SACRAMENTO – Assemblyman Marc Steinorth (R-Rancho Cucamonga), along with Senator Wilk and Assemblymembers Chen and Lackey, submitted a letter to the United States Attorneys of California requesting dutiful updates regarding the federal government’s action to roll back cannabis enforcement policies.
United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Thursday, January 4, 2018 that he is rescinding the “Cole Memo,” which has previously allowed states with legalized cannabis to operate free of federal enforcement, on condition that those states were proficiently protecting public safety, providing relevant enforcement information to the federal government, and enforcing measures that prohibit illicit market transactions.
“This sudden action places California in a tremendous state of miscommunication between the state and federal government. It is imperative that the US Attorney General provides the State of California with updated actions pertaining to this matter so that we can continue to conduct business authorized by the voters and, ultimately, protect our constituents,” said Assemblyman Marc Steinorth.
January 1, 2018 marked the first day for legal recreational cannabis sales in California, after the passage of Proposition 64 by the California voters.
Assemblyman Marc Steinorth (R-Rancho Cucamonga) represents the 40th Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes the cities of Redlands, Highland, Loma Linda, and portions of San Bernardino and Rancho Cucamonga.
Below is the full text of the letter:
Dear Honorable United States Attorneys of California:
We are writing you concerning the news that United States Attorney General Jeff Session has announced today that he is rescinding a set of legal memos relating to federal enforcement of cannabis. Included in this action would be rescinding the “Cole Memo” which has previously allowed states with state legalized cannabis to operate free of federal enforcement, provided those states were proficiently protecting public safety, providing relevant enforcement information to the federal government, and enforcing measures that prohibit illicit market transactions.
As you are aware, the voters of California passed Proposition 64 in November of 2016, legalizing recreational cannabis in the state of California. In recent years, the Legislature of California has enacted several laws and established regulations in response to the voter legalization of both recreational and medicinal cannabis in order to protect public safety and comply with the will of the voters. Just 3 days ago, the State of California was officially opened to legal recreational cannabis sales, in addition to our existing medical cannabis regulatory scheme. Our offices have been involved in crafting a regulatory environment for recreational and medicinal cannabis that squashes illicit activities, and California indeed still has work to do to shut down our states’ large black market for cannabis. We believe that clear steps must be taken by California to improve the robustness of our regulations, particularly in regards to how we track cannabis from seed to sale to prevent illegal diversions.
Under the memo Attorney General Sessions issued today, it appears that federal enforcement of cannabis has been shifted into each of your hands to determine the level of enforcement you deem necessary. You have been directed to use, “all necessary tools to disrupt criminal organizations, tackle the growing drug crisis, and thwart violent crime across our country.”
As members of the California Legislature, we respectfully ask that each of you promptly provide the California Legislature with an update on the actions we can expect the federal government to take on each of your behalves, relative to cannabis enforcement. Specifically, will the new enforcement actions be targeted solely towards the illicit market, or will the federal government devote any resources to enforce actions taken by our constituents operating under the legal framework provided by California law?
As servants of the Californian public, we have a duty to establish laws that ensure a healthy and safe living environment for our constituents, while also giving each State the ability to allow or prohibit activities deemed suitable by the will of the voters.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Marc Steinorth
Assembly District 40
Please contact Heather Rouhana for more information at (909) 476-5023
