U.S. Attorney General nominee William Barr says he would “not go after” marijuana companies in states where cannabis is legal. He is indeed however, a conservative Republican.
Barr said at his confirmation hearing January 15th, that companies had relied on Obama-era guidance that kept federal authorities from cracking down on the cannabis trade in states where the cannabis is legal.
Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who Trump fired in November of 2018, rescinded the Cole Memo last year, that provided that guidance. Jeff Sessions infamously stated to Congress, “Good people don’t smoke marijuana.”
It is yet to be seen whether or not he will stick to his word on this one, or if it will matter. Trump fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates for refusing to support his travel ban. It would not be surprising if Trump abruptly changed his stance on state’s autonomy on cannabis regulation and fired anyone who disagreed with him.
William Barr will be succeeding current acting Attorney General Matthew Whittaker. He is a former Verizon senior executive, and has previously served as U.S. Attorney General under President George H.W. Bush from 1991 to 1993.
During his time under President Bush, he encouraged stricter drug laws, mandatory minimums and enforcing the War on Drugs. We can only hope he is not worse than Jeff Sessions.
B. Le Grand
