US attorneys in two East Coast states differ on Sessions’ anti-marijuana stance

The top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts refuses to rule out a crackdown on legal marijuana businesses in the state after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Cole Memo last week.

According to The Boston Globe, the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts, Andrew E. Lelling, said he cannot “provide assurances that certain categories of participants in the state-level marijuana trade will be immune from federal prosecution.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. attorney in Delaware, David C. Weiss, said taking action against his state’s medical marijuana industry is “certainly not a priority,” The News-Journal reported.

Delaware currently has two operational MMJ dispensaries and two more in the works.

The statement by Massachusetts’ U.S. attorney follows a declaration by Gov. Charlie Baker that the state plans to push ahead with its impending recreational cannabis program, despite Sessions’ action.

Like Delaware, Massachusetts has an operational MMJ program.

It’s worth noting that the Obama-era guidelines revoked by Sessions don’t change anything for MMJ businesses. They currently are operating under the protections of the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment.