Colorado House votes to bar cops from helping with federal marijuana crackdown

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DENVER — Colorado may prohibit law enforcement officers from assisting in a potential federal marijuana crackdown.

The state House voted 56-7 Wednesday to bar public employees from assisting federal agents in “arresting a Colorado citizen for committing an act that is a Colorado constitutional right.”

The Colorado bill doesn’t specifically mention marijuana. But sponsors say it is inspired by threats that federal authorities may try cracking down on the marijuana industry. Federal…

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Homeland Security Chief: Marijuana Possession is Grounds for Deportation

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United States Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly Speaks at George Washington University on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. (DHS handout)

Drug Policy Alliance | April 20, 2017

In a speech Tuesday, United States Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly announced that the Trump Administration would use marijuana possession as a reason for deporting immigrants.

“ICE will continue to use marijuana possession, distribution and convictions as essential elements as they build their deportation removal apprehension…

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Tom Marino, Trump’s Reported Drug Czar Pick, is Drug War Extremist; Linked to Scandal

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Republican Congressman Tom Marino, Pennsylvania 10th (Wikimedia Commons)

Drug Policy Alliance | April 14, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — President Trump is expected to soon nominate Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA/10th) to be Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (colloquially referred to as the “drug czar”). Marino, a former prosecutor with no background in health or treatment, supports a punitive, 1980’s style approach to drugs, including mass incarceration and coerced treatment, even for medical and…

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Trump Should Abolish the Drug Czar’s Office

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Donald Trump speaking with supporters at a campaign rally in February 2016. (Wikimedia/Gage Skidmore)

Erik Altieri | April 14, 2017

The Trump Administration is widely expected to pick Representative Tom Marino for Drug Czar.

Representative Marino is a longtime, rabid drug warrior who has a consistent record of voting against marijuana law reform legislation — a position that runs counter to that of the majority of voters and his own constituents.

His appointment to this office highlights the fact that this…

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Trump Drug Czar Nominee: Tough on Colombian Peasants and US Marijuana Users

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Republican Congressman Tom Marino, Pennsylvania 10th (Wikimedia Commons)

Phillip Smith | April 13, 2017

President Trump will name Pennsylvania Congressman Tom Marino (R) to head the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP — the drug czar’s office), CBS News reported Tuesday.

The White House gave no official comment, but sources told CBS that an official announcement would come soon.

Marino’s legacy of legislative achievements around drug policy offers little comfort to reformers looking for signs that…

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Report: Congressman Tom Marino Will Be Named Next White House Drug Czar

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Republican Congressman Tom Marino, Pennsylvania 10th (Wikimedia Commons)

Marijuana Policy Project | April 11, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Tom Marino (R-PA) will be named the next director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), also known as the “drug czar,” according to multiple media reports.

As a member of Congress, Marino has consistently voted against marijuana policy reform legislation.

Robert Capecchi, director of federal policies for the Marijuana…

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Sessions’ DOJ Reviewing Marijuana Enforcement, Governors Fight Back

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Jeff Sessions speaking at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC. (Flickr/Gage Skidmore)

Erik Altieri | April 6, 2017

This week, Attorney General Jeff “Marijuana Consumers Aren’t Good People” Sessions issued a memo outlining a requested task force inquiry into a number of public safety issues, one of which being the enforcement of federal marijuana laws.

The memo was sent to 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices and Department of Justice component heads to provide “an update on the Department¹s Task Force on…

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Four governors team up, urge feds to keep marijuana enforcement status quo

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Governors in four states have joined forces with a marijuana message for two top officials in the Trump administration.

In an open letter, the governors on Monday asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to “engage with us before embarking on any changes to regulatory and enforcement systems.”

The signatories of the letter are Gov. Bill Walker of Alaska; Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado; Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon; and Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington. They…

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DEA asks Colorado AG’s office for info on marijuana crimes, “for the new administration”

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Amid speculation about how the Trump administration will confront marijuana legalization in states such as Colorado, a Drug Enforcement Administration supervisor has sent an e-mail to a prosecutor in the state attorney general’s office seeking information, “for the new administration.”

