US Congresswoman Dina Titus has sent a ‘please explain’ letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi over a decision to re-start prosecutions of simple cannabis possession on federal land.
Former US President Joe Biden announced he would be pardoning all prior Federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana back in 2022, and it seems directed U.S. Attorneys not to prosecute those offenses. He also urged all state governors to do the same in relation to state offenses.
But on September 29, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice apparently quietly rescinded the guidance for simple marijuana possession, with U.S. Attorney Smith notifying federal law enforcement agencies that marijuana offenses occurring on federal land, such as national parks, were to be “rigorously prosecuted”.
U.S. Attorney Smith stated, “Marijuana possession remains a federal crime in the United States, irrespective of varying state laws.”
Democrat Rep. Dina Titus, who is also co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, has written to Attorney General Pam Bondi expressing her “deep concern” about the decision to resume such prosecutions; and calls into question the previously undisclosed Biden decision not to pursue prosecutions.
“Simple marijuana possession poses no meaningful threat to public safety, and it is indefensible to revive prosecution under an outdated law that no longer reflects the current use of cannabis in the United States,” says part of her letter.
Congresswoman Titus has also urged AG Bondi to release without delay the Biden guidance and recission memorandum.
“The public deserves full transparency regarding the policies that shape federal enforcement priorities and determine how taxpayers dollars are deployed.”
Furthermore, Titus has asked several questions that relate to the DOJ’s instructions to U.S. Attorneys, the specific offenses the DOJ has prioritized for prosecution, the data and evidence the AG’s decision relied on, and historical information on offenses.
In August this year, President Donald Trump indicated his administration was looking into scheduling reclassification of cannabis for medicinal purposes and would make a determination in the weeks following.
“I’ve heard great things have to do with medical, and I’ve heard bad things having to do with just about everything else,” President Trump said at the time. “It’s a very complicated subject.”
