Pot crackdown fears grow as task force report nears

WASHINGTON — Criminal justice reform advocates fear Attorney General Jeff Sessions will crack down on marijuana growers, sellers, and users amid the release of task force recommendations due this week, according to The Hill.

“The task force revolves around reducing violent crime, and Sessions and other DOJ officials have been out there over the last month — and explicitly the last couple of weeks — talking about how immigration and marijuana increases violent crime,” Inimai Chettiar, Brennan Center’s Justice Program director, told The Hill.

AG Sessions sent a memo in April for the Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety to issue a review by July 27.

Sessions has been a hard-liner against government softening of drug policies, believing “drug abuse and violent crime surged” since.

Marijuana is still illegal under federal law, but eight states and Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational use, while 21 states permit medical uses, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.

Even some conservatives oppose federal action on marijuana in lieu of state’s rights.

“I will oppose anybody from the administration or otherwise that wants to interfere with state policy,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY., told The Hill.