But the attorney general is quickly losing credibility when it comes to issues related to drug use.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions hates marijuana, but it appears unlikely that he’ll send the federal government to war against states that have legalized it.
That’s the takeaway from Sessions’ appearance Wednesday before local, state and federal law enforcement officials in Richmond, Virginia.
After delivering prepared remarks comparing marijuana to heroin and insisting that “using drugs will destroy your life,” Sessions told reporters that much of the Obama-era guidance that paved the way for states to legalize marijuana is “valid.” It’s the clearest indication yet that he may not be readying for a nationwide crackdown as some drug policy reformers have feared.
“The Cole Memorandum set up some policies under President Obama’s Department of Justice about how cases should be selected in those states and what would be appropriate for federal prosecution, much of which I think is valid,” Sessions told reporters.
