An interesting twist of events has occurred for the U.S. cannabis industry. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has given states the go-ahead to legalize the green plant, but (of course there is a but,) he wants the Department of Justice (DOJ) to impose federal law.

When Donald Trump designated the role of Attorney General to pot prohibitionist Jeff Sessions, the cannabis community didn’t exactly applause the decision.

Concerns instantly clouded the minds of cannabis supporters, who suspected Sessions would use his position to ensure cannabis offenders were punished in the harshest manner possible. Those concerns were made a reality when he reversed the administration policies set forth in the Obama-era Cole Memo that would have enabled states to initiate state-specific cannabis laws, devoid of any federal interruptions.

Even the death penalty didn’t seem too harsh for Sessions, who also prevented the nation from using private prisons and urged prosecutors to penalize nonviolent drug offenders.

However, things aren’t so bad after all, so it seems.

Sessions hasn’t done too much damage to the U.S. cannabis industry

While most cannabis advocates may resent Sessions for his brutal policies on the Drug War, many would admit that it hasn’t exactly put a spanner in the works for the cannabis industry.

The latest scoop on the legalization situation is that, although states will be allowed to develop their own set of cannabis laws, U.S. Attorneys will be free to impose federal policy. During a Boston press conference, Sessions said, “we’ll enforce the federal law” when it comes to cannabis.

Marijuana Moment reported on the public announcement.

“Personally my view is that the American republic will not be better if there are marijuana sales on every street corner,” Sessions responded to a reporter. “But states have a right to set their own laws and will do so.”

Cannabis reform gaining support in Congress

Although federal cannabis prohibition is still firmly in place, cannabis reform is receiving support from Congress.

Sessions’ desires to implement federal laws are not being taken too seriously by U.S. Attorneys who, quite frankly, have more important things to worry about.

Even the man who appointed Sessions as U.S. Attorney General, Donald Trump, has vocally announced his support to reform federal cannabis prohibition so that states can enact their own laws.

Sessions is not likely to start supporting sensible cannabis policies anytime in the future. Nonetheless, he is not as scary as he seems to think.

There’s a very good chance that Sessions’ cannabis crackdown won’t amount to anything after all.