Jeff Sessions is definitely not having a good week. With the Russia investigation breathing down Donald’s neck, the president told reporters from the New York Times that he regrets hiring Sessions in the first place.
After that bombshell, with talks of replacements moving like wildfire through Washington, Sessions will now face a lawsuit claiming that he, the Department of Justice, and the Drug Enforcement Agency are knowingly violating the Constitution by enforcing federal cannabis laws as they currently stand.
According to the New York Post, ex-New York Jets defensive end Marvin Washington is leading the lawsuit (along with four other plaintiffs) to argue that the three defendants are aware, and have publicly attested to the fact that marijuana is less harmful than Schedule II substances like methamphetamine and cocaine, and yet continue to criminalize cannabis.
The lawsuit claims that the federal Controlled Substances Act is “so irrational that it violates the U.S. Constitution.” Joining Washington in the litigation is an 11 year-old who uses cannabis to treat epilepsy and a disabled military veteran who uses medical marijuana to treat PTSD.
“The record makes clear that the CSA doesn’t make any rational sense and the federal government knows it,” attorney Michael Hiller, who is representing the plaintiffs, said.
Washington joined the lawsuit because federal scheduling laws make it impossible for the ex-NFL player to open a business focused on replacing football players’ opioid intake with healthier medical marijuana.
A host of current and former NFL players have recently backed initiatives to remove marijuana from the league’s banned substance list and use the all-natural medicine to replace widespread narcotic painkiller use. Because of the league’s staunch opposition, even players in legal weed states are forced to use marijuana with the fear that a positive drug test could result in a suspension.
Neither the Department of Justice, DEA or Sessions himself have commented on the lawsuit, but if Sessions is the latest Trump lackey to lose his job, he’ll have a lot more time to try and defend himself in court.
