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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

President Trump has promised [cnbc.com] Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado that he will support states that choose to legalize cannabis, despite rescinding the Cole Memo earlier in the year [soylentnews.org]. In exchange, Gardner will stop holding up the confirmation of Trump's Department of Justice nominees:

"Since the campaign, President Trump has consistently supported states' rights to decide for themselves how best to approach marijuana," Gardner said in a statement. "Late Wednesday, I received a commitment from the President that the Department of Justice's rescission of the Cole memo will not impact Colorado's legal marijuana industry. Because of these commitments, I have informed the Administration that I will be lifting my remaining holds on Department of Justice nominees," Gardner added.

The Washington Post first reported the development [washingtonpost.com], and the White House confirmed on Friday Gardner's statement was accurate.

In January, Attorney General Jeff Sessions revoked the Cole Memo [cnbc.com], Obama-era guidance designed to discourage prosecutors from targeting states that have legalized marijuana. The move provoked an outcry from marijuana friendly states, including Gardner's Colorado, in which the marijuana industry has flourished since 2000. Angry that Sessions had reneged on his pledge to leave marijuana states alone, Gardner promised to block all DOJ nominations, pending a resolution [cnbc.com]. Since then, he has held up about 20 Justice nominations, the Washington Post reported.

The news caused a surge in the stocks of some cannabis companies [bloomberg.com].

Meanwhile, former Speaker of the House John Boehner, who was "unalterably opposed" [norml.org] to legalization of cannabis back in 2011, has now evolved [nytimes.com] and is seeing green. Boehner announced that he has joined a board of advisers for Acreage Holdings, a cannabis corporation operating in 11 states. Is it a "watershed moment" for the industry?

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