SACRAMENTO—Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley) introduced a resolution calling for Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Department of Justice to respect California’s cannabis laws and condemning Jeff Sessions for diverting scarce public safety resources away from legitimate public safety concerns. Assemblymember Evan Low chairs the Assembly Business and Professions Committee, which oversees the licensing and regulation of cannabis in the state.
“Over 60% of Americans support legalizing cannabis but Attorney General Jeff Sessions is still stuck in the Reefer Madness era,” said Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley). “California has established strict regulations and oversight of both medical and recreational cannabis in our state. This unwarranted federal crackdown not only undermines state autonomy, it is a misguided waste of public safety resources that would be better spent addressing the opioid epidemic.”
Assembly Joint Resolution 27 argues that the U.S. Department of Justice’s aggressive enforcement of federal cannabis laws in states that have legalized the drug undermines states’ rights and diverts law enforcement resources from legitimate public safety concerns. The resolution goes on to urge the federal government to instead focus on investigating and prosecuting the prescription drug epidemic, which claims 91 American lives each day.
The resolution is in response to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ announcement that he would rescind an existing policy that discouraged federal prosecutors in most cases from prosecuting cannabis in states that have legalized the drug. Over 60% of Americans support legalizing the drug, according to the Pew Research Center.
In 2016, over 57% of Californians voted for Proposition 64, which legalized recreational cannabis for adults over 21 starting on January 1, 2018. The state has established a strict and comprehensive system of oversight for both medical and recreational cannabis, including prohibitions on sale to minors, tracking the drug through the supply chain, regulation and testing, limits on the type of cannabis that can be sold, and ongoing supervision and licensing of cannabis businesses and manufactures.
###
