IN IMMIGRATION, POT FIGHTS
Mass. caught in middle as authorities clash over control
The feds and local governments are on a collision course over immigration and marijuana, with Massachusetts residents caught in the middle.
New U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling has made it clear he wants to get tough on illegal immigration while local towns and cities are sending a far different signal — vowing not to cooperate with a crackdown.
And while Massachusetts voters have declared pot legal and the state is getting ready to legalize the cannabis industry, Lelling and the feds say it’s still illegal to sell weed. Confused yet?
You should be.
The latest showdown is unfolding in Lawrence, where the feds are threatening to issue subpoenas and warning the city to cooperate with immigration authorities or risk losing grant money.
And Lawrence officials are pushing back, calling the fed threats a “fishing expedition.”
This is not how government is supposed to work. We’re supposed to know the laws and obey them. Not be forced to watch a war of words between competing government authorities.
Cities like Lawrence need to be clear that they will enforce federal laws, and stop posturing for political purposes. Same goes for the feds — stop the political gamesmanship and do your job.
People have a right to know whether the laws are being obeyed, and which government is the ultimate authority.
That hasn’t been the case either in the battle over marijuana, where Lelling said yesterday that the state’s soon-to-be-legal pot industry is still in his sights.
That means those entrepreneurs looking to get into the business have to always be looking over their shoulder, wondering if they’ll be the ones targeted.
And the state has to be wondering why it’s spending all this time and money figuring out rules and regulations for the cannabis industry if the federal government declares them null and void.
You’d think that both sides — the state Cannabis Control Commission and the U.S. attorney’s office — could get together like adults and figure this out.
But, no. Lelling said he’s not even allowed to meet or talk with the commission because that apparently would violate some kind of legal standard. And it would look bad to his boss, pot prohibitionist Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
The two sides need to figure out soon which one is the ultimate boss or lawabiding citizens will get caught in the crossfire.
And by the way, the government — both the federal and state — need to be reminded they work for the people.