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Marijuana Law, Policy & Reform

Billy Williams, US Attorney for Oregon, appointed to chair Attorney General’s Marijuana Working Group

By Douglas Berman

Easily lost amidst big election news and the resignation of US Attorney General Jeff Sessions was this Justice Department press release, dated Wednesday, November 7, 2018, titled “Deputy Attorney General Names U.S. Attorney Williams Chair of National Marijuana Working Group.”  Here is part of the text:

Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein today named Billy J. Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, chair of the Attorney General’s Marijuana Working Group.  The working group is part of the Attorney General Advisory Committee’s (AGAC) Controlled Substances Subcommittee.

“I am honored to be named chair of the Marijuana Working Group and look forward to working with Attorney General Sessions, Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein and my fellow U.S. Attorneys on this important policy area,” said U.S. Attorney Williams.  “From our statewide summit in February to the release of our district enforcement strategy this summer, we’ve learned a lot from stakeholders representing many diverse interests.  There is one thing everyone agrees on: a broad need for stronger regulation.  This working group provides a valuable forum for sharing ideas and learning from the experiences of others in an effort to develop innovative, multi-district enforcement strategies to address the many impacts of a nascent industry.”

The day of this press release was the day that Jeff Sessions resigned as Attorney General, so Chair Williams can no longer “look forward to working with Attorney General Sessions.” But this appointment still seems notable and important because US Attorney Williams has been playing an active role in trying to enhance regulatory control of the marijuana industry in his home state of Oregon. I have blogged about his efforts, and a series of posts which reveal some of his views on these matters can be found linked below. Interesting times.

Prior related posts:

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Federal Marijuana Laws, Policies and Practices and Who decides