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Oregon's top prosecutor convenes marijuana summit

Oregon's top prosecutor convenes marijuana summit
Posted at 5:50 AM, Feb 02, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-02 05:50:32-05

Oregon's federal prosecutor will hold a marijuana summit to address what he calls a "massive" marijuana surplus in the state.

U.S. Attorney Billy Williams announced the Friday summit after Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded a memo outlining how states with legalized marijuana could avoid federal scrutiny.

In an opinion piece, Williams said the surplus attracts drug cartels and fuels a black market. The summit will give Oregon leaders a chance to explain how they will remedy the situation.

States that have legalized marijuana for recreational and medical use have taken varying approaches to satisfying federal law enforcement priorities, in an effort to pre-empt raids or even a DOJ lawsuit that could undermine or destroy the newly regulated markets. They've also adjusted their approaches as their markets matured.