Pennsylvania’s U.S. Attorneys have declared that they will protect the state’s nascent medical cannabis program from federal interference following Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ revocation of the Cole Memo protections earlier this month, according to a KDKA report.
The revocation effectively allows U.S. attorneys to decide whether or not to prosecute medical cannabis producers under federal law – which classifies cannabis as a Schedule I substance.
“It’s my job to uphold the law here in Pennsylvania; and on a bipartisan basis, the legislature passed and the governor signed a medicinal marijuana law that is very popular.” – State Attorney General Josh Shapiro, to KDKA
“My office has no intention of disrupting Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program or related financial transactions.” – U.S. Attorney David Freed, to KDKA
Although U.S. Attorney Scott Brady was less clear, telling KDKA that his office would “continue to deploy all prosecutorial tools at our disposal to protect the citizens of western Pennsylvania from those individuals and criminal organizations which traffic in all illegal controlled substances, including marijuana,” he admitted he has no plans to use those tools against state-approved medical cannabis operators.
“Take a look at my record. I have protected the interests of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from federal overreach. We have sued the federal government. We have defended the rules of our Commonwealth multiple times, and I haven’t lost yet.” – Brady, to KDKA
In October, regulators gave the green light to Creso Yeltrah to begin producing medical cannabis for the program, which is expected to commence early this year.
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