The departure of Attorney General Jeff Sessions has sent cannabis stocks rising and calmed states an industry on edge from his tough anti-marijuana rhetoric. While acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker hasn’t taken a stand on the issue, marijuana advocates are hopeful they have escaped the toughest scrutiny.
Both U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Republican Pete Sessions of Texas, the chairman of the House Rules Committee who’s been blocking votes on cannabis amendments are both out
New study underscores need for more research on CBD and pain.In case you’ve missed it, CNN and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, its Chief Medical Correspondent, have been running a series on medical marijuana. After a recent episode on the benefits of using marijuana over opioids, Dr. Gupta published an open letter to U.S. Attorney Jeff Sessions.
“Before I started this worldwide, in-depth investigation, I was not particularly impressed by the results of medical marijuana research,” Gupta wrote. “But a few years later, as I started to dedicate time with patients and scientists in various countries, I came to a different conclusion. Not only can cannabis work for a variety of conditions such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and pain, sometimes, it is the only thing that works.”
Political leaders of all stripes stood strong this month against Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ surprise announcement that he was rescinding the Obama-era policy that discouraged prosecutors from enforcing federal laws against marijuana in states where it is legal.
The unity among Democrats and Republicans — even one foe of the state referendum that made recreational cannabis legal — is a testament to the success Colorado has had in developing a booming yet responsible and regulated new industry.
Colorado Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Coffman said in an op-ed for the Washington Post that it’s too late to dismantle the industry. And U.S. Sen. Corey Gardner, R-Colorado, vowed to block Trump’s judicial nominees.
Quotable:
“I will be putting a hold on every single nomination from the Department of Justice until Attorney General Jeff Sessions lives up to the commitment he made to me in my pre-confirmation meeting with him. The conversation we had that was specifically about this issue of states’ rights in Colorado. Until he lives up to that commitment, I’ll be holding up all nominations of the Department of Justice. The people of Colorado deserve answers. The people of Colorado deserve to be respected.” – U.S. Sen. Corey Gardner, R-Colo.
Here’s what else Colorado politicians had to say (The Cannabist)
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