AG Jeff Sessions and His Misguided Judgement...

As the individual states of the United States of America move steadily towards legalization of marijuana the feds, you know the ones, those that scream the loudest about limited government and giving more power back to the states, are moving to restore federal control over marijuana laws. There are likely several reasons for this. Continue reading below to find out the major reason why.

The Washington Post - Attorney General Jeff Sessions's move to enforce federal marijuana laws may be the latest chapter in the arguably failed war on drugs, his critics say. And this time, as his actions may be directed at the marijuana industry, people of color will be disproportionately harmed, some fear.

Sessions's directive makes it easier for American prosecutors to enforce federal marijuana laws in states where the substance is legal, such as California, which just legalized pot for recreational use on Jan. 1.

Now lets see what today's more enlightened views on marijuana use are:

Pew Research Center - About six-in-ten Americans (61%) say the use of marijuana should be legalized, reflecting a steady increase over the past decade, according to a Pew Research Center survey. The survey, conducted in October, finds that the share of U.S. adults who support marijuana legalization is little changed from about a year ago – when 57% favored it – but it is nearly double what it was in 2000 (31%).

As in the past, there are wide generational and partisan differences in views of marijuana legalization. Majorities of Millennials (70%), Gen Xers (66%) and Baby Boomers (56%) say the use of marijuana should be legal. Only among the Silent Generation does a greater share oppose (58%) than favor (35%) marijuana legalization.

Back to the Washington Post Article: :

The Justice Department move drew swift criticism from jurisdictions and has caused confusion among entrepreneurs in the multibillion dollar industry. Lawmakers from both parties have criticized the move as a disregard of states' rights and a waste of DOJ's resources.

According to the ACLU, 8 million people were arrested for marijuana-related crimes between 2001 and 2010, and 88 percent of them were for possession. Marijuana use is roughly equal among blacks and whites, but blacks are 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession.

SKIP

A Human Rights Watch report found that nearly half of all drug possession arrests in 2015 were for marijuana possession. And while the report also confirmed black and white Americans use marijuana at the same rate, in 2014, black adults accounted for just 14 percent of those who used drugs in the previous year but close to a third of those arrested for drug possession.

Sen. Rand Paul (R.-Ky.), who often discussed the need for criminal justice reform in his 2016 presidential bid, said Sessions needs to put the department's energy elsewhere.

“I continue to believe that this is a states’ rights issue, and the federal government has better things to focus on,” the senator said.

Rand Paul is right on this, as are 61% of the American Public. Jeff Sessions and Donald Trump, as well as all preceding administrations, save President Obama's are, and have been, wrong. PERIOD