A Warning Shot Against Medical Marijuana?

This week, Jeff Sessions fired what could be considered a warning shot against medical marijuana.

What did he do? He ordered prosecutors to go after charges against drug traffickers that would carry the harshest penalties. In addition, he made special mention of minimum sentencing, signaling an end to the Obama-era, where mandatory minimums were relaxed in many drug cases.

It would seem that Jeff Sessions would like to bring these back into full swing.

It appears that every week the Trump administration is creating new issues around drug enforcement. This is the biggest step yet, and one that has plenty of people in the medical marijuana business worried. Yes, as of now this direction only applies to illegally trafficked drugs, with no mention of specially targeting medical marijuana.

Still, the fact that this administration sees fit to increase the penalties for drug trafficking across the board does not bode well to the idea that they will be lenient on states that have legalized medical or recreational marijuana. To many, this seems like the first step in enacting stricter drug policies across the U.S., one where states rights (and, oh boy, does that get thrown out the window when it’s convenient) do not matter when it comes to federal law.

Time will tell if and how this may affect medical marijuana, but in the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for other signs that there is trouble brewing.
Next week, we promise to keep away from Jeff Sessions.

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