WASHINGTON ― Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a vocal and longtime opponent of marijuana, will allow the nation’s top federal prosecutors to decide how to handle marijuana cases in states where the drug has been legalized.
The Justice Department decision, announced on Thursday, immediately caused chaos in an industry that has been growing in recent years as some states have embraced marijuana legalization, and sent stock prices of large cannabis companies nosediving as much as 35 percent. It will likely leave those in legal marijuana businesses uncertain whether the U.S. attorney in their district will resume enforcing federal law, which still regards marijuana as illegal.
Sessions rescinded four memos issued during the Obama administration that outlined guidelines to help federal prosecutors decide whether to enforce laws against marijuana growers and sellers in states where the drug is legal. The guidance effectively discouraged federal prosecution of those who were following state laws.
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