Representatives Lee, Blumenauer Call on Biden Administration to Reissue Cole and Wilkinson Memos to Protect State Legal Marijuana Markets
Washington, DC – Today, Democratic Cannabis Caucus Co-Chairs Representatives Barbara Lee (CA-12) and Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) led a letter to President Biden urging his administration to reissue overdue protections against federal interference in state-legal marijuana markets.
"We write to share our frustration that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has not reissued overdue protections against federal interference in state-legal marijuana markets. We urge you to correct this oversight and reissue a memo making clear DOJ’s limited resources will not be spent prosecuting those acting in accordance with state or Tribal law,” the representatives wrote. “The Cole and Wilkinson Memoranda provided this clear federal guidance until they were rescinded on January 4, 2018 by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. While we appreciate the historic steps the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to pardon federal simple possession marijuana offenses and begin the formal review of marijuana’s schedule under the Controlled Substances Act, it is unacceptable that more than half of Americans living in jurisdictions with legal marijuana markets are left in limbo without public guidance to prevent unjust prosecution of those complying with their state’s or Tribe’s regulations.”
To read the full letter, click HERE.