Oregon’s governor and the head of the state police defended the state’s legal marijuana industry in letters to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has been hinting at a crackdown on states such as Oregon that have legalized cannabis.
Gov. Kate Brown noted in her letter that Sessions’ earlier communication to her referenced a draft report from Oregon State Police that concluded a lot of Oregon’s marijuana was being diverted to other states.
Brown said new laws in Oregon will help cut down on diversion of legal marijuana into the black market.
Brown also noted that she recently signed into law legislation that makes it easier to prosecute the unlawful import and export of marijuana products.
The governors of Alaska and Washington state also recently pushed back against the Trump administration and defended their efforts to regulate the marijuana industry.
Brown told Sessions in her letter that Oregon’s marijuana industry has raised over $60.2 million in revenue and created over 16,000 jobs.
She said her staff looks forward to continuing its work with Sessions’ office “to end black market marijuana operations, and to provide mutual education and support of our legal and regulated marketplace.”
– Associated Press and Marijuana Business Daily
