BOSTON (WHDH) — The state’s new U.S. Attorney spoke with 7News in his first on-camera interview Tuesday about how he will pursue President Donald Trump’s law enforcement agenda in Massachusetts.
One of the biggest issues in Massachusetts is marijuana legislation. Voters legalized marijuana in 2016 and the first dispensaries are expected to open this summer. Recent changes in federal guidelines, however, means federal prosecution could still happen, even in states where marijuana is legal.
New U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling made no guarantee that those in the cannabis industry in Massachusetts will not face federal prosecution, calling marijuana a federal crime.
“What I can’t do is, in advance, say that a category of people working in the state of Massachusetts with marijuana are immune from federal prosection. I can’t do that,” said Lelling.
Lelling said he will handle it on a case-by-case basis. He said his top priority is fighting the opioid epidemic.
“People in Massachusetts were killed by opioid overdoses last year, not by marijuana overdoses. So that is where my resources are going right now,” said Lelling.
Lelling has been a federal prosecutor for the past 12 years in Massachusetts, focusing on drug and white collar crimes. He also worked in the civil rights division of the Justice Department.
Lelling said his office will also increase prosecutions of undocumented immigrants involved in criminal activity, calling it “the priority coming out of Washington.”
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