Washington, DC: Today, President-Elect Donald Trump tapped Republican Senator Jeff Sessions from Alabama for the position of United States Attorney General. The selection of Sen. Sessions, a long-time opponent of marijuana law reform, comes just days after voters in eight states decided in favor of legalizing marijuana.
The selection raises immediate concerns that the incoming Trump administration may renege on campaign promises to respect the will of the voters in states that have elected to pursue alternative regulatory schemes for cannabis.
Said NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri: “Trump’s nomination of Senator Sessions for the position of Attorney General should send a chill down the spine of the majority of Americans who support marijuana law reform, and who respect the will of voters to enact regulatory alternatives to cannabis prohibition. Senator Sessions is a militant marijuana prohibitionist who believes that ³good people don’t smoke marijuana.(source) This archaic mentality is not what we need from our nation’s Attorney General and we must put pressure on President-Elect Trump to ensure that Sessions upholds Trump’s campaign promise to not interfere with state marijuana laws.”
Said NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano: “Trump ascended to the Presidency by tapping into the divide between the views of ordinary voters and the policies espoused by Washington. One of the issues where this greatest divide exists is on the subject of marijuana policy, as evidence by the fact now more than half the country lives in jurisdictions that have legalized marijuana in some manner. Unfortunately, the appointment of Sen. Sessions — a longtime anti-marijuana zealot — will simply accentuate this divide and cost Washington, DC further respect and credibility with the ordinary American voter.”
Senator Sessions received a failing grade from NORML’s 2016 Congressional Report Card, released this past fall.
For more information, please contact Erik Altieri, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500.