US Attorney General Ends Obama Marijuana Policy

 

American Attorney General Jeff Sessions has cancelled a federal policy that let American states legalize marijuana.

The move came just days after California, the country’s largest state, began permitting recreational use of the drug.

President Donald Trump’s top law enforcement official announced the change Thursday. Instead of the earlier hands-off policy, Sessions will let federal lawyers in states where marijuana is already legal decide how aggressively to enforce federal law.

In a memo¹, Sessions asked federal lawyers to consider the seriousness of the crime and its impact “in deciding which marijuana activities to prosecute² under these laws.”

The move by Sessions is likely to create questions in states where it is legal to buy, use and grow marijuana.

Although some state laws have legalized the use of the drug for medical and recreational reasons, marijuana remains³ illegal under U.S. federal law.

In 2013, the Obama administration announced in a memo that it would not resist states’ efforts to legalize marijuana. The memo urged the states to keep marijuana from getting to places where it remained illegal. And it asked the states to keep the drug from criminal gangs and children.

Opposition⁴ to Sessions’ policy change

Republican lawmaker Cory Gardner of Colorado quickly voiced opposition to Sessions’ plan. Colorado is among eight states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use.

Gardner said in a Twitter message that the Justice Department “has trampled⁶ on the will of the voters” in Colorado and other states. He also said the action goes against what Sessions had said he would do before becoming attorney general.

Along with Colorado, recreational use of marijuana is legal in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, Maine and Masachussetts and in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. Another 21 U.S. states permit the use of marijuana for medical reasons.

The legal sale of marijuana has become a multi-million-dollar business. It helps fund schools, educational programs and law enforcement. In California, the business is estimated to bring in $1 billion a year in tax money within the next several years.

Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno is with the Drug Policy Alliance. She called Sessions’ policy a return to outdated⁷ drug-war policies that mainly affected⁸ minorities. She added that Sessions “wants to maintain a system that has led to tremendous injustice⁹ ... and that has wasted federal resources on a huge scale.”

A public opinion study carried out by Gallup in October 2017 shows that 64 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana.

Support for Sessions policy

The attorney general and some law enforcement officials have blamed legalization for increased drug trafficking. They said drug traffickers have taken advantage of state laws to grow marijuana. Then, they sell it across state lines for more money.

Kevin Sabet of Smart Approaches to Marijuana called Sessions’ decision a “victory.”

Sessions has blamed the illegal use of marijuana and heroin¹⁰ for rising violence in America.

But activists¹¹ argue that legalizing the drug would likely reduce violence, since criminals would no longer control the marijuana trade.

I’m Caty Weaver¹².

Words in This Story

recreational - adj. (of a drug) used for pleasure instead of for medical purposes

hands-off - adj. allowing people to do what they want to do without bothering or stopping them

memo - n. a usually brief written message from one person or department in an organization, company, etc., to another

prosecute - v. ? to hold a trial against a person who is accused of a crime to see if that person is guilty?

trample⁵ - v. ? to treat other people's rights, wishes, or feelings as if they are worthless or not important?

outdated - adj. ?no longer useful or acceptable : not modern or current

tremendous - adj. ?very large or great

take advantage of - to use (something, such as an opportunity) in a way that helps you : to make good use of (something)

1 memo   

n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章

参考例句：

• Do you want me to send the memo out?您要我把这份备忘录分发出去吗？
• Can you type a memo for me?您能帮我打一份备忘录吗？

2 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 trample   

vt.踩，践踏；无视，伤害，侵犯

参考例句：

• Don't trample on the grass. 勿踏草地。
• Don't trample on the flowers when you play in the garden. 在花园里玩耍时,不要踩坏花。

6 trampled   

踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯

参考例句：

• He gripped his brother's arm lest he be trampled by the mob. 他紧抓着他兄弟的胳膊，怕他让暴民踩着。
• People were trampled underfoot in the rush for the exit. 有人在拼命涌向出口时被踩在脚下。

7 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

8 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

9 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

10 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

11 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。