Dem Rep. Ted Lieu Slams Sessions: He ‘Wants To Take America Back To The 1920s’

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) on Thursday slammed Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s decision to rescind an Obama-era directive that banned federal prosecutors from enforcing federal marijuana laws in states that had legalized the substance, likening the policy change to Prohibition.

“AG Jeff Sessions apparently wants to take America back to the 1920s. Prohibition didn’t work then and it will not work now,” Lieu tweeted.

AG Jeff Sessions apparently wants to take America back to the 1920s. Prohibition didn’t work then and it will not work now. Congress needs to pass sensible laws to prevent a monumental waste of precious federal resources chasing Americans who use #cannabis. #thursdaythoughts https://t.co/GP3qPyKIve

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) January 4, 2018

Sessions earlier Thursday moved to roll back the so-called Cole memo, which discouraged U.S. attorneys from prosecuting marijuana-related cases in states that have legalized recreational marijuana use.

The Hill added:

Sessions, a vocal critic of marijuana legalization, has hinted for months that he would move to crack down on the growing cannabis market.

It was not immediately clear when Sessions will formally revoke the agreement, authored in 2013 by then-Deputy Attorney General James Cole.

The new policy sets up a battle between the federal government and states that have legalized the drug for recreational use.

Lieu represents a district in California, which on Monday became the sixth state to allow the production, distribution, and sale of recreational marijuana.