54 Lawmakers Sign Letter Urging Trump Administration To Chill Out Over Marijuana

According to a report by The Hill, a bipartisan group of 54 lawmakers has sent a letter to President Trump urging him to call off Attorney General Jeff Sessions who seems intent on harassing states which have legalized marijuana for medical or recreational purposes.

In early January, Sessions put the kibosh on the Cole Memo giving Federal law enforcement agencies the go-ahead to go after “illegal” activity in these states as they see fit. Of course, as far as the Federal government is concerned, all cultivation, sales, purchase, and use of marijuana are considered illegal activity regardless of state laws to the contrary.

The letter is not the first action taken by joint members of Congress in reaction to Sessions’ threats. Shortly after Sessions announced the death of the Cole Memo, 69 members of Congress signed onto a letter proposing an amendment to the current spending bill that would include recreational marijuana protections. Other showdowns over the action are also looming.

Co-author of the letter, Mass. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has harshly criticized Sessions and the Department of Justice, saying that their actions are “reckless” and said that this action “disrupts the ability of states to enforce their own drug policies and puts our public health and safety at risk.”

The letter, also co-authored by Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), was sent to Trump on Thursday, asking him to reinstate the Cole Memo.

We write with urgent concern regarding the recent steps taken by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to disrupt state efforts to implement their own marijuana enforcement policies.

As a candidate, you stated: 'I really believe we should leave [marijuana] up to the states' and that 'it's got to be a state decision.

We trust that you still hold this belief, and we request that you urge the Attorney General to reinstate the Cole Memorandum.

Warren is also working on a new bill which could relieve pressure from the Feds. At a press conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts last week, Warren said, "I'm working with a bipartisan group to try to roll back the changes that the attorney general has made so that the states can make their own determination about their marijuana laws and how they want to enforce them."

On her Facebook page, Warren commented, "States have the right to enforce their own marijuana policies—and I’m working on legislation to make sure it stays that way. Massachusetts and other states have already implemented their own commonsense marijuana regulations, and the Justice Department’s reckless actions have only created uncertainty for legitimate businesses."

The full content of the letter can be seen here.