Justice Department Issues New Medical Marijuana Policy; Advises Not to Prosecute in States Where Medical Marijuana is Legal
In a big departure from the policies of the George W. Bush era, the Justice Department issued a new policy memo to prosecutors on Monday telling them that pot-smoking patients and their sanctioned suppliers should not be targeted for federal prosecution in states that permit medical marijuana. In the 3-page legal memo, federal prosecutors are told it is not a good use of their time to arrest those who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state law.
The guidelines issued by the Justice Department, however, make it quite clear that federal agents can and will go after those who's marijuana distribution goes beyond what is permitted under state law, and those who use medical marijuana as a cover for other crimes.
Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.
"It will not be a priority to use federal resources to prosecute patients with serious illnesses or their caregivers who are complying with state laws on medical marijuana, but we will not tolerate drug traffickers who hide behind claims of compliance with state law to mask activities that are clearly illegal."
The Bush administration had insisted that it would continue to enforce federal anti-pot laws, regardless of state regulations. By advising federal prosecutors not to bother with harassing people who are using or distributing medical marijuana in compliance with the law, the Obama administration is making a huge departure from previous administrations.
There are currently 14 states that allow some use of marijuana for medical purposes. Those states include: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Of those, California is perhaps the best known, due to the widespread presence of businesses that sell marijuana and that are even permitted to advertise their services.
Deputy Attorney General David Ogden, who wrote the memo, emphasizes that the prosecutors have wide discretion choosing which cases to pursue, but indicates that it is a waste of federal money and manpower to prosecute those who are in compliance with state law. The memo was sent out Monday to federal prosecutors in 14 states, as well as to top officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Bruce Mirken, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project said:
"This is a major step forward. This change in policy moves the federal government dramatically toward respecting scientific and practical reality."
Comments
Marijunia
I believe there should me random drug test for all people receiving any goverment aid, If you are positive you do not get welfare, disability ss , or any other goverment funded assistance.
Not quite
that's completely ridiculous. people's bodies and minds are not government property, therefore they do not have the right to test peoples bodies to make sure they are in accordance with the law, this is why they don't test people for more things already.
REPLY
I believe your barking up the wrong tree considering I am on disability for beckers muscular dystrophy and in my state I am legally permitted to use marijuana. Im not a junkie nor am I a drug dealer...My options are to A) use marijuana legally in my state. B) Use opiate derived pain killers for the rest of my life ( risking sure fire addiction plus all the adverse side effects from said medications) Or C) Live a life full of excrutiating muscle cramps and other pain that goes with having the second most debilitating form of muscular dystrophy. Too many people are willing to continue to demonize a helpful medicine yet say nothing that holds truth...Your a bigot that obviously thinks low income individuals do not have a right to privacy. Marijuana is no more prohibited for me then asprin is to you...But up until now it was illegal for me to receive such a beneficial medicine. Oh and I get food stamps too but instead of you worrying about what people like me are doing you should be happy that you do not have to face these day after day struggles. When was the last time you thought of how nice it is to stand? Dont take your life or health for granted and stop being so judgmental.
also
if you're going to speak on the subject, particularly on the article which mentions the word Marijuana multiple times, you should probably know how to spell it so you don't seem like a fool. ;)
Discerned Citizen
Let me start by saying that I do believe in the decriminalization of marijuana. However, If people are in a situation where they need financial assistance or are provided Section 8 housing, or any kind of welfare check for that matter, it is a good idea that they should be tested for heavy drug use. If they want to use federal funding (our tax dollars!) and essentially live for free, they should not be able to spend extra cash on drugs to get high. After all, if they have that kind of money than they should pay for their own damn living.
Our government needs to take the money they spend criminalizing it's own citizens and put that towards border control and trafficking. They should be able to charge (tax) citizens with large quantities of pot, for an obvious intent to distribute. They are never going to be able to control the marijuana industry on its own, as American history has already shown us. It needs to be in the peoples hands. With a community wide agreement on how marijuana misdemeanors are handled, there would be a reduction in the amount violent crimes that arise around any illegal drug or substance.
The next step should be
The next step should be decriminalizing it on a federal level. It's a plant.. I should be able to consume any plant I want, if I want to. Now man-made drugs like meth on the other hand, that's a different story...
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