Jeff Sessions has spent his first year as Attorney General being browbeaten by President Trump for a number of things, including recusing himself from the Russia probe (and paving the way for Robert Mueller being named Special Counsel), getting testy in front of Congressional investigators who confront him with discrepancies in his numerous testimonies, and implementing his agenda as the nation’s top cop. During a question-and-answer session between Justice Department interns and Sessions over the summer, the attorney general mocked and derided an intern that dared question part of that agenda.
In a video obtained by ABC News through an FOIA request, Sessions made yet another reference to a violent crime wave sweeping the nation as a reason for his draconian policies toward marijuana as the drug is legalized in more and more states and municipalities. One intern questioned this approach and wasn’t taken seriously by Sessions:
During the event, one intern asked Sessions why he supports “pretty harsh policies for marijuana and pretty lax gun control laws” when “statistically guns kill significantly more people than marijuana does.” In response, Sessions noted that more fatal accidents are now caused by drugs than by alcohol, and he said the American Medical Association “is crystal clear” that “marijuana is not a healthy substance.”
But when the intern challenged that assertion, Sessions seemed dismissive, addressing the intern as “Dr. Whatever Your Name Is.”
“I don’t think America’s going to be a better place if marijuana’s sold in every corner grocery store,” Sessions said.
Whether Sessions likes it or not, states that have legalized marijuana are seeing huge tax revenues, and those states would be hard-pressed to find a new revenue source if Sessions were to keep pressing his anti-marijuana policies.