If you’ve felt like nothing has surprised you after a week of Donald Trump’s presidency, here’s a curve ball out of alt-right field. In the weeks leading up to Trump’s inauguration, historic anti-pot crusader and Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions, implied that he might not be as tough on pot as we all expected.
For those unfamiliar with Sessions, he’s the Alabama senator who once supported a bill for mandatory death sentences for repeat drug-trafficking offenders. He’s been known to throw around comments like “good people don’t smoke marijuana” and “I used to like the KKK ’til I found out they smoke pot.”
After assuring everyone that he does indeed “abhor the Klan,” Session made numerous comments about the federal enforcement of laws banning marijuana during his confirmation hearing.
In stark contrast to some other recent hearings, Sessions demonstrated extensive knowledge of the duties, responsibilities and controversies surrounding the office he is soon to take.
The biggest takeaway from the hearing is that Sessions isn’t taking a hard stance against marijuana.
“I know it won’t be an easy decision, but I will try to do my duty in a fair and just way,” he said during the hearing. “It is not the Attorney General’s job to decide what laws to enforce.”
Sessions even suggested that Congress legalize marijuana if that’s what people want.
The United States Congress has made the possession of marijuana in every state, and distribution of it, an illegal act,” he said. “If that’s something not desired any longer, Congress should pass a law to change the rule.”
Sessions’ comments even took the Marijuana Policy Project by surprise as they released a statement taking a “cautiously optimistic” stance on Sessions’ appointment.
“He was given the opportunity to take an extreme prohibitionist approach and he passed on it,” the press release said.
White House megaphone Sean Spicer told Fox News that Sessions was only adopting Trump’s agenda, which should be a smooth transition as the anti-pot crowd has long purported their own list of “alternative facts.”
At least some of Sessions’ concern seems to come from the economic boom marijuana has brought to the United States. Americans bought $6.7 billion worth of marijuana in 2016, according to an ArcView Group report earlier this month.
An Arizona Department of Health Services report shows that Arizonans account for about $330 million of that in the form of a little more than 29 tons of marijuana, and can boast either the fourth or fifth largest medical marijuana program in the country.
The number or cardholders has nearly quadrupled since the program’s first year in 2012, increasing from 29,804 to 114,439 today. The report also shows chronic pain to account for 81.66 percent of patients’ reasons for using medical marijuana.
It seems Sessions is becoming more and more aware of not only the cost in resources it’d take to enforce a federal ban on marijuana, but the business that’d be lost by emptying the emerging market.
For now, we’ll stick with the MPP’s cautious optimism.
This article appears in Feb 2-8, 2017.
It is the job of Congress to make law. Right now, the marijuana industry exists only due to administrative guidance from several Federal Agencies, which could change in a heartbeat.
Nick Meyers;
Thanks for the insight into the confirmation of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.
We all know in this cleaning of the administrative oversight and governmental regulations. This attributed to fees being applied to every function of a market product. Which brings us to MPP or Marijuana Policy Project their design mission and track record.
Some are of the opinion that a government run distribution system with one target and one target only to get as much marijuana out to the public and become a Ad Hoc to the marijuana industry.
This charlatan group cares less about the consumer repercussions by state authorities. This MPP only want restrictions, They do want restrictions to make market more profitable. As well to run its tentacles through every governmental department to shave off a piece of the market establishing their own viability market and control.
As we look at last week’s post we think of the idea to coach his younger to consume in a clandestine away from parents and authorities.
Then in the same desires wants a government control to help stop access to children. This is like opening up a Liquor store across from a detox clinic. Then talk about to be more clandestine in sneaking in mini’s. Install a huge flashing neon sign daily discounts punch card. Probably to be inline with the Court Ordered Program go to the class then run across he street and on, and on, and on.
Bottom line MPP needs the stigmas. Mpp needs to support the viability of all the stigmas. Then Ad-Hoc each and every tentacle of a stigma, the more the better. So in arbitrating each stigma tentacle a % is pulled and established as necessary and needs to be paid.
If any moral person thinks that 205 while keeping all the over prosecuted felonies in place, the rules/laws to be determined was anything more than establishing the value of each tentacle. Then to administer/profit for life this beast. This is like building bully to fight a bully and you end up with two bully’s DUH! —–
For example, at least five of 10 people on MPP’s board of directors have direct ties to the industry: Troy Dayton is the CEO of the ArcView Group, which invests in marijuana businesses. Joby Pritzker, whose family started and owns Hyatt Hotels, invests in pot businesses. Tripp Keber is the CEO of Dixie Elixirs, which produces pot edibles. James Slatic is CEO of MedWest, which produces marijuana concentrates. And Rob Kampia, executive director of MPP, is a board member and the treasurer of the National Cannabis Industry Association, the lobbying arm of the pot industry.
It will get taken off the schedule 1 by May my prediction like all social progress ever passed was by republican congress civil Rights 64, Voter rights 68, Then SS FDR and a democratic congress but a large republican caucus support.
Carpet Baggers is correct as to the MPP. They are not a friend of legalization except to the extent it can benefit certain contributors to the cause.
Their greed in the the way Prop 205 was written, was a part of the reason it failed.
Let’s ask MPP for a 501(c)3 audit but wait they are not a non-profit they are a for profit Lobbying Agency DC based and immune from disclosure of contributors. So ask reported the 5 million spent on the Arizona campaign 205 only about 15% came from growers/processors/retailers or the ” ADA” Arizona dispensary association.
What really pisses me off and should every Arizona citizen is the Supreme Court on legal representation. It seems that an attorney can be disbarred for counseling a client on how to legally obtain Marijuana in Arizona. This is what MPP went to the supreme court over or their attorneys in conjunction with a group of county attorney. Completely obscene using the court to deny legal representation in a state where it has been passed legal. let’s remember this when reinstatement of Judges come around next election. I will post names.
Seems they can’t live within the desires and want of the population it hurts business. Keep this MPP BS and it will all be civil actions run by their own court revenue licence and police freaking stupid. Market self regulating with police powers won’t happen. Wake up people change the schedule 1 keep the medical and I could care less about self administered wants and desires of recreational they are not the same as need.
Like a wino and bong liquors say this stuff is the same Alcohol they give in a medical situation. Yea I know some use Nyquil but hey if the liquor store is closed that will work. It’s all the same just have to drink a little more.
In the above I should of stated Arizona Supreme Court governing Arizona licensed attorneys.
I have a question in my mind and ponder the answer. It has been reported that the RICO moneys collected by the Sheriff’s Dept. during Dupnick & Nanos tenure is not accounted for. The monies Radtke pleaded to misuse was about 10% of the unaccounted balance. Where’s the meat to all of this? Was any money from a RICO account diverted to MPP in its proposal of 205 ?
Why won’t MPP list all of their contributors ? What do they have to hide, if this is truly a civil minded concern or something else?
Bottom line we dont need police controlling manufacturing, distributing, selling, a product they construct to extract the most out of. In several ways, keeps arrest and conviction numbers up, keep the stigma up to keep need for control. Use monies collected from the sell of Marijuana to be consistently a point counter point villain and advocate at the same time. This is one of the biggest lines of animal dung that has been served in Arizona. Then at the same time want to assume of medical review. All on their own or pay one of point counterpoint studies to keep it in a perpetual dark high profit all can feast area.