In a letter on May 1st, President Trump’s Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote to congressional leaders, urging federal lawmakers to oppose a provision in the president’s $1.1 trillion spending bill. The bill has a provision that does not allow the Justice Department to prosecute state legal medical cannabis.
It seems Session is against this provision, known as the Rohrabacher-Bluemenauer amendment. The amendment was just renewed in April and will expire in September if not renewed by Congress.
In his letter Sessions wrote, “I believe it would be unwise for Congress to restrict the discretion of the Department to fund particular prosecutions, particularly in the midst of an historic drug epidemic and potentially long-term uptick in violent crime.”
“The Department,” he continued, “must be in a position to use all laws available to combat the transnational drug organizations and dangerous drug traffickers who threaten American lives.”
The letter was sent to the Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnel, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Minority Leader, Charles Shumer. It was obtained by Tom Angell who is a cannabis reporter and advocate for legalization.
