
According to reports, Jeff Sessions has given U.S. attorneys the okay to aggressively pursue and enforce federal laws against marijuana, revoking legalized marijuana protections. Now, under Sessions, the marijuana industry could be subject to federal prosecution if caught growing, buying and using marijuana, as the drug is still illegal under federal law. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Prior to Sessions’ switch, the Justice Department focused on prosecuting cases that dealt with dealing to minors, selling across state lines, growing the plant on federal property or organized crime. That way, federal law would not affect states that supported and legalized the recreational use of marijuana, so long as other federal restrictions weren’t violated. Now, according to the Head of the Drug Policy Alliance, Sessions is going against the 60% of American people, who support the legalization of weed, as majority of states allow the use of medicinal marijuana, while eight allow recreational use.
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“Jeff Sessions’ obsession with marijuana prohibition defies logic, threatens successful state-level reforms, and flies in the face of the widespread public support for legalization,” Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno said. “It’s now time for Congress to put the breaks on Sessions’ destructive agenda by limiting the Justice Department’s ability to undermine states’ decision-making.”
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Others accused Sessions of being out of touch with the American people, adding that his new move will just crowd jails for no reason. As a result, many are prepared to fight against Sessions’ move.
