Quote:
U.S. to end war on medical marijuana in legal states
Mon Oct 19, 2009 3:54pm EDT
By James Vicini and Dan Whitcomb
WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In a sharp policy shift, the Obama administration told federal attorneys not to prosecute patients who use marijuana for medical reasons or dispensaries in states where it has been legalized.
A Justice Department official said the formal guidelines were issued Monday in a policy change reflecting President Barack Obama's views. The Bush administration had said it could enforce the federal law against marijuana and that it trumped state laws.
The decision was praised by activists in California, the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996. But concern remains among some medical and law enforcement authorities about hundreds of clinics thought to be selling pot under the protection of state law and without regard to health.
As a candidate during his presidential bid last year, Obama said he intended to halt raids of medical marijuana facilities operating legally under state laws.
After he took office in January, a Drug Enforcement Administration raid on a medical marijuana dispensary in Lake Tahoe, California, raised questions about whether he would follow that pledge.
A White House spokesman Monday repeated Obama's view that "federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws." And Attorney General Eric Holder said he would follow Obama's position.
Mon Oct 19, 2009 3:54pm EDT
By James Vicini and Dan Whitcomb
WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In a sharp policy shift, the Obama administration told federal attorneys not to prosecute patients who use marijuana for medical reasons or dispensaries in states where it has been legalized.
A Justice Department official said the formal guidelines were issued Monday in a policy change reflecting President Barack Obama's views. The Bush administration had said it could enforce the federal law against marijuana and that it trumped state laws.
The decision was praised by activists in California, the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996. But concern remains among some medical and law enforcement authorities about hundreds of clinics thought to be selling pot under the protection of state law and without regard to health.
As a candidate during his presidential bid last year, Obama said he intended to halt raids of medical marijuana facilities operating legally under state laws.
After he took office in January, a Drug Enforcement Administration raid on a medical marijuana dispensary in Lake Tahoe, California, raised questions about whether he would follow that pledge.
A White House spokesman Monday repeated Obama's view that "federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws." And Attorney General Eric Holder said he would follow Obama's position.
This should make all of you State Gubminters happy. Pretty much ceremonial at this point as it was announced months ago the raids on dispensaries were ceasing in California. As the largest of the states with the dispensary system, California was the tallest lightning rod for federal raids.
Good to see it finally adopted by DoJ.
Meh, lame thread title is lame.
Edited, Oct 19th 2009 4:12pm by Paskil