The e-mail was sent early last month by a supervisor on the financial investigations team in the DEA’s Denver field office to Michael Melito, a senior assistant attorney general. The e-mail asks for…

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Legal Marijuana: The Sky is (Probably) Not Falling

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Legal Marijuana: The Sky is (Probably) Not Falling | Phillip Smith

Barrels of ink have been spilled over the prospect that the Trump administration could attempt to turn back the clock when it comes to legal marijuana, but for all the wailing and gnashing of teeth out there, marijuana industry insiders, advocates, and activists don’t seem all that worried. “I don’t think there’s any more reason […]

Legal Marijuana: The Sky is (Probably) Not Falling | The Daily Chronic

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Federal marijuana playbook: Trump administration’s tough talk and what we know so far

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A timeline of federal marijuana talk

It’s been one month since we heard the first public words from the Trump administration regarding marijuana. While we have yet to hear from President Donald Trump himself on this issue or the exact plans of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, there has been a lot to take in. Here’s a review of the biggest statements, the clearest responses and a handy guide to The Cannabist’s analyses and explainers.

February 23:

White House press secretary Sean Spicer takes…

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Marijuana in the age of Trump: An untenable conflict between feds, legalized states

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Legal weed is at a crossroads.

While some cannabis legalization proponents claim their movement has grown too big to fail, it has also proved too significant for the federal government to ignore.

The Trump administration is mulling its approach to the state-regulated systems that conflict with federal law. On Capitol Hill, conversations about legal cannabis have picked up steam.

Amid a time of unknowns surrounding federal marijuana policy, one thing is certain: The status quo is no longer…

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Five Reasons Trump Needs to Think Twice Before Waging War on Weed

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Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Ottumwa, Iowa in January, 2016. (Flickr/Evan Guest)

Phillip Smith | March 3, 2017

White House press secretary Sean Spicer‘s comment last week that we “will see greater enforcement” of federal marijuana prohibition has set off tremors in the pot industry, but it should be setting off warning bells at the White House itself.

Any move against marijuana would be politically fraught, economically foolish, and counter to some of the Trump administration’s other…

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US Attorney General: “We Do Not Need To Be Legalizing Marijuana”

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Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) listens to a question during confirmation hearings on Tuesday, January 10, 2017.

NORML | March 2, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — Speaking to a gathering of state Attorney Generals this week, newly sworn in US Attorney General Jeff Sessions blamed recreational drug use for an alleged increase in violent crime and urged officials to reject efforts to regulate the adult use of cannabis.

Sessions disputed scientific evidence that legal cannabis access is associated with lower rates…

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Colorado AG says she has invited Jeff Sessions’ staff to see the state’s recreational marijuana system

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Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman said she has invited U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions — a  vocal marijuana opponent — and his staff to come and see the state’s recreational pot industry.

Coffman told The Denver Post that the invitation was extended during a meeting Wednesday morning in Washington with Sessions’ top staffers.

“I had a meeting there this morning and told them that I thought it was important to come to the states that have legalized marijuana,…

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Trump Vows to Win War on Drugs, But Doesn’t Mention Marijuana

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Phillip Smith | March 1, 2017

In his inaugural address to Congress Tuesday night, President Trump echoed the ghosts of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan—not to mention Miguel Cervantes—as he vowed to defeat drugs.

If there is a silver lining, his ire appears directed at heroin and other hard drugs. The word “marijuana” did not appear once in his speech.

“Our terrible drug epidemic will slow down and ultimately, stop,” he promised as part of a litany of MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN accomplishments to come…

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Sessions: More violence around marijuana than ‘one would think’

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Read the whole story at The Cannabist.

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Donald Trump won’t “turn his back” on Colorado when it comes to legal marijuana, GOP lawmaker says

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A top Republican lawmaker in Colorado is casting doubt on whether Donald Trump’s administration will crack down on the legalization of marijuana, saying the new president wouldn’t “turn his back” on states’ rights.

Colorado Senate President Pro Tem Jerry Sonnenberg, the chamber’s No. 2 Republican and a Trump supporter, reacted after the statement from White House spokesman Sean Spicer that recreational pot will face “greater enforcement.”

“I’m not sure I’d put too much…

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Hickenlooper: It’s unclear whether Trump could stop legal marijuana

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Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, as a guest on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, downplayed the possibility that the Trump administration would take aim at Colorado’s recreational marijuana industry, saying legalization’s inclusion in the state Constitution makes it unclear whether the federal government could shut it down.

