Jeff Sessions Says if Americans Don’t Want Him to Enforce Marijuana Laws, They Should Change Them

Sessions, who President-elect Donald Trump has tapped to become U.S. attorney general, answered questions on marijuana among other issues during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday. And Sessions did not offer a definitive stance on what marijuana enforcement would look like under his justice department.

“I won’t commit to never enforcing federal law, [Sen. Patrick Leahy], but absolutely it’s a problem of resources for the federal government,” Sessions said. “Good judgement on how to handle these cases will be a responsibility of mine, which won’t be an easy decision, but I will try to do my duty in a fair and just way.”

Though 28 states have legalized medical marijuana use, eight states have passed recreational laws and 21% of the U.S. population now lives in a state where smoking weed is legal, the federal law still states marijuana is an illegal substance. And the drug is classified as a Schedule I drug along with heroin, LSD and ecstasy.