Until the confirmation hearings last week for President Trump’s attorney general nominee William Barr, the cannabis industry had collectively been holding its breath. Given former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ tenure, expectations were understandably low for Trump’s AG pick, despite Trump’s occasional statements of support for medical cannabis. This is why Barr’s statements about cannabis brought some comfort to the legal marijuana sector. It is “untenable,” he said, to continue having a system where cannabis is subject to prohibition under federal law but the government looks the other way when state or local law permits it. If Barr’s position toward federal and state cannabis laws continues to be “do no harm,” then Congress may end up having the opportunity to do much good.

Source: Forbes January 22, 2019 15:22 UTC