A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment about whether it had coordinated with FinCEN in advance. In 2017 the administration blindsided the Defense Department with a decision to ban transgender Americans from serving in the military. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in September that the marijuana policy was under review for possible changes. In last week’s announcement, the Justice Department made no mention of parallel marijuana guidance that FinCEN issued in February 2014 in coordination with Justice officials. The guidance provided a pathway for banks to serve marijuana businesses in states such as Oregon, Colorado, Washington and California.

Source: Huffington Post January 11, 2018 19:54 UTC