WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump\u2019s pick to become the next attorney general said Tuesday that he would \u201cnot go after\u201d marijuana companies in states where cannabis is legal, even though he personally believes the drug should be outlawed.<\/p>\n
In his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, William Barr said he would not use limited government resources to target cannabis businesses that are complying with state laws. Businesses in the marijuana industry relied on Obama-era guidance that kept federal authorities from cracking down on the pot trade in states where the drug is legal, but those guidelines were rescinded by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions last year.<\/p>\n
Pointing to the growing marijuana industry and investments in cannabis companies, Barr said he didn\u2019t want to \u201cupset settled expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo the extent that people are complying with the state laws, distribution and production and so forth, we\u2019re not going to go after that,\u201d Barr said.<\/p>\n
Despite his affirmation that he would not target cannabis businesses, Barr said he would personally support a federal law that \u201cprohibits marijuana everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
The largely hands-off approach to marijuana enforcement set forth during former President Barack Obama\u2019s administration allowed the marijuana industry to flourish into a sophisticated, multimillion-dollar market that helps fund some state government programs. Days after California\u2019s broad marijuana legalization went into effect, Sessions rescinded the Justice Department\u2019s guidance \u2014 known as the Cole Memo \u2014 and decried it as allowing a \u201csafe harbor\u201d for marijuana by allowing states to flout federal law.<\/p>\n
Since the guidance was rescinded, there has been concern about the future of the growing cannabis industry. Despite medical and so-called recreational cannabis legalization in dozens of states, federal law prohibits the possession and sale of marijuana.<\/p>\n
But Barr said the current system is \u201cuntenable\u201d and \u201calmost like a backdoor nullification of federal law.\u201d He called for members of Congress to come up with a way to handle marijuana enforcement across the U.S.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s incumbent on the Congress to make a decision as to whether we are going to have a federal system,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause this is breeding disrespect for the federal law.\u201d<\/p>\n