“Our voters passed it 55-45. It’s in our constitution,” Hickenlooper told “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd on Sunday.

“You don’t think…

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Washington state vows to fight any cannabis crackdown by feds

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Washington state is ready to fight if necessary to keep its legal marijuana, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said after White House spokesman Sean Spicer hinted at a federal crackdown.

“We will resist any efforts to thwart the will of the voters in Washington,” Ferguson said, according to the Associated Press.

Spicer offered no details about what any renewed federal efforts in legal-cannabis states might entail but said he expected “greater enforcement” and drew a distinction between marijuana use for medical and recreational purposes.


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Sean Spicer seemed to tie marijuana use to opioids. The evidence isn’t on his side.

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By Derek Hawkins, The Washington Post

The epidemic of opioid addiction in the United States has been well documented. A staggering 33,000 people died in 2015 from overdosing on prescription painkillers, heroin or similar drugs, on par with the number killed by firearms and in car accidents.

The epidemic is growing, but its general causes are not in dispute. Nearly all research on the issue shows that excessive and improper prescriptions are what’s causing more people to become addicted.

But…

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Trump administration puts recreational marijuana in crosshairs

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Recreational marijuana is in the sights of the Trump administration, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Thursday.

Spicer, during his daily briefing, gave the first clear glimpse at how the new administration views the burgeoning rise of legal marijuana.

“There’s a big difference between (medical marijuana) and recreational marijuana, and I think when you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around this country, the last thing we should be doing…

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NORML Responds to Possible Federal Crack Down on Legal Marijuana

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NORML | February 24, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer suggested this week that the Trump administration will step up enforcement of federal laws against recreational marijuana.

“I do believe that you’ll see greater enforcement,” Spicer said, and added that the exact policy is “a question for the Department of Justice.”

The Department of Justice is lead by Jeff Sessions, a renowned ardent marijuana prohibitionist.

“If the Trump administration goes through with a…

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White House Press Secretary Hints Federal Marijuana Crackdown May Be Forthcoming

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NORML | February 23, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Thursday said that the Trump administration may engage in “greater” efforts to enforce federal anti-marijuana laws in jurisdictions that have legalized and regulated its adult use.

In response to a question regarding how the administration intends to address statewide marijuana legalization laws, Spicer indicated that the administration views the regulation of marijuana for medical purposes as distinct from laws governing…

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Donald Trump Vows ‘Ruthless’ War on Drugs and Crime

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(Flickr/Oregon Department of Transportation)

Phillip Smith | February 13, 2017

In a sharp break with the Obama administration, which distanced itself from harsh anti-drug rhetoric and emphasized treatment for drug users over punishment, President Donald Trump last week reverted to tough drug war oratory and backed it up with a series of executive orders he said were “designed to restore safety in America.”

“We’re going to stop the drugs from pouring in,” Trump told law enforcement professionals of the…

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So We Have Attorney General Sessions. Whats Next For Marijuana?

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U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama speaking to supporters at an immigration policy speech hosted by Donald Trump at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (WikiMedia Commons/Gage Skidmore)

Justin Strekal | February 12, 2017

Despite historic opposition, members of the United States Senate voted 52 to 47 last week to approve the nomination of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions for US Attorney General.

While we are disappointed with this outcome, we are pleased that several members of Congress cited the…

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What will be AG Jeff Sessions’ first move on marijuana?

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A new lawman has come to town, and the marijuana industry could be in for major upheaval.

But just how much change Attorney General Jeff Sessions might impart — and how quickly he’ll address federal marijuana enforcement — remain the multibillion-dollar question.

“It’s not like you could see agents come into every storefront in the United States tomorrow and deal with this. That’s not a reality,” drug policy expert John Hudak said Wednesday.

But if Sessions rescinds the 2013…

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Senate Votes to Confirm Jeff Sessions as US Attorney General

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Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) listens to a question during confirmation hearings on Tuesday, January 10, 2017.

Drug Policy Alliance | February 8, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Senate voted 52 to 47 Wednesday to confirm Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) as Attorney General. Most Republicans voted for him; most Democrats voted against him.

