Sessions Rescinds Cole Memo, Which Protected State-Legal Cannabis From Feds

LA Cannabis Industry: Sessions ‘More Bark Than Bite’

Update, 4:44 p.m. PST — Daniel Yi, vice president of corporate communications at dispensary chain MedMen, called the announcement “problematic” but said nothing has changed on the ground level. After all, he said, the Sessions memo issued Thursday did not declare a federal crackdown on cannabis but rather dictated that federal marijuana enforcement will be left to the discretion of individual US attorneys in states across the country. In California, Yi expects these prosecutors to be in tune with the overall direction of the state. “To us, at the end of this day, the story here is that this only underscores the fact that we need to end the federal prohibition” he said.

Jason Beck, owner of Alternative Herbal Health Services, in West Hollywood, has operated the shop as a medical dispensary since 2004 and just introduced adult-use sales on Tuesday. While people who are new to the cannabis industry are “freaking out” over Sessions’ decision, he said it’s par for the course for industry veterans like himself. He described the memo as “more rhetoric” and “lip service.” He added: “I’ve been raided three times already by the federal government, so I already know what time it is.”

Los Angeles City Council President Herb J. Wesson released a statement indicating the city had no signs of slowing its regulatory rollout. “We will not be bullied by an out-of-town and out-of-touch politician,” he said. “The voters of California and Los Angeles have spoken.”

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