On the other hand, Marijuana.com points out that Lynch also said that that the current Justice Department policy of allowing states to implement their own cannabis laws without federal interference is “effective, consistent and rational.” Lynch made the statement in response to written questions from Senate Judiciary Committee chair Charles Grassley (R-IA) in February. She wrote: “The Department’s August 2013 memorandum simply provides guidance, applicable to federal prosecutors in every state, regarding the use of the Department’s limited investigative and prosecutorial resources to address the most significant public health and public safety threats in an effective, consistent and rational way.”
This is a reference to Justice Department’s so-called “Cole Memo“—which, as Lynch emphasized, is a non-binding “guidance” memorandum. So Lynch is obviously talking out of both sides of her mouth, in true politician style. Her actual policy in office will likely depend on whether the forces of liberation or backlash can most effectively make their pressure felt in the corridors of power.
