Cannabis

Why The Legal Pot Industry Is Afraid Of Jeff Sessions

The incoming attorney general could spell an end to the federal government's tolerance of legalized marijuana.

Why The Legal Pot Industry Is Afraid Of Jeff Sessions
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Donald Trump's attorney general pick really, really doesn't like weed.

"Good people don't smoke marijuana," Jeff Sessions said during a hearing on state recreational marijuana. 

SEE MORE: A Bunch Of States Just Legalized Recreational Marijuana

More than half of the U.S. has legalized or decriminalized pot use. But the drug is still illegal under federal law.

President Obama's DOJ mostly deferred to state laws on pot. The government focused on disrupting gangs and drug trafficking.

But Sessions could throw those guidelines out the window. Federal raids on state-sanctioned dispensaries could destabilize the legal weed industry.

Sessions might also block criminal justice reform efforts. That would keep nonviolent drug offenders in prison for longer.

SEE MORE: More People Got Arrested For Pot Than Violent Crimes In 2015

But the war on pot is an uphill battle these days. 60 percent of Americans support some form of legalized pot — including Sessions' new boss.

Trump told GQ, "For medicinal purposes, for medical purposes, absolutely. It's fine."