Press Release – New York, NY– March 10, 2017 – Sichenzia Ross Ference Kesner LLP founding partner Marc Ross was recently quoted in a Boston Globe article discussing marijuana uncertainties under the Trump Administration.
That article, titled “If Trump cracks down on pot, where does that leave Mass,” begins by noting that the Trump Administration recently suggested it would enforce federal law (which makes marijuana illegal) concerning recreational, not medical, marijuana. That “fact” has left a number of states, including Massachusetts, whose citizens voted to approve recreational marijuana back in November 2016, in a state of “pot purgatory.” In particular, states like Massachusetts do not know whether they should expend bureaucratic efforts and taxpayers’ resources to implement their voter wishes, or whether those efforts will be in vain, should the federal government enforce federal law.
Under the Obama Administration, the federal government refrained from enforcing federal marijuana law in states where marijuana was legal, but as Mr. Ross said, if the Trump administration changes this policy, “it’s going to cause upheaval in not just the four states that just passed legalization, but also in the four other states where it’s been legal for longer.” Mr. Ross was further quoted as saying, “All the feds need to do is have the FBI go in and arrest one guy operating legally under state law — and that message will come across quite clearly” – “’So purgatory is a good word’ for the situation states are in.”
Mr. Ross teaches a class at Hofstra University School of Law titled The Business and Law of Marijuana, where he explores the competing intersection between state and federal laws regarding marijuana, and counsels clients concerning marijuana and marijuana related businesses.
