Prior to his Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing last week, Judge Merrick Garland had not clarified his views on marijuana policy and how he would approach the issue if confirmed as Attorney General. However, after his...more
Medical marijuana will be on the ballot this November in Mississippi. Initiative 65 proposes to amend the Mississippi Constitution to allow citizens, certified by physicians, to use medical marijuana. For the most part,...more
Given the United States’ current political climate, bi-partisan unity has become a seemingly rare occurrence, especially in the country’s highest court. That’s what makes the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Timbs v....more
In December 2018, the Department of Justice (DOJ) updated its Justice Manual to add Title 1-20.000 et seq., Limitation on Use of Guidance Documents in Litigation. This addition formalizes guidance provided in two previous...more
As discussed in our January 5th blog post, the Cole Memorandum was rescinded by Attorney General Jeff Sessions on January 4th of this year. The Cole Memorandum had served to formally announce the DOJ’s policy that it would...more
Just days after the sale of recreational cannabis became legal in California, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a new policy regarding cannabis-related activities that is causing confusion for local governments — and...more
Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a one-page memorandum on January 4, 2018 (the “Sessions Memo”) rescinding both the Cole and Ogden Memoranda which essentially established a Department of Justice (“DOJ”) prosecutorial...more
On January 4, 2018, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memorandum (the “Sessions Memo”) on marijuana enforcement which rescinded the existing Obama-era Cole Memorandum....more
On January 4, 2018—just days after California began selling recreational marijuana and became poised to become the largest legal market for the drug in the U.S.—the Department of Justice changed tactics on marijuana...more
On January 4, 2018, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions officially rescinded all of the prior Obama-era Department of Justice (DOJ) marijuana-related guidance, including the so-called “Cole Memo.” That guidance had provided...more
Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a one-page memorandum on December 4th, rescinding Obama-era guidance that had allowed states to legalize medical and recreational marijuana with marginal federal interference, eliminating...more
The U.S. Department of Justice released a memorandum on December 4th, directing all U.S. Attorneys to use their prosecutorial discretion to enforce the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of 1970 with respect to the cultivation,...more
While marijuana is legal for medical and, in some instances recreational, use under the laws of 29 states plus the District of Columbia, under federal law it remains illegal....more
As predicted by Politico, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and other sources, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions today rescinded the 2013 Cole Memorandum “Guidance Regarding Marijuana Enforcement,” which has...more
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions yesterday rescinded the Cole Memorandum, which had directed the federal justice department to de-prioritize the prosecution of federal marijuana laws in states where the use of marijuana...more
If you have been following recent comments by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in an attempt to predict marijuana policy under the Trump Administration, you might be left scratching your head. In recent comments before...more