The Leaf THE LEAF July - August 2018 | Page 31

And 29 states allow some form of medical marijuana. San Francisco recently dropped thousands of marijuana-related convictions. And Seattle plans to do the same. But this doesn’t change the federal restrictions. And Attorney General Jeff Sessions seems Hell bent on enforcing those federal rules. “Good people don’t smoke marijuana” he said. Kansas State Representative Steven Alford made a case against legalising cannabis by referring to the racist rhetoric of the Anslinger era. Saying…. “And we’re still seeing a lot of anti-immigrant sentiment. They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists” So while some things have changed on the state level, some politicians are sticking with the fear mongering and racism playbook. Even though Pew Research polls show that 61% of Americans now approve of nationwide legalisation. Up from 16% about 30 years ago. Popular opinion suggests it’s high time to reconsider federal laws.