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Economic Policy

It took Jeff Sessions just one month to turn Obama-era drug policy on its head

Analysis by
Reporter
June 2, 2017 at 9:12 a.m. EDT
Attorney General Jeff Sessions attends an event at the Justice Department in Washington, on May 12, where he discussed directing prosecutors to pursue stricter punishments for drug crimes, reversing policy from Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.

My third son, William, was born April 28. I’ve spent the past month or so getting to know him (thanks, Washington Post’s generous parental leave policy!), and not paying much attention to federal drug policy.

As it turns out I missed quite a bit. In the month of May alone, the Trump administration, particularly Attorney General Jeff Sessions's Justice Department, steadily ratcheted up its tough-on-crime rhetoric and put in place some policies that give that rhetoric some real-world bite.