California defiant in face of federal move to get tough on marijuana
It is too early to tell how federal prosecutors around the country will interpret the Sessions memo
Thursday, January 4, 2018
The sale of recreational cannabis became legal in California on New Year’s Day. Just four days later, the Trump administration acted in effect to undermine that state law by allowing federal prosecutors to be more aggressive in prosecuting marijuana cases. “There is no question California will ultimately prevail,” Gavin Newsom, the lieutenant governor of California, said. “The public has accepted legalization’s inevitability. It will be very difficult for Sessions to bring us back to a mind-set that existed five years or a decade ago.” The head of California’s Bureau of Cannabis Control, Lori Ajax, said legalization would proceed as planned, “consistent with the will of California’s voters.” (See also: Jeff Sessions’ marijuana crackdown makes national legalization more likely)
