Marijuana Roundup: Jeff Sessions Remains A Wild Card, 68% Of Cops Support Legalization

One of the hottest topics in the United States is legal cannabis. People are discussing what to expect in 2017, what Jeff Sessions' appointment as attorney general mean for legal marijuana and states’ rights, which are the best stocks to buy and which ones should be avoided.

Let’s take a look at some of the most recent developments.

Sessions Remains A Wild Card

Sessions is currently undergoing his confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill. While his confirmation isn't a sure thing, it looks likely. This certainly worries the cannabis industry – Sessions is a known anti-pot politician; On the other hand, President-elect Donald Trump is an advocate of state autonomy.

During the first day of hearings, Sessions didn't say much about how he would treat (and instruct the Justice Department to treat) marijuana in states that have legalized it (the substance remains illegal on a federal level). Right now, everyone is wondering is he will enforce federal laws or respect states' rights.

“I won’t commit to never enforcing federal law, but absolutely, it’s a problem of resources for the federal government,” Sessions said. “Good judgment on how to handle these cases will be a responsibility of mine, which won’t be an easy decision, but I will try to do my duty in a fair and just way.”

Surging Support

Marijuana legalization initiatives won decisively in eight out of nine states on Election Day 2016, as a record number of adults in the U.S> supported the legal use of marijuana.

Interestingly, a national survey from the Pew Research Center has revealed that cops also defend people’s right to use marijuana, at least under certain circumstances. In fact, more than two-thirds (68 percent) of the policemen and policewomen polled said they believed cannabis use should be legal in one form or another – personal or medical.

• 32 percent of these officers said cannabis should be legal for medical and recreational use
• 37 percent responded marijuana should be legal for medical use only
• Only 30 percent of the surveyed police officers said that marijuana should not be legal in any form.

These figures compare to 49 percent, 35 percent and 19 percent, respectively, for the general population.