Trump Administration prepares to crackdown on marijuana

Posted by Sagar Satapathy on July 27, 2017.

With a view to reduce the number of violent crimes, Trump administration is getting ready to crackdown on marijuana growers, sellers and users across the country under Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

President Trump’s Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety, led by Sessions, is expected to issue a report next week that criminal justice reform advocates fear will link marijuana use to violent crime, and may recommend tougher sentences for those caught growing, selling and using marijuana. 

Sessions has been an outspoken opponent of marijuana use, claiming it's a gateway to illegal drugs and crime. In April, he sent a memo to update the DOJ and U.S. Attorney’s Offices on cannabis policies to be accomplished via a group of subcommittees.

“Task Force subcommittees will also undertake a review of existing policies in the areas of charging, sentencing, and marijuana to ensure consistency with the Department's overall strategy on reducing violent crime and with Administration goals and priorities,” Sessions wrote. In said memo, he gave a July 27th deadline.

Last week, Attorney General apparently also reinstated the criminal asset seizure program in anticipation of the Task Force’s findings. He also asked Congress to rescind a Justice Department budget amendment that stops the agency from using federal funds to block states from implementing their own marijuana legalization bills, both medical and recreational.

President Trump, during his election campaign, said he wouldn't touch state's rights on marijuana. "In terms of marijuana and legalization, I think that should be a state issue, state-by-state," he said.

In the USA, eight states and the District of Columbia have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, and another twenty-one states allow the use of medical marijuana, according to the Marijuana Policy Project. However, marijuana use is still illegal under federal law in the U.S.

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