The Justice Department may reverse course from the Obama era and toughen enforcement of federal laws against marijuana possession, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Wednesday.
"We're looking very hard on that right now," Sessions said at press conference. "We had a meeting yesterday and talked about it at some length."
Sessions said his own view is that marijuana use is "detrimental" and that "we should not give encouragement in any way to it."
Though a growing number of states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana use, Sessions pointed out that it still is a violation of federal law which is "subject to being enforced."
"We are working our way through to a rational policy, but I don’t want to suggest in any way that this department believes that marijuana is harmless and people should not avoid it," Sessions said, adding that his department also is focused on dealing with the problems of opioid addiction and other drugs.
A 2013 Justice Department legal memorandum carries out a policy of non-interference in states as long as their pot laws do not interfere with federal priorities such as allow minors to use marijuana or drug cartels to profit. Sessions said he may consider a new memorandum to reverse that policy.
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