States Where Marijuana Is Legal Want Jeff Sessions to Reconsider His War on Weed

By Greg Price On 3/30/18 at 3:42 PM EDT

U.S.

State treasurers from four states and leaders from the legal marijuana industry requested a meeting with fervidly anti-cannabis Attorney General Jeff Sessions to discuss how states where the drug is legal could comply and work within federal laws, according to a Thursday letter to Sessions.

Treasurers from California, Illinois, Oregon and Pennsylvania broke down the number of states to pass some form of legalized, recreational marijuana—29 in total—to illustrate how the issue was not partisan and reflected a trend throughout the country.

"This is not just a blue state phenomenon but includes purple and red states in every corner of our country," the letter to Sessions read in part. "A majority of Americans now live in states where they have decided to legalize cannabis."

The letter specifically pointed to Sessions's announcement in January to "return to the rule of law" when it came to enforcing drug laws, effectively killing off the so-called Cole Memos implemented during President Barack Obama's administration. The memos served as a guideline for U.S. attorneys to ensure that states that legalized recreational marijuana followed federal rules, like preventing the sale of marijuana to minors, possession or usage on federal property, and allowing financial institutions to work with the marijuana industry.

GettyImages-919284392 — Cannabis entrepreneur Virgil Grant carries bags of medical marijuana at a dispensary he runs in Los Angeles, on February 8. Grant is riding the high on California’s cannabis legalization, with a burgeoning empire that already comprises three dispensaries, two plantations and a line of apparel. AFP via Getty Images/Frederic Brown

"For some banks, the Cole Memos provided that comfort, by providing a roadmap to follow to ensure compliance with the rules related to banking, such as those related to money laundering and know your customer receipts," the letter read.

Congress did provide protections for states that allow patients to use medical marijuana—and for the legal industry itself—to operate within the law by attaching a rider to last week's $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill to fund the government through September 30. However, the rider served as a temporary patch.

Sessions, who's long called for stricter enforcement of existing drug laws since his days in the U.S. Senate, said in March that federal prosecutors lacked the resources to go after more incremental marijuana cases. He noted that they "haven't been working small marijuana cases before, they are not going to be working them now."

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