Jeff Sessions Issues Memo Urging Death Penalty for Drug Dealers
The U.S. federal government continues to review and implement legislation aimed at restricting or even combating the legal marijuana industry. Earlier this week, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memorandum proposing that the Trump administration significantly increase penalties for so-called “major manufacturers and sellers of narcotics,” a group that he includes legal marijuana entrepreneurs. The proposed penalties include life imprisonment and even the death penalty.
At the start of the week, the Attorney General’s office sent a document to federal prosecutors across the country, calling for harsher sanctions against drug dealers. The memo urges prosecutors to seek life sentences and the death penalty for individuals suspected of producing and distributing large quantities of psychoactive substances. Interestingly, the text of the memorandum references an old law that technically allows the government to impose such severe measures on “especially socially dangerous” offenders.
Although Sessions claims the memo is aimed at fighting opioid dealers, he does not deny that these sanctions could also be applied to marijuana businesses that are legal at the state level.
What Does the Law Say?
It’s important to note that under the law referenced in the document, a “particularly large batch” of marijuana is defined as the cultivation of more than 60,000 plants. According to the law, the death penalty or life imprisonment can be imposed by a federal court on individuals found guilty of possessing or producing marijuana in quantities exceeding 60,000 kilograms—a massive amount, even for the most successful companies in the U.S. marijuana market.
Expert Opinions
“I would point out that this proposal is more of a theoretical idea from the Attorney General than a real declaration of war against those involved in the legal marijuana business,” says Sam Kamin, a law professor at the University of Denver who specializes in marijuana legislation. “Moreover, I don’t think regional prosecutors or federal government representatives will decide to take such harsh measures against law-abiding entrepreneurs. In reality, the memo just shows how out of touch the Trump administration is with the realities of regional marijuana legalization.”
Aaron Smith, president of the National Cannabis Industry Association, is also skeptical that U.S. authorities will soon begin applying the maximum penalty to owners of legal marijuana plantations and stores.
“I believe the Attorney General, as always, is just trying to show the industry his ‘strength,’ nothing more,” he told reporters.