(The state fully legalized medicinal cannabis in 2007.) And all the while, official Washington stood on the sidelines (for the most part) and watched as state after state traveled down the path toward legal pot.

Medical marijuana patients protested outside the Moakley Courthouse in Boston Thursday to show their opposition to Attorney General Jeff Sessions' decision to shift federal policy on marijuana enforcement.

The Hemp Industries Association (HIA) represents the interests of the hemp industry and encourages the research and development of new hemp products.

The state Department of Finance expects Californians to purchase almost 1 million pounds of marijuana over the first full budget year of legalization, between July 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019.

Not coincidentally, Sessions also opposes reforming civil asset forfeiture, which allows the government to seize the property of the accused even before they're convicted of a crime - and makes it hard and sometimes impossible even for those found not guilty to get their property back.

While it is gratifying to see our friends on the left suddenly grasp the importance of the 10th Amendment and states' rights, it's sadly predictable that it wasn't over something like allowing states to establish marriage policy for themselves. Keeping it listed alongside the highly-addictive and far more risky heroin and cocaine makes no sense given what's been seen in Alaska and elsewhere it has been legalized.

"It would not legalize".

This seems like a no-brainer, since the federal government actually owns U.S. Patent No. 6,630,507 - granted in 2003 to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - for the "potential use of non-psychoactive cannabinoids to protect the brain from damage or degeneration caused by certain diseases". The Senate is set to vote on it in the coming days, where supporters have said they have enough votes for its passage. "So that is manifest injustice on its face", Garrett said. I believe, like so many others, he is misinformed when it comes to the facts and issues related to marijuana and the history of marijuana prohibition. "It's about equal justice".

Members of Congress have called the action "heartless and cold" and one that "bulldozes over the will of the American people".

This further precludes the Department of Justice from pursuing legal action against Farm Bill compliant hemp farming, processing, manufacturing and commerce. It's not even clear whether his views hew to those of his boss, President Donald Trump, who in a July 2016 interview said that, if elected, he would not advocate a federal crackdown on states that had legalized recreational marijuana sales. "The federal government should not interfere with the will of the people". In my opinion, Sessions is taking us backwards, putting drugs right back into the hands of criminals by allowing federal prosecutors to more aggressively enforce federal laws outlawing marijuana.

In 1996, California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana, setting a trend across the country that has gained significant momentum over the last decade. As a senator and now as AG, Sessions has fought marijuana vigorously. A Sacred Heart University poll last October found 70 percent of CT residents either "strongly" or "somewhat" support legalizing the drug for adults and taxing it. As for medical marijuana, 91 percent of voters polled by Quinnipiac said they support its legalization.

They were previously using a payment processing company that worked with a bank in MA where the USA attorney says there's no guarantee medical marijuana operations won't be prosecuted.

"The demographics say pot is here to stay, either for fun or to provide medical comfort", Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll, said in a statement.

"No, Attorney General Sessions".

"The three most common business taxes that any standard business pays to the federal government are federal business taxes, payroll taxes and sales taxes". The problem was created when voters in a number of states, including Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Colorado and California, legalized the personal recreational possession and use of small amounts of cannabis.

Full legalization would result in more legal businesses participating in the market, more consumers participating in the legal market, and more employees on official payrolls, resulting in $4 billion in payroll taxes.

However, not all U.S. Attorney's are onboard with Session's new plans.