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posted by Fnord666 on Saturday February 25 2017, @06:48PM   Printer-friendly
from the uphill-battle dept.

The State of Washington's Attorney General says he will resist federal efforts to undermine his state's legalized cannabis laws:

With White House press secretary Sean Spicer suggesting Thursday that the Trump administration would crack down on states that have legal recreational marijuana, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson vowed to defend Washington state's legal pot law. "I will resist any efforts by the Trump administration to undermine the will of the voters in Washington state," Ferguson said in an interview. Spicer said during a press briefing Thursday that the issue rests with the Justice Department. But he said, "I do believe that you'll see greater enforcement of it."

[...] Ferguson and Gov. Jay Inslee sent a letter to U.S. attorney general Jeff Sessions, dated Feb. 15 that laid out arguments for Washington's state-regulated pot industry. They said illegal dealing is being displaced by a tightly regulated industry that is projected to pay $272 million in taxes this fiscal year. That frees up law-enforcement officers to protect communities facing more pressing threats. They also noted that legal pot entrepreneurs must undergo criminal and financial background checks.

California's Attorney General is also on board:

"Until we see any sort of formal plan from the federal government, it's full speed ahead for us," said Alex Traverso, a spokesman for the California Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation. In Congress, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) plans to introduce legislation that could blunt Spicer's threat by preventing the Department of Justice from enforcing federal laws against the recreational use of marijuana in states that have legalized it, a spokesman said Friday. [...] California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra says he is ready to safeguard the rights of the 56% of voters who approved Proposition 64, which allows California adults to possess, transport and buy up to an ounce of marijuana for recreational use.

In other weed news, make sure to check your weed bales for nukes.


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  • (Score: 2) by Beryllium Sphere (r) on Saturday February 25 2017, @07:39PM

    by Beryllium Sphere (r) (5062) on Saturday February 25 2017, @07:39PM (#471576)

    That's how a logical man would look at it.

    Sessions, though he conveniently forgot about it later, is on record wanting to execute weed dealers. http://reason.com/blog/2017/02/01/heres-that-time-jeff-sessions-wanted-to [reason.com]

    Two forces could drive a crackdown. One is Sessions' irrationality. The other is all the money and property that law enforcement could seize and keep now that the pot businesses have addresses.

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  • (Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Sunday February 26 2017, @06:11PM

    by linkdude64 (5482) on Sunday February 26 2017, @06:11PM (#471939)

    Weed dispensaries != drug/weed dealers

    Subtle but important difference. Enforcement would make a lot more money if they simply supported a measure to heavily vice-tax pot, as is done with cigarettes and alcohol.