SESSIONS
Title: Attorney General Jeff Sessions Remains Committed to Enforcing Federal Cannabis Laws
Author: Cannabis Business Times
Date: 12 June 2018
Extract:
In an interview with Colorado Public Radio, Sessions revealed that he was never told to soften his stance after the Trump-Gardner deal and intends to uphold federal policy.
Sessions, on the other hand, has told Colorado Public Radio (CPR) that he was not told by Trump to back off from states that have legalized cannabis. “I did not have a meeting to discuss in detail what [Gardner’s] comments were,” he said. “They were more about the potential future legislation, as I recall it, and we were not ordered to do anything other than the policies that we intend to carry out nationally.”
“Marijuana remains prohibited by federal law, and Congress presumably will consider [the STATES Act],” Sessions added. “At this time, my view is clear, that the federal law remains in effect nationwide, just like it does for heroin and cocaine. Of course, [marijuana’s] not the death-dealing drug in the same way that fentanyl or heroin is, but it remains on the books as a prohibited substance.”
MAYORS
Seven Mayors of Major Cities Call for Cannabis Policy Reform
ARKANSAS
Title: Arkansas Supreme Court hears arguments over the rollout of state medical marijuana program
Author: MPP Blog
Date: 8 June 2018
Extract:
In March, an unsuccessful applicant sued the state, claiming that the Medical Marijuana Commission’s scoring process was flawed and that two of the commission’s members had conflicts of interest. The judge sided with the unsuccessful applicant, and the state’s rollout of the medical marijuana program was put on pause.
Yesterday, the Arkansas Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a dispute over Arkansas’ medical marijuana program. The program has been stalled since lawsuits were filed over how licenses were awarded. We learned that one commissioner was even offered a bribe from a company seeking a cultivation license.
No matter who wins this case, it’s Arkansas patients who are losing out. We hope that these legal matters will be concluded in a timely matter so that patients may have access to the medicine they need.
In other disappointing news, the Little Rock Board of Directors voted down a proposal last Tuesday to make marijuana possession the lowest enforcement priority for law enforcement.
DETROIT
NEW JERSEY
VERMONT
Conflicting Vermont Cannabis Regulations Cause Confusion for Patients
