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Booker, D-N.J., said he has talked to a number of federal lawmakers of both parties, who come from states that have legalized the drug and are opposed to Attorney General Jeff Sessions' announcement in January that the Justice Department once again would prosecute marijuana cases in states that have legalized the drug. Under President Barack Obama, Justice officials said they would let states enforce their own laws while the federal agency focused on drug cartels, on transporting marijuana into states that have not legalized it, and on making sure legal marijuana businesses are not used as a cover for illegal activities, including selling other drugs.
A former FBI employee is running for Congress as the "Cannabis Candidate," with a campaign ad featuring him smoking marijuana in front of an image of the American flag. Benjamin Thomas Wolf is one of three challengers to incumbent Rep. Mike Quigley in the Democratic primary for Illinois' 5th Congressional District, which includes parts of Chicago.
Travelers who accidentally bring their marijuana to a Las Vegas airport can now ditch their stash in disposal bins installed outside the gates before a flight. The Clark County Department of Aviation began installing the green bins outside McCarran International Airport after the Clark County Board of Commissioners passed an ordinance banning marijuana possession and advertising at the airport.
20, 2017 file photo, Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington. Gardner used his power as a senator to freeze all nominations to the... WASHINGTON - Colorado's Republican U.S. senator will stop blocking nominees for some Justice Department jobs over concerns about the marijuana industry, saying Thursday that federal officials have shown good faith in recent conversations on the department's pot policy.
Possessing medical cannabis oil may be legal in Georgia, but Gov. Nathan Deal says he opposes allowing medical marijuana to be grown in the state. GOP Rep. Allen Peake, who uses cannabis oil, had been spearheading a push to allow for in-state cultivation of medical marijuana to treat certain conditions.
Deputies were leaving a leadership training session at the jail when they "encountered the overwhelming scent of marijuana" coming from a vehicle parked outside, authorities said. A search of the vehicle turned up a baggie of marijuana and 14 dosage units of THC oil, which is produced from marijuana plants.
Red tape, bureaucratic hurdles and arbitrary roadblocks are pervasive in Washington, D.C. These obstacles not only result in irritation and inconvenience, but also have the capacity to cause great harm to the health and happiness of those suffering from painful disorders and diseases. Barriers to medical-grade marijuana research may be resulting in the preventable and unnecessary pain of countless Americans.
Township officials are hoping to come up with an ordinance that, if approved by the council, would ban the sale of recreational marijuana in Old Bridge, should it be legalized in the state. CIA Director Mike Pompeo says the intelligence agency is bolstering efforts to help interdict shipments to the North Korea regime, which he said is moving "ever closer" to putting Americans at risk with its nuclear weapons.
On a Thursday morning in early January, most of official Washington was contending with a road-clogging snowstorm when Attorney General Jeff Sessions triggered another form of chaos on Capitol Hill and inside the federal banking agencies. Sessions announced that the Justice Department was rescinding an Obama-era memo on marijuana enforcement, a move that carried big implications for banks and credit unions in California, Colorado, Oregon and a handful of other states that have legalized recreational pot use.
California legislators are fighting back against U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' attempt to crack down on state cannabis programs, launching letter-writing campaigns, proposing new laws and discussing federal lawsuits to safeguard legal marijuana. "The genie is out of the bottle, so to speak," said Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, who's calling for federal legislators to block Department of Justice appointments until the Trump administration changes its stance on marijuana.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in his new guidance, basically said that federal prosecutors ought to exercise ordinary discretion when it comes to marijuana-related activities, prioritizing crimes that involve distribution to minors, diversion out of state and gang activity. Though federal prosecutors prioritized those things under the Cole Memo too, Sessions indicated that all things marijuana could be considered serious, opening the door to a mass crackdown on otherwise state-legal activities.
The Justice Department has long been a lightning rod for political criticism, but this past year brought it to a new level - with a Republican president taking sharp aim at the Republican attorney general he nominated. Even as Attorney General Jeff Sessions pressed forward on some of President Donald Trump's top priorities - such as immigration enforcement - Sessions was sharp criticism from Trump, who was reportedly angered by Sessions' decision to recuse himself from the Justice Department probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and alleged collusion between Trump associates and Russian operatives.
Anyone who knows former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, or who has read anything about former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson could make a good guess at his opinion of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' recent marijuana move. I'm talking about Sessions' decision to nullify the U.S. Justice Department's hands-off policy toward states that have legalized medical and/or recreational marijuana.
Philip Dunton Murphy was sworn in as New Jersey's 56th governor, vowing to make good on economic promises unfulfilled by his Republican predecessor and counteract what he called catastrophic social and fiscal policy by the Trump administration. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. senior director, pledged to help foster a "stronger and fairer" New Jersey that creates higher-wage jobs, increases public-school funding, provides free access to community college, helps small businesses and ensures the wealthiest pay "their fair share" in taxes.
It tells you how chilly the public is to Jeff Sessions's new idea that even a plurality of Republicans, knowing that this is now the policy of Trump's DOJ, refuse to get behind it. Otherwise, though, the news here is that there is no news.
As questions swirl about the future of recreational marijuana in Massachusetts amid the threat of a new federal crackdown, U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas used a public event alongside President Donald Trump to urge the administration to focus instead on opioids. Tsongas and more than a dozen other members of Congress were gathered around the president's desk in the Oval Office for the signing of the INTERDICT Act, which Tsongas and Sen. Ed Markey helped introduce.
So, will U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' anti-pot jackboots soon be kicking in the doors of our local pot-friendly bars, yoga studios and massage parlors? Second answer: Yes, Massachusetts Cannabis Commission rules - now in their final draft stage - really would allow pot use at recreational venues like movie theaters and massage spas. Talk about "working your joints."
Fans of President Donald Trump who use marijuana say Attorney General Jeff Sessions' move to tighten federal oversight of the drug is the first time they've felt let down by the man they helped elect. The move feels especially punitive to Trump voters who work in the growing industry around legalized marijuana that has taken root in states of all political stripes.
The six-term state Democratic state representative from Hampton and longtime leading Statehouse proponent of marijuana legalization spoke on the eve of a Tuesday House vote on a bill that would allow for the use and home cultivation of small amounts of marijuana by adults for recreational purposes. The House was originally supposed to vote on the measure last Wednesday, but Cushing couldn't get back to New Hampshire in time from a family vacation in Australia.
Although lawmakers are not expected to approve marijuana legalization when they vote again on the question this week, developer and auctioneer Paul Morrissette believes it's only a matter of time.