As California continues to function in a new era of legal marijuana, Berkeley has declared it is now a “sanctuary city” for cannabis users. CBS San Francisco reports that the Berkeley City Council voted in favor of a resolution that would designate the area as a sanctuary city for cannabis customers, businesses, providers and landlords.
The resolution, proposed by Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin and City Councilmembers Ben Bartlett and Cheryl Davila, comes in direct response to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ crackdown on the use of recreational marijuana, something Arreguin deems “misguided.”
Arreguin tweeted after the resolution passed that in light of “threats” by Sessions, “We have become what may be the first city in the country to declare ourselves a sanctuary city for cannabis.”
Sessions issued a marijuana enforcement memo early last month formally rescinding the Obama administration’s guidance, which enabled states to legalize marijuana without federal intervention. His one-page memo made it clear that marijuana possession and distribution is against federal law, and U.S. attorneys should approach these cases as they do all other cases when enforcing them. [Read more at CBS News]
