Rep. Pete Sessions, a Republican from Texas, has made it very apparent in the past about how he feels about marijuana. He has blocked about three dozen marijuana amendments from being considered on the House floor before.
It’s been reported however that his office has said he is now he is in ongoing discussions with a group that is advocating for legal access to medical cannabis.
The congressman’s change of heart has surprised many. Sessions has said in a newsletter that he shares a common interest with the group Mothers Advocating Medical Marijuana for Autism (MAMMA): namely, finding “solutions for our children to help improve their quality of life when nothing seems to help.”
Sessions has a son with Down syndrome.
“I was pleased to get to continue our conversations together in my Dallas office on Monday because I believe that by working together, real progress can be made,” he said. “I look forward to continuing my journey with parents like Amy, Thalia and Mayra as we look to find the best solutions for our children.”
“I was very encouraged,” Thalia Michelle, co-founder and vice president of MAMMA, told Marijuana Moment in a phone interview. “I found him very gracious, very receptive.”
According to Michelle, while he’s not necessarily supportive of medical cannabis, there were certain areas where “he’s been misinformed.”
It was just this past January, that Sessions had said, “marijuana is an addictive product, and the merchants of addiction make it that way.
“He was very moved by that and, I think, understood our position and why we feel so passionately about the issue,” said Michelle. “I think there was a lot of understanding there on his end.”
