When U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Obama-era federal policy memos that protected state-legal marijuana businesses, U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) responded quickly. “This reported action directly contradicts what Attorney General Sessions told me prior to his confirmation,” he tweeted. “With no prior notice to Congress, the Justice Department has trampled on the will of the voters in CO and other states."
U.S. Cory GardnerAs the junior senator representing a state on the vanguard of marijuana legalization, Gardner finds himself in a unique position to address Sessions’ move. And he said as much: “I am prepared to take all steps necessary, including holding DOJ nominees, until the Attorney General lives up to the commitment he made to me prior to his confirmation."
With that backdrop, Gardner hosted a bipartisan meeting of senators on the Cole Memo repeal on Jan. 9. “We discussed a path forward to respect the will of the people & defend states' rights,” the senator wrote.
Cannabis Business Times reached out to the office Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and confirmed that he attended the meeting.
Gardner planned to meet with Sessions today, Jan. 10, to press the attorney general on the precedent of states rights in the marijuana legalization arena. In Sessions’ announcement, he noted that U.S. attorneys will again have discretion to prosecute marijuana-related offenses under federal law. Those attorneys have mixed views on prosecution, given states’ differing legal statuses.
If Sessions does not relent on his policy move, Gardner may follow through on his intent to block U.S. Department of Justice nominees until some action is taken. As The Cannabist reported, Colorado lawmakers (including Gardner) gathered late last week to underscore the new urgency behind a bevy of proposed bills aimed at federal marijuana policy.
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