Jeff Sessions resigns at Trump's request

Cannabis has the wind at its back in the United States In the space of three days, the main barriers to reforming cannabis laws have come down. The Democrats regained control of Congress and removed the reform movement's main bulwark in the House, Pete Sessions. Yesterday, another major bulwark fell, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions (no relation to Pete), known for his fervent opposition to cannabis, who resigned at President Trump's request.

Meanwhile, voters in Michigan, Utah and Missouri have voted in favor of introducing medical or recreational cannabis in their states. Elections for some governors also look promising.

....We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well! A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date.

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2018

A fervent opponent of cannabis

Chosen by Trump as U.S. Attorney General for his anti-immigration (if not outright racist) positions Jeff Sessions also has cannabis as an enemy. In April, he declared that «good people don't smoke cannabis». As Attorney General, he oversees federal agencies such as the DEA and FBI, as well as federal prosecutors. He had thus sought to get them to interfere with the cannabis industry in states where it is legal.

In particular, he wanted to cancel the memorandums passed under the Obama administration, which protect the right of states to legalize cannabis. These non-binding texts are intended to guide the actions of federal prosecutors and restrict federal intervention in state cannabis activities, on condition that states do not export the product and keep it out of the hands of children and the criminal circuit.

For Jeff Sessions, federal law takes precedence. It was Congress that prevented him from imposing his vision arguing that the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment, A bill had also been introduced to limit federal interference: a bill to create a "medical cannabis law", and to control the department's budget to prevent it from spending funds to interfere with state cannabis legislation. A bill had also been introduced to limit federal interference: the REFER Act (Restraining Excessive Federal Enforcement & Regulations of Cannabis Act of 2018).

A bulwark against cannabis but also against abandoning the investigation into Russian interference

Cannabis activists and supporters are therefore enthusiastic about Jeff Sessions' departure. This enthusiasm can also be seen among investors, with stock prices on the rise, the most notable increase being that of Tilray, which gained over 25% recently. Yet there are also concerns about the independence of the judiciary.

Despite the solemn tone of his tweet, Trump did not hold Jeff Sessions close to his heart: he insulted him several times in public, calling him an idiot (in May 2017), disgraceful (“disgraceful” in February) and even insinuating that he was “beleaguered” (in July 2017). And for good reason: in March 2017, the Attorney General withdrew from the Russia investigation after receiving confirmation from a representative of the existence of secret meetings with the Russian ambassador. He therefore left the FBI's hands free to investigate Russian interference in the United States and gave up appointing the new FBI chairman himself after Trump fired James Comey in May 2017. It was therefore Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein who appointed the new FBI director, Mueller, who continued the investigation.

In August, Trump complained about the investigation, saying it wouldn't have been launched if the U.S. had had a real attorney general to prevent it. The new Attorney General, Matthew G. Whitaker, seems to be moving in Trump's direction. He wrote an open letter last year denouncing that the FBI investigation was going too far and that the Deputy Attorney General should order Mueller to limit it. No wonder Mueller was appointed to replace Jeff Sessions.

“They were all in on it, clear Hillary Clinton and FRAME Donald Trump for things he didn't do.” Gregg Jarrett on @foxandfriends If we had a real Attorney General, this Witch Hunt would never have been started! Looking at the wrong people.

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2018