Acadia hikers who feel they can’t get high enough without cannabis – despite Cadillac Mountain being the highest point on the Atlantic coast – better curb their habit.
U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi says tokers caught in Acadia and other federal lands will once again face “rigorous” prosecution as DOJ rescinds its policy of ignoring low-level offenses.
The new get-tough-on-weed policy represents an about-face from a years-long government policy of not prosecuting for simple possession.
“Marijuana possession remains a federal crime in the United States, irrespective of varying state laws,” a DOJ spokesman said. “The detrimental effects of drugs on our society are undeniable.”
While Congress has never repealed the federal government’s cannabis ban, the U.S. Department of Justice had become more reticent about pursuing minor marijuana offenses as states across the country partially or completely legalized its use, according to Backpacker.com.
President Biden three years ago pardoned thousands of people for low-level marijuana offenses.
Biden directed the DOJ to not pursue charges for simple possession.
The DOJ says that policy “significantly curtailed federal prosecutions of misdemeanor marijuana offenses.”
President Trump’s administrations, in contrast, have generally taken a stricter stance on marijuana possession.
Famous scofflaw/presidential son Hunter Biden’s father’s get-soft-on-drugs policy derived from his Democrat predecessor, Obama, who directed federal prosecutors not enforce cannabis bans in states that had enacted laws legalizing marijuana in some form.
For those keeping score on how high is really high, Mount Katahdin is the highest peak in Maine at 5,269 feet while Cadillac is the highest point on the east coast.
High rollers won’t understand.
