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Leading Advocacy Group Calls For Appointment of Cannabis-Friendly Attorney General
The National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), a leading cannabis reform organization, has demanded that President-elect Joe Biden appoint a cannabis-friendly attorney general. In an email, NORML called for an AG that is in favor of granting relief to those convicted of low-level possession charges, will recognize the failure of the war on drugs, and promises to take a hands-off approach to state cannabis policies.
While the Trump administration appointed two Attorney Generals that were starkly opposed to the legalization of marijuanaâincluding Jeff Sessions, who rescinded Obama administration guidelines that discouraged federal prosecutors from intervening in state cannabis legalizationâNORML hopes that asking for signatures from cannabis advocates will turn the tide come Joe Bidenâs inauguration day.
What a Cannabis-Friendly Attorney General Would Mean
Should President-elect Joe Biden appoint a top federal prosecutor with a commitment to taking a federalist approach to hands-off lawmaking on the state level, it would be a powerful signal to voters and legislators that the campaign intends to follow through on his pledges to expunge prior marijuana-related convictions and decriminalize cannabis.
âWe have never been closer to ending the cruel policy of prohibition,â NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri said in the emailâs call-to-action. âBut we cannot stop pushing now.â
Biden-Harris Campaign Progressive, But Remains Opposed to Legalization
While Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has repeatedly confirmed that the Biden administration seeks to decriminalize cannabis, the duo has remained publicly opposed to federal legalization. Although the House is set for a vote on The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act next month that would legalize the substance, Biden has not spoken out in favor of the legislation one way or another.
Kamala Harris sponsors the Senate version of the MORE Act. With a supermajority of Democrats backing policy change surrounding marijuana, pro-legalization lawmakers are optimistic that the Biden-Harris administration will meet their pledges surrounding the cannabis industry. Whether they shift to back adult-use legalization remains to be seen.
