Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Massachusetts' top marijuana regulator, Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, is asking the Trump administration for an explanation after it raised the prospect last month of a federal crackdown on recreational pot, which remains illegal under federal law even as eight states have legalized the drug.
In a letter sent to the Department of Justice Tuesday morning, she asked for clarity about whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has a long history of hard-line opposition to marijuana, will change the Obama administration's laissez-faire federal attitude to pot industries legal under state law.
As treasurer, Goldberg said, she's aware of her obligation to manage state finances prudently.
"Fiscal responsibility requires predictability, and I want to ensure that we understand the DOJ's intentions," the Brookline Democrat wrote. "In recent weeks, comments from the Trump Administration suggest that the DOJ may be considering a change. I would greatly appreciate your prompt response to clarify whether this is true – and if so, what changes we should prepare for before we commit significant public resources to implementing Massachusetts' recreational marijuana laws."
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said two weeks ago that he expects "greater enforcement" against the recreational marijuana market. Sessions has also telegraphed a warning to the states, saying he is "dubious about marijuana."
Because marijuana remains strictly illegal under federal law, Sessions could choose to order targeted prosecutions of recreational marijuana farms and shops that are operating legally under state law. Such a move could seriously threaten the retail marijuana industry, worth more than a billion dollars in Colorado alone. It could dry up money for getting the new industry off the ground in Massachusetts and the three other states where voters legalized last year: Maine, California, and Nevada.
Under Obama, federal authorities effectively allowed the recreational marijuana industry to blossom in several states.
The government abstained from enforcement of certain parts of federal law through a memorandum issued by a top Justice Department official in 2013.
That document, known as the Cole Memo, set enforcement priorities for federal prosecutors, such as preventing revenue from the sale of marijuana from going to cartels, and preventing violence in the drug's distribution.
But those priorities did not include prosecuting marijuana businesses operating in legal, regulated markets under state law, which gave the industry room to grow.
Other Massachusetts officials have also asked for clarity from the new administration.
US Senator Elizabeth Warren and several of her colleagues wrote to Sessions asking the DOJ to uphold its existing enforcement policy regarding states that have voter-approved marijuana laws.
In a November referendum, Massachusetts voters legalized growing, buying, possessing and using limited amounts of marijuana. But sales aren't expected to be legal until summer 2018. In the meantime, Goldberg is readying a regulatory infrastructure. The Legislature is also looking to tinker with the law.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Mass. Treasurer Asks Trump Administration For Clarity On Marijuana
Author: Joshua Miller
Contact: 1-888-694-5623)
Photo Credit: John Tlumacki
Website: Boston Globe
In a letter sent to the Department of Justice Tuesday morning, she asked for clarity about whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has a long history of hard-line opposition to marijuana, will change the Obama administration's laissez-faire federal attitude to pot industries legal under state law.
As treasurer, Goldberg said, she's aware of her obligation to manage state finances prudently.
"Fiscal responsibility requires predictability, and I want to ensure that we understand the DOJ's intentions," the Brookline Democrat wrote. "In recent weeks, comments from the Trump Administration suggest that the DOJ may be considering a change. I would greatly appreciate your prompt response to clarify whether this is true – and if so, what changes we should prepare for before we commit significant public resources to implementing Massachusetts' recreational marijuana laws."
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said two weeks ago that he expects "greater enforcement" against the recreational marijuana market. Sessions has also telegraphed a warning to the states, saying he is "dubious about marijuana."
Because marijuana remains strictly illegal under federal law, Sessions could choose to order targeted prosecutions of recreational marijuana farms and shops that are operating legally under state law. Such a move could seriously threaten the retail marijuana industry, worth more than a billion dollars in Colorado alone. It could dry up money for getting the new industry off the ground in Massachusetts and the three other states where voters legalized last year: Maine, California, and Nevada.
Under Obama, federal authorities effectively allowed the recreational marijuana industry to blossom in several states.
The government abstained from enforcement of certain parts of federal law through a memorandum issued by a top Justice Department official in 2013.
That document, known as the Cole Memo, set enforcement priorities for federal prosecutors, such as preventing revenue from the sale of marijuana from going to cartels, and preventing violence in the drug's distribution.
But those priorities did not include prosecuting marijuana businesses operating in legal, regulated markets under state law, which gave the industry room to grow.
Other Massachusetts officials have also asked for clarity from the new administration.
US Senator Elizabeth Warren and several of her colleagues wrote to Sessions asking the DOJ to uphold its existing enforcement policy regarding states that have voter-approved marijuana laws.
In a November referendum, Massachusetts voters legalized growing, buying, possessing and using limited amounts of marijuana. But sales aren't expected to be legal until summer 2018. In the meantime, Goldberg is readying a regulatory infrastructure. The Legislature is also looking to tinker with the law.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Mass. Treasurer Asks Trump Administration For Clarity On Marijuana
Author: Joshua Miller
Contact: 1-888-694-5623)
Photo Credit: John Tlumacki
Website: Boston Globe
