Just in case you’ve been living in a cloud of smoke (which many of you are) you’ll want to know that the U.S. Senate has confirmed William Barr, President Trump’s nominee for attorney general, in a vote of 54-45. Barr replaces Jeff Sessions who was fired by Trump in November. During his confirmation hearings, Barr stated multiple times that he would “not go after” state-legal cannabis businesses if confirmed. Regardless of Barr’s stance, the Joyce Amendment (aka the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment) prohibits the DOJ from allocating any resources to prosecuting state-legal medical marijuana companies.
Barr opposes marijuana legalization but said during his hearings that Congress should resolve the disparity between state and federal laws. He said during his Senate confirmation hearings that he would adopt a hands-off policy toward state-legal cannabis businesses.
