Chronicle AM: DOJ Reviewing MJ Policy, DEA Subpoenaed Over Snitch Program, More… (4/6/17)

A Justice Department review of marijuana policy is underway, congressional overseers subpoena the DEA over its snitch program, California's governor moves to reconicle the state's legal and medical marijuana programs, and more.

[image:1 align:right caption:true]Marijuana Policy

DOJ Task Force is Reviewing Marijuana Policy. Attorney General Sessions issued a memo Wednesday saying that a task force on crime and public safety is reviewing federal marijuana policy and is charged with making initial recommendations by July 27. The task is reviewing ways to reduce violent crime and illegal immigration and is reviewing marijuana policy under that rubric.

California Governor Proposes Means of Melding Legal and Medical Marijuana Systems. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) on Tuesday released proposed legislation aimed at uniting the state's legal and medical marijuana regulatory systems. The draft language generally favors the less restrictive language of Prop 64, the state's successful marijuana legalization initiative. The Drug Policy Alliance, the California Cannabis Industry Association, the UFCW Western States Council, and the California Cannabis Manufacturers Association are all backing the draft language.

Alaska Regulators Punt (Again) on Onsite Consumption. The Marijuana Control Board was supposed to take up the thorny issue of permitting onsite consumption of marijuana Wednesday, but instead the board spent its meeting going through a backlog of license applications for production facilities and pot shops. “They really wanted to focus on approved applications at this meeting so people could get started with their businesses as we move into summer,” said Erika McConnell, director of the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Board. “On site consumption was kind of the big time consuming issue that they pushed until the end and then we ran out of time.” Onsite consumption decisions will now be pushed back until at least the May 15 meeting, she said.

Connecticut Legalization Bill Dead — At Least for Now. A bill that would legalize marijuana, Senate Bill 11, appears dead in the water after it failed to make the agenda for a Friday meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Reports are the bill, sponsored by Senate President Martin Looney (D-New Haven), was pulled because it didn't have enough votes to pass the committee. Legalization is not quite dead yet, though: The Looney bill or one of several other legalization proposals could still be attached as an amendment to another bill.

Virginia Commission to Study Decriminalization. The State Crime Commission decided on Wednesday that it will study marijuana decriminalization. The decision was made by the commission's executive committee.

Medical Marijuana

North Carolina Medical Marijuana Bill Filed. State Sens. Teresa Van Duyn (D) and Valerie Jean Fousher (D) filed Senate Bill 648 on Tuesday. Under the bill, patients could possess up to 24 ounces of marijuana and grow up to 250 square feet of their own medicine. The bill would also establish a system of licensed cultivation centers and dispensaries. It has been referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations.

Hemp

West Virginia Legislature Approves Industrial Hemp Bill. The Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to approve House Bill 2453, which would allow for the licensing of qualified producers and state institutions to grow hemp for industrial purposes. The bill passed the House last month and now heads to the desk of Gov. Jim Justice (D).

Asset Forfeiture

Arizona Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill Awaits Governor's Signature. Gov. Doug Ducey (R) is in a tight spot, caught between the wishes of legislators, who approved the asset forfeiture reform measure House Bill 2477, and county prosecutors, who are urging him to veto it. The measure would change Arizona's civil asset forfeiture laws to require prosecutors to prove property was involved in a crime by “clear and convicting” evidence, a step above the current standard. Gov. Ducey has said he thinks this is an area of law that needs reform, but hasn't said whether he would sign the bill into law.

Law Enforcement

DEA Gets Hit With Congressional Subpoenas Over Its Informant Program. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), head of the House Oversight Committee, has subpoenaed the DEA for documents related to its confidential informant program. Congress members have been seeking copies of the guidelines since last year, when a Justice Department report detailed how DEA spent more than $200 million on informants with little oversight, but DEA has only allowed members to view the guidelines on-site. “Congress has a right to have this material,” Chaffetz said, during an Oversight Committee hearing that he chaired on Tuesday morning. “It is unbelievable to me that you think we shouldn't have a copy of it,” he told Deputy DEA Administrator Robert Patterson. Chaffetz then went next door to the House Judiciary Committee, where DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg was testifying, and issued a subpoena. “We are issuing a subpoena, and so I see no choice,” he then told DEA chief Rosenberg. “The Department of Justice just doesn't get to hide things from the United States Congress,” Chaffetz said, adding that there is evidence of “massive problems” in the program.