The vote comes after two months of organized opposition as hundreds of organizations expressed concerns about Sessions’s record and racially-charged statements he has made in the…

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Senate Judiciary Votes to Advance ‘Drug-War Dinosaur’ Jeff Sessions as Attorney General

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Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) listens to a question during confirmation hearings on Tuesday, January 10, 2017.

Drug Policy Alliance | February 1, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to advance the nomination of Jeff Sessions for Attorney General of the United States. The vote was 11 to 9, with no Democrats supporting the nominee. The nomination will now go to the Senate floor for a full and final vote.

“Jeff Sessions is a disaster for drug policy and criminal justice reform,”…

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Where Does Trump’s Supreme Court Pick Come Down on Marijuana?

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Neil Gorsuch hasn’t made any known public pronouncements about marijuana policy, and despite his tenure on the 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, he hasn’t ruled in any cases that directly take up the issue.

But he has ruled on some marijuana cases, and he didn’t go out of his way to support freeing the weed in them. And there’s at least one marijuana-related case he’s ruled on that demonstrates a disquieting deference to law enforcement.

In Feinberg et al. v. IRS, Gorsuch ruled against a Colorado dispensary that sought…

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Senate Judiciary Advances the Nomination of Marijuana Prohibitionist Jeff Sessions to be the Attorney General

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NORML | February 1, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the confirmation of Jeff Sessions to be the next US Attorney General on a party line vote of 11 to 9.

There a numerous groups in the criminal justice advocacy space, ranging from the NAACP to the ACLU who are opposed Senator Sessions becoming the nation’s top law enforcement officer for various reasons, ranging from his positions on voting rights, capital punishment, and…

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Boulder DA named to pot advisory group for Trump administration

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Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett has been selected to join a group of prosecutors from across the country who will help advise the Donald Trump administration on policies regarding marijuana.

The National District Attorney’s Association created a policy group featuring 14 district attorneys who will issue advice on possible law or policy changes regarding marijuana as more and more states legalize it.

Garnett said he is the only active prosecutor from Colorado in the group, but said…

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Illinois State Treasurer Urges Trump to Let Banks Work with Marijuana Industry

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TJ Baker | January 24, 2017

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs on Monday sent a letter to President Trump asking for “clear guidance” in allowing banks to do business with the marijuana industry.

Illinois is one of 28 states that allows medical marijuana under a state-supervised program.

Federal law currently prohibits banks from processing money from customers working in the legal marijuana industry, making it difficult for marijuana related businesses to do…

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AG Nominee Sessions Responds to Marijuana Questions from Senators

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Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) listens to a question during confirmation hearings on Tuesday, January 10, 2017.

The Daily Chronic Staff | January 24, 2017

Attorney General nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) has issued written responses to marijuana-related questions from several US Senators, but those answers still do not clarify the Trump Administration’s stance on marijuana legalization by states.

While on the campaign trail, President-elect Trump said that marijuana legalization was an issue for the states to…

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Jeff Sessions vague about marijuana strategy at AG hearing

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Under U.S. law, marijuana possession and distribution is illegal, but just how Sen. Jeff Sessions would enforce that law as the nation’s attorney general was not immediately clear Tuesday when the topic was broached in his Senate confirmation hearing.

“I won’t commit to never enforcing federal law,” Sessions said in response to Sen. Patrick Leahy’s question about conflicting federal and state marijuana laws, adding: “But absolutely, it’s a problem of resources for the…

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Jeff Sessions Confirmation Hearing Draws Mixed Reactions from Marijuana Organizations

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The Daily Chronic Staff | January 11, 2017

During his confirmation hearing for the position of Attorney General Tuesday, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) avoided giving a straight answer on how he will handle states that have legalized marijuana, drawing a mixed reaction from organizations advocating for further marijuana law reform.

Erik Altieri, Executive Director of the NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, says Session’s responses could be “leaving the door open” for…

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Action Alert: Call the Judiciary Committee Today to Protect Marijuana Progress

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NORML | January 10, 2017

On January 10th and 11th, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on the nomination of Jeff Sessions to become the next Attorney General. Over the course of these two days, marijuana reformers and citizens alike from around the country will be calling members of the committee to have them ask a simple question: Does Sen. Sessions intend to respect the will of the voters in the majority of US states that have enacted to pursue alternative marijuana policies?

