The Silence of Sessions – A Deeper Look into the AG’s Position on Pot

The Silence of Sessions – A Deeper Look into the AG’s position on pot

Since Attorney General, Jeffery Beauregard Sessions, came into office, there have been plenty of talk about ‘what he will do’ especially since he’s so vocal about keeping the status quo in relation to the drug war.

In the beginning of the year he said, “Good people don’t smoke pot” and frequently spoke out against cannabis legalization citing that it is a gateway drug and all the old school drug war rhetoric.

In a recent interview however, Mr. Sessions decided to ‘not comment’ about the alleged plans to ‘push back’ against the legalized marijuana industry in States that have legalized the plant.

To quote him exactly, "I can't comment on the existence of an investigation at this time…I do not believe there is any argument that because a state legalizes marijuana that the federal law against marijuana is no longer existence," he said. "I do believe that the federal laws clearly are in effect in all 50 states, and we will do our best to enforce the laws as we are required to do so."

To put this statement into context, we have to understand ‘who he was talking to’ and about ‘what exactly’. Sessions was responding to a conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt in relation to the Federal government utilizing federal racketeering laws to go after cannabis businesses.

If you don’t know what these laws are, this is in reference to a law that was established sometime in 1970 (RICO ACT) which was originally created to combat organized crime organizations and their influence on politics, society and so forth. What Hewitt is referring to specifically is a clause that allows private citizens to bring civil suits against anyone who assists in the committing of a crime that harms their property or business.

Earlier this year, there was a push for just such an action in Colorado sponsored by a mysterious anti-drug organization called Safe Street Alliance. Essentially, there was a civil suit against a cannabis farm’s neighbors due to the “odor” causing the property value to decline. So yes…it’s a stretch but that’s the gist of the story.

jeffrey sessions on marijuana

BACK TO SESSIONS

So now, we have Hewitt asking Sessions whether or not this would be a legitimate position for the Federal government to take and to allow them to crack down on legal cannabis businesses by getting private citizens to circumvent State law and utilize Racketeering laws to shut down and prosecute business owners.

According to Sessions, he decided not to say yes or no to the question but instead left the ‘maybe’ in the air. In essence, I don’t think there is any such action going to happen any time soon. It’s merely desperate measures from the losing side of the drug war.

A Deep Dive into the Mysterious Mind of Sessions

Sessions has long been opposed to cannabis frequently citing outdated rhetoric. In an appearance at the Heritage Foundation, Sessions reiterated his stance;

"We've got to reestablish first a view that you should say no. People should say no to drug use," he said. "This whole country needs to be not so lackadaisical about drugs. ... Much of the addiction starts with marijuana. It's not a harmless drug."

Firstly, who uses the word lackadaisical anymore? If there is one thing Sessions is doing for America…it’s teaching them old-timey words from yesteryear. So there’s that…

Another point on cannabis that Sessions said in relation to the legalization effort in general was;

"I've never felt that we should legalize marijuana," he said. "It doesn't strike me that the country would be better if it's being sold on every street corner."

Simply in these two statements, we can understand how out of touch with reality Sessions truly is. The point being how he still believes cannabis is a gateway drug. Much of Addition starts with Marijuana. I’m sorry to inform you that addiction is way more complex than simply using a substance.

For instance, there are people who are addicted to sex, gambling, sports and much more. None of which requires “marijuana” to get hooked. Rather, addiction is usually tied to dismal living conditions, the lack of perceived opportunity and a poor self-image. Of course, some substances are highly addictive and play a role in the formation of addiction, however this isn’t the only cause.

We can take the Vietnam vets as an example. Many of them consumed Heroin while in Vietnam, and once they returned to their homes (post war), they simply stopped doing Heroin. Now heroin is one of the most addictive drugs on the planet…so why didn’t those people come home as addicts. Of course, some of them did…but most of them didn’t.

The second point in Sessions’ rhetoric is that “cannabis being sold on every corner”. What I don’t understand is that currently…cannabis IS being sold on every street corner. The illegal market drives the product to the streets and become more accessible due to lack of regulation.

Under a legalized scheme, you won’t have kids wandering into dispensaries without being carded and sent back home.

The point we need to understand here is that Sessions is old-school. He’s so old-school that schools didn’t even exist when he was a wee lad. I’m assuming he’s as old as Mr. Burns from the Simpsons…they might even be old pals.

IN CONCLUSION

I don’t think Sessions and his ilk will be moving on the cannabis industry anytime soon. With most Americans in favor of outright legalization…it would be political suicide to do so. If Trump wants to run for President again, he’ll leave weed alone.

What Will Jeff Sessions Do Next?