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Op-Ed: DOJ crackdown on marijuana is more of a vendetta than justice

It seems sort of strange that the Trump administration is more concerned with people growing, selling and using marijuana than in the millions of Americans addicted to and overdosing on opioids and heroin in this country.

Just last week, on July 19, a sweeping report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was released that urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review the safety and effectiveness of all opioids and consider the real-world impacts these painkillers have, not only on patients but also on families, crime and the demand for heroin.

As a matter of fact, the opioid crisis in this country is so huge that it has even impacted on the Republican’s efforts to get a new health care act through Congress. Opioids are the real-life problem and not marijuana use or sales.

Last Wednesday, Sessions re-established the controversial asset seizure program, saying he would “especially” target drug dealers. Is he talking about the marijuana shops in eight states? I doubt he would find any violence and crime in those locations.

Based on that move by the DOJ, it doesn’t take much to see where this is going. States like Colorado, along with seven other states and the District of Columbia, have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, and another 21 states allow its use for medical purposes.

Discount Medical Marijuana cannabis shop at 970 Lincoln Street  Denver  Colorado.

Discount Medical Marijuana cannabis shop at 970 Lincoln Street, Denver, Colorado.
O’Dea (CC BY-SA 3.0)


Sessions said a subcommittee is already exploring the DOJ’s use of asset forfeiture and will make “recommendations on any improvements needed to legal authorities, policies, and training to most effectively attack the financial infrastructure of criminal organizations.”

It seems Sessions wants to take on state governments, who by the way, are filling their coffers with the cash that marijuana has brought into their economy. Sessions is looking at the money as part of the DOJ’s “asset forfeiture” funds.

“Our attorney general is giving everyone whiplash by trying to take us back to the 1960s,” California Democratic Representative Jared Huffman recently told The New York Times, according to the New Civil Rights Movement.

Basically, as Democratic lawmaker Brian Schatz tweeted on Sunday, the move is “backward and inhumane.” He added that Sessions is removing eight years of progress towards a “more humane, less expensive, more just system” of law enforcement by dialing up the punishments for marijuana use.

Should the Trump administration, under the guise of the DOJ’s “war on marijuana” go through with this absurd witch hunt, the White House will end up opening a huge pail of worms, especially in the realm of infringement on state’s rights. It could go so far as fueling a showdown over criminal justice reform between Trump and Republican lawmakers.

I suppose one could add that Sessions is fiddling with changing the marijuana laws in this country because he has been put into a state of confusion over Trump’s Tweets about his disappointment in him after recusing himself from the Russia investigation. And the tweets have not stopped, as Trump continues his Twitter tirades.

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We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend Karen Graham, who served as Editor-at-Large at Digital Journal. She was 78 years old. Karen's view of what is happening in our world was colored by her love of history and how the past influences events taking place today. Her belief in humankind's part in the care of the planet and our environment has led her to focus on the need for action in dealing with climate change. It was said by Geoffrey C. Ward, "Journalism is merely history's first draft." Everyone who writes about what is happening today is indeed, writing a small part of our history.

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