It was sudden, shocking, and celebratory for the marijuana industry when Jeff Sessions abruptly resigned as Attorney General by the request of President Trump.
Several marijuana industry experts had something to say about his resignation.
Derek Peterson, CEO of Terra Tech remarked, “Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been an impediment to the growth of the regulated cannabis industry. We believe we are at a tipping point nationally in terms of voter sentiment as well as support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. With Pete Sessions being voted out [of Congress] and Jeff Sessions resigning, the corridor is now open to accelerate a states’ rights approach to regulating the cannabis industry.”
Isaac Dietrich, the CEO of MassRoots said, “We believe it’s increasingly likely Congress could take action to regulate and tax cannabis at the federal level. We expect the perceived risks related to the cannabis industry to continue to dissipate, which could lead to a shift of institutional capital and interest from Canadian licensed producers to companies focused on the regulated United States market.”
Khurram Malik, CEO of Biome stated, “AG Sessions’ anti-cannabis rhetoric was a lot stronger than any other part of the federal government, including Congress and the White House, and quite a few things he announced were inconsistent with other parts of the government. Ultimately, most of his anti-cannabis rhetoric and attempted policies did not have a granular impact.
“The hope is that there will be a lot less confusion and distracting noise coming out of the AG’s office on a go forward basis. We also still expect the White House to move forward with legalizing medical cannabis at the federal level before the 2020 elections, and having an AG that is on board with that would be helpful for all.”
Dr. Stuart Titus, CEO of Medical Marijuana Inc. commented, “The unexpected resignation of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions represents another positive event for the cannabis industry. Sessions’ stance on cannabis had been a major impediment toward cannabis reform, and now industry participants hold new hopes for sweeping change at the Federal level. Along with the defeat of Pete Sessions in the U.S. House of Representatives, there is renewed enthusiasm for cannabis-friendly legislation to be passed in the coming year.”
George Archos, CEO of Verano Holdings said, “The election results send a clear message that more Americans want access to medical or adult-use cannabis because they have taken the time to get educated about cannabis’ proven health benefits. Former AG Sessions and other government officials lose credibility by maintaining that cannabis has no medicinal value when our own FDA has approved a cannabis-derived drug for treating epilepsy.”
“President Trump has repeatedly stated he will protect states’ rights relative to cannabis, and more recently, he stated he is exploring ending the prohibition on cannabis. We are optimistic that a new Attorney General will take President Trump’s cue and quickly reinstate the Cole memo to end ambiguity regarding states’ rights in this matter.”
“Additionally, we hope the new Attorney General will determine that it is not wise to spend tax dollars on incarcerating thousands of people for marijuana convictions when cannabis has been proven to be safer than the alcohol found in almost every American household.”