The stakes are high.

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Jeff Sessions Evades Firm Answer on State Marijuana Laws

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Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) listens to a question during confirmation hearings on Tuesday, January 10, 2017.

Erik Altieri | January 10, 2017

During his confirmation for the position of Attorney General, Senator Jeff Sessions failed to give a straight answer with regard to how the Justice Department should respond to states that have legalized marijuana for medical or recreational use.

The Alabama Senator was questioned by both Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) with respect to whether the principles of…

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NORML Releases Open Letter to Vice President-Elect Mike Pence on Marijuana Policy

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Indiana Governor Mike Pence addresses a news conference where he was introduced as the vice presidential running mate of Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump in New York City, U.S., July 16, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

NORML | December 20, 2016

National NORML, Michigan NORML and dozens of other state and local chapters have released an open letter to Vice President-Elect Pence seeking clarity and common sense from the incoming administration regarding marijuana policy.

During the campaign,…

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Week in Review: Canada’s cannabis guidelines, Ohio’s dispensary rules & MJ’s big week in DC

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By Bart Schaneman and Omar Sacirbey

A task force makes recommendations on how the Canadian government should approach legalizing recreational marijuana, Ohio writes draft rules for MMJ dispensaries, and cannabis has a big week in Washington DC.

Here’s a closer look at some notable developments in the marijuana industry over the past week.

Small or big? 

Will Canada’s new adult-use marijuana market be open to small businesses – or dominated by big corporations?

Jodie Emery, a political activist and owner of Cannabis Culture, a magazine…

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Hearing Set for Jeff Sessions Attorney General Nomination

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U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama speaking to supporters at an immigration policy speech hosted by Donald Trump at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (WikiMedia Commons/Gage Skidmore)

NORML | December 13, 2016

It’s official, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has set January 10-11, 2017 for the confirmation hearing of noted marijuana law reform opponent Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) to become the next Attorney General.

Already it appears that Sen. Grassley will…

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Trump Nominates Another Drug War Zealot, General John Kelly, to Head Department of Homeland Security

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Marine Corps Gen. John F. Kelly, commander of U.S. Southern Command, discusses the latest developments in his command’s efforts to stem the flow of drugs from South and Central America while briefing reporters at the Pentagon, March 13, 2014. (Department of Defense/Glenn Fawcett)

Drug Policy Alliance | December 7, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — According to multiple media reports Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump will nominate General John Kelly to head the Department of Homeland Security. Kelly served as head of…

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Arizona Prosecutor Wants Trump to “End the Charade” of Marijuana Legalization

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Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery

Scott Gacek | December 2, 2016

PHOENIX, AZ — Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, a prominent Republican who helped lead the opposition to a failed ballot measure that would have legalizde marijuana in Arizona, said this week that he expects the Trump Administration to crack down on medical marijuana laws nationwide and to “end the charade” of marijuana legalization in the states that have done so.

At a press conference Wednesday, Montgomery, a staunch opponent to all things marijuana, said that he…

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Trump Adds Another Marijuana Opponent to Cabinet

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Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) has been picked by President-elect Donald Trump as Health and Human Services secretary. (photo/Gage Skidmore)

Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) has been picked by President-elect Donald Trump as Health and Human Services secretary. (photo/Gage Skidmore)

Scott Gacek | December 1, 2016

President-elect Donald Trump has picked another marijuana opponent to join his cabinet, tabbing Georgia Rep. Tom Price to serve as  Health and Human Services secretary.

This could be bad news for state-sanctioned medical marijuana programs in the 28 states that allow it.  While the Department of Justice — which, if he is confirmed by the Senate,…

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Will Trump’s Dead Alcoholic Brother Haunt His Drug Policy?

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Phillip Smith | November 30, 2016

As incoming president, Donald Trump will be, among other things, the man in charge of the nation’s drug policy. Whether he takes a hand-on, direct approach to policy-making or whether he delegates decision-making authority on drug matters to subordinates—think Attorney General Jeff Sessions and shudder—the buck ultimately stops with Donald.

What a Trump administration will do with states that have legalized marijuana is a huge burning question, but the drug policy horizon…

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