Jeff Sessions shook up the states that legalized cannabis last week when he rescinded the Cole Memos protecting states from federal prosecution. Many politicians and states have stepped up to denounce the decision made by Sessions. Massachusetts was the latest to come to the rescue of the states new industry and give a tepid assurance that everything will be ok.
Per Boston Herald
If the feds bust any local pot shops, they’ll be on their own — state police and Boston cops won’t assist in any crackdown on businesses that are legal under state law, local authorities said.
Public Safety Secretary Daniel Bennett, who oversees the state police, told the Herald yesterday, “We have a state law that we’re intending to enforce, and the state law was voted on by the people of Massachusetts. We have no intention of raiding a pot shop that is legal under state law.”
Boston police spokesman Detective Lt. Michael McCarthy told the Herald in a statement last night: “Similar to our position on immigration, the BPD will not actively enforce federal marijuana laws at the local level. We will continue to enforce local drug laws to keep our neighborhoods safe.”
Earlier this week, Massachusetts-based U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said in a statement he could not guarantee the medical marijuana dispensaries, recreational pot shops, cultivators and customers would be immune from federal prosecution. This comes after Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded an Obama-era memo that shielded businesses in states that had legalized marijuana.
Unlike Colorado’s U.S. attorney, who explicitly said there would be no change in enforcement in the state, Lelling’s statement has stoked fears and increased uncertainty over the possibility of a federal crackdown on Bay State pot shops.
“I cannot … provide assurances that certain categories of participants in the state-level marijuana trade will be immune from federal prosecution,” Lelling said on Monday.
The U.S. attorney’s office declined to respond to Bennett’s remarks yesterday.
State officials, including the Cannabis Control Commission, have said they plan on moving forward with developing regulations for recreational use ahead of a July deadline.
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