Threats to the next Cannabis Cup

Donald Trump has been in office for only a month, and there are growing signs that the crackdown on cannabis is resuming. The Attorney General Jeff Sessions isn't really A fan of green, and his attitude proves it more and more.

The latest target is none other than the next one High Times Cannabis Cup, who judges and traditionally selects the world's best cannabis strains. The event, scheduled for March 4 and 5, was to take place on tribal lands 40 minutes outside Las Vegas.

Las Vegas District Attorney Daniel Bogden sent a memo to the Moapa Paiute Tribe stating that the Obama-era policies, which required federal authorities to respect each state’s cannabis laws, no longer applied. This memo calls into question a 2011 memo signed by the prosecutor at the time, James Cole.

«I have been informed that the tribal council plans to host the event known as the High Times Cannabis Cup 2017 because it believes that the Cole Memorandum and related memos from the Department of Justice permit the use, possession, and distribution of marijuana on tribal lands, just as state law does,» Bogden’s statement reads. «Unfortunately, this is an incorrect interpretation of the Department’s position on this matter. Nothing in the various memoranda alters the authority or jurisdiction of the United States to enforce federal law on Indian lands or anywhere else.»

The tribe is currently in discussions with the Nevada Attorney General’s Office to work toward a solution. In any case, if federal authorities do get involved, it would be the first real indication that the The White House wants to reinstate penalties cannabis-related offenses, which some U.S. states have decriminalized for varying lengths of time.

The The Cannabis Cup was held in Amsterdam for many years, but moved to the United States in 2013, taking advantage of the relaxation of U.S. cannabis laws in a few states. Ludacris, Chief Keef, and B-Real are expected to attend the 2017 Cannabis Cup.