LESSONS FROM JEFF SESSIONS' TIME AS ATTORNEY GENERAL
Attorney General Jeff Sessions did much to worry the Cannabis industry during his time as President Trump's Attorney General due to his outspoken criticism of the right for adults to use Cannabis in any of the 50 states. During his time in office, he sent a letter to Congress demanding that they stop protecting marijuana patients due to his claims that Congress is required to stop the program under the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment.
LESSONS FROM JEFF SESSIONS' TIME AS ATTORNEY GENERAL
In 2017, it was publicized that Attorney General Jeff Sessions sent a letter to Congress demanding that they end protections for medical marijuana patients put forth in the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment. The purpose of the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment has been to stop the Department of Justice (DOJ) from funding any sort of prosecution of medical marijuana patients and providers. The issue always was that this amendment had to be renewed during Sessions' time in office to remain in effect and get added to the 2017 budget. Due to this, Sessions asked that members of Congress stop this renewal from happening.
This was seen as a direct attack by Attorney General Sessions on the Cannabis industry. On the other side of the issue, the CARERS Act was reintroduced to Congress. CARERS Act was a groundbreaking bill that would end federal prohibition of medical marijuana, that allowed states to set their own policies, and protect medical marijuana patients and providers from federal prosecution. It also would remove barriers to perform federally approved marijuana research, and would allow veterans to discuss medical marijuana treatment options and receive recommendations from VA physicians in states where medical marijuana is legal.
More than thirty states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam, have fully legalized medical marijuana, and an additional 15 states allow for a limited form of use of Cannabis. Even with this number of states which had allowed Cannabis use in some form, Sessions’ war on medical marijuana patients and providers continued from the time he was sworn into office, until the day that he was asked to leave his post. Now that Sessions is no longer in office, the Cannabis industry now has to face the daily worry of what, if anything will be done to limit or harm the industry from the Federal level during the current administration's time in power, and what will come from the federal government after this administration?