‘Not the same as heroin’: Bernie Sanders, others slam Sessions’ planned pot crackdown
The decision by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end the policy allowing legalized marijuana to flourish at the state level comes just three days after recreational pot use became legal in California, and it has already made an impact nationwide.
In a matter of hours, Thursday morning’s news has negatively affected marijuana company stocks, several sources have reported.
Political backlash came quickly as well. Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted that Sessions’ move will “reverse the progress that has been made.”
No, Attorney General Sessions. Marijuana is not the same as heroin. No one who has seriously studied the issue believes that. Quite the contrary. We should allow states the right to move toward the decriminalization of marijuana, not reverse the progress that has been made.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 4, 2018
It’s not just Democrats who are opposed. Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, where recreational marijuana has been legal since 2012, wrote that the Department of Justice “has trampled on the will of the voters in CO and other states.”
This reported action directly contradicts what Attorney General Sessions told me prior to his confirmation. With no prior notice to Congress, the Justice Department has trampled on the will of the voters in CO and other states.
— Cory Gardner (@SenCoryGardner) January 4, 2018
Here’s a sampling of what others – politicians, weed advocates and even doctors – had to say about Sessions’ plan to crack down on marijuana.
This story was originally published January 4, 2018 at 10:15 AM with the headline "‘Not the same as heroin’: Bernie Sanders, others slam Sessions’ planned pot crackdown."