Attorney General Jeff Sessions Draws Bipartisan Backlash After Calling For Stricter Marijuana Laws

On Thursday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded an Obama-era policy on marijuana that classified it as a low priority for law enforcement unleashing an unexpected wave of bipartisan backlash.

Sessions has never been shy of letting those around him know of his disdain for legalized pot. But when Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) agreed to support Trump’s pick for attorney general both men reassured him of their continued commitment to respecting the policies already in place.

Gardner was shocked when he first heard of Sessions nullification of former President Barack Obama‘s policy which allowed states where pot was legal to operate without fear of prosecution. Gardner, whose state grosses nearly $1 billion in legal pot sales annually, took to Twitter with a video of the president saying that he believed the marijuana issue was a states’ rights issue.

Gardner isn’t the only conservative Republican to express distaste in the attorney general’s latest action. Representative Matt Gaetz (R–Florida), who referred to the new policy as “heartless and cold,” also took to Twitter to say why he believes moving towards decriminalization was the smart move, citing the medical benefits pot has for patients and children suffering from pain and disease.

Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, whose state just last week made recreational marijuana legal, along with Democratic Senator Patrick J. Leahy (D–Vermont) are considering their options in hopes of ending the new policy including withholding funding for the Justice Department.