California GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is lashing out at Attorney General Jeff Sessions for allowing federal prosecutors to target marijuana users in states where it’s been legalized.
In a statement posted to his website this Thursday, Rohrabacher said Sessions’ move only serves to hurt the GOP’s chances in the 2018 midterm elections.
“The attorney general of the United States has just delivered an extravagant holiday gift to the drug cartels,”Rohrabacher said in his statement. “By attacking the will of the American people, who overwhelmingly favor marijuana legalization, Jeff Sessions has shown a preference for allowing all commerce in marijuana to take place in the black market, which will inevitably bring the spike in violence he mistakenly attributes to marijuana itself.”
“By taking this benighted minority position, he actually places Republicans’ electoral fortunes in jeopardy,” he added.
Had to ask @realDonaldTrump about #marijuana in light of his alliance with @GovChristie:#9NEWS #COpolitics pic.twitter.com/lK4btIQWuK
— Brandon Rittiman (@BrandonRittiman) July 29, 2016
On the same day as Rohrabacher’s statement, Sessions rescinded orders put in place by the Obama administration that directed federal prosectors to relax efforts to go after pot-related cases in states where it’s been made legal. Recreational marijuana became legal in Rohrabacher’s home state of California on January 1st.
Rohrabacher also pointed out that Sessions’ decision contradicted statements made by President Trump where he said he wouldn’t support a federal crackdown on pot in states where it’s been legalized.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Trump said during a radio interview in July of 2016. “I think it’s up to the states … I’m a states person. I think it should be up to the states, absolutely.”
According to Rohrabacher, Sessions is “attacking the clear will of the American people.”
“…the attorney general contradicts President Trump’s campaign pledges to leave medical and recreational marijuana questions for the states to decide.”
As The Washington Post points out, numerous GOP politicians have come out against Sessions anti-pot stance.
Featured image via screen grab (YouTube)
