Feds to issue new medical marijuana policy
Photo 
In this May 20, 2009 file photo, one-eighth-ounce bags of Blue Dream medical marijuana are shown at The Green Door dispensary in San Francisco. The Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday Oct. 19, 2009.
WASHINGTON — Federal drug agents won't pursue pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers in states that allow medical marijuana, under new legal guidelines to be issued Monday by the Obama administration.
Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to The Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state law.
The guidelines to be issued by the department do, however, make it clear that agents will go after people whose marijuana distribution goes beyond what is permitted under state law or use medical marijuana as a cover for other crimes, the officials said.
The new policy is a significant departure from the Bush administration, which insisted it would continue to enforce federal anti-pot laws regardless of state codes.
Fourteen states allow some use of marijuana for medical purposes: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
California is unique among those for the widespread presence of dispensaries — businesses that sell marijuana and even advertise their services. Colorado also has several dispensaries, and Rhode Island and New Mexico are in the process of licensing providers, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, a group that promotes the decriminalization of marijuana use.
Attorney General Eric Holder said in March that he wanted federal law enforcement officials to pursue those who violate both federal and state law, but it has not been clear how that goal would be put into practice.
A three-page memo spelling out the policy is expected to be sent Monday to federal prosecutors in the 14 states, and also to top officials at the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration.
The memo, the officials said, emphasizes that prosecutors have wide discretion in choosing which cases to pursue, and says it is not a good use of federal manpower to prosecute those who are without a doubt in compliance with state law.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the legal guidance before it is issued.
"This is a major step forward," said Bruce Mirken, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project. "This change in policy moves the federal government dramatically toward respecting scientific and practical reality."
At the same time, the officials said, the government will still prosecute those who use medical marijuana as a cover for other illegal activity. The memo particularly warns that some suspects may hide old-fashioned drug dealing or other crimes behind a medical marijuana business.
In particular, the memo urges prosecutors to pursue marijuana cases which involve violence, the illegal use of firearms, selling pot to minors, money laundering or involvement in other crimes.
And while the policy memo describes a change in priorities away from prosecuting medical marijuana cases, it does not rule out the possibility that the federal government could still prosecute someone whose activities are allowed under state law.
The memo, officials said, is designed to give a sense of prosecutorial priorities to U.S. attorneys in the states that allow medical marijuana. It notes that pot sales in the United States are the largest source of money for violent Mexican drug cartels, but adds that federal law enforcement agencies have limited resources.
Medical marijuana advocates have been anxious to see exactly how the administration would implement candidate Barack Obama's repeated promises to change the policy in situations in which state laws allow the use of medical marijuana.
Soon after Obama took office, DEA agents raided four dispensaries in Los Angeles, prompting confusion about the government's plans.
Oct 23, 2009 at 9:01 a.m.
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Yes it makes for less big government spending - less money spent pushing these cased through investigation, arrest, the courts, and incarceration, smaller government less spending. No doubt this is a right wing conservative issue to legalize drugs.
Oct 22, 2009 at 6:14 p.m.
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where is pete?? i want to know if my VALID point about how he should applaud O for this hit its mark?? actually i assume based on his no reply that it did;)
Oct 21, 2009 at 5:40 p.m.
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medical marijuana has NOTHING to do with the radical left. it has to do with the logical right/center/left.
Oct 21, 2009 at 5:39 p.m.
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so hes trying to distract us by allowing citizens who are legal under state law the right to follow...state laws without the fear of arrest?? not arresting medical users is freeing up DEA resources for real problem drugs and actually the OPPOSITE of forcing dependence on the govt. you should be applauding this policy pete. its taking power AWAY from the feds and giving it back to the states. starting to anyways. just shows ya the O-haters will complain about anything...
Oct 21, 2009 at 3:17 p.m.
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that didnt read like what i wanted it to. i know you didnt...
Oct 21, 2009 at 2:31 p.m.
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freeradical, Pete is the king of off topic comments.
Oct 21, 2009 at 2:22 p.m.
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I do not know where you got that I said you did not have a job I know you do from some of your other post. Again I am looking forward to this law as I am all about making money time to look for some land.
Oct 21, 2009 at 2:20 p.m.
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please...you have to go pretty far to offend me. even if they were meant hurtful, which i know they werent, that would still be funny in my book:)
Oct 21, 2009 at 2:04 p.m.
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I do believe they were comments to be funny not hurtful.
Oct 21, 2009 at 1:57 p.m.
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i do other things than just stare at this puter ya know...sometimes:) i found it and the comments crack me up.
Oct 21, 2009 at 1:47 p.m.
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Hey kid there you are a lot of us wondering why you were not commenting on the front-page story. I even got a few funnies in, not meant to be mean of course.
Oct 21, 2009 at 1:42 p.m.
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common sense in politics?? again i give you the herb that naturally, npi, brings peace:)
good point freeradical. alcohol prohibition ended during the great depression to put people to work and generate revenue. gee, i wonder if we could use those two things right now??
Oct 21, 2009 at 1:15 p.m.
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With California in such a state of disarray, and also being the pioneer in medicinal marijuana, it's almost like accepting medicinal marijuana is an effort to*gasp* bring more money to the states allowing and taxing it(coincidence?)!!! Finally, a sensible step in looking for corners in which to make some money in a time we need it more than ever!
Oct 21, 2009 at 1:10 p.m.
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Pete-What are you bringing this up for? Little off topic, and I'm not sure what your motive is here...
Oct 21, 2009 at 11:04 a.m.
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Kid, great comment about the bars. There's not much anyone needs to say in this case, because the article is pretty much self sustaining. I'm surprised all the nay-sayers aren't here. Probably because the majority of the nay sayers are also lacking information, and now that Obama made this move, all the sheep are rethinking where they stand on this widely misunderstood topic.
Oct 21, 2009 at 11 a.m.
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I see only good things stemming from this.
The good kind of stem, not to be confused with stems and seeds.
Oct 21, 2009 at 10:56 a.m.
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I'm sure the politicians that want to outlaw it for medical use would change their mind in a second if it was THEM suffering from horrendous pain and needed it.....Politicians only seem to be concerned when its THEM getting bothered.
Oct 21, 2009 at 10:48 a.m.
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what? :)
Oct 21, 2009 at 10:34 a.m.
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I forgot what I was gonna say.
Oct 21, 2009 at 10:09 a.m.
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The LaGuardia Marijuana Committee report showed that all the myths that the government spread with its propaganda hype is unfounded..this was in the 1930's. Marijuana can reduce nausea and increase the appetite of people suffering from the effects of chemo drugs (which are legal with a script BTW.) I know marijuana is illegal, but I do know that it has been used for centuries. Just think, we could even save the trees! Benefits all around.
Oct 21, 2009 at 10:03 a.m.
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Amsterdam tolerates Marijuana and has the lowest rate of hard core drug use..Maybe we can learn SOMETHING from that. We need to do SOMETHING. The area is exploding with heroin!
Oct 21, 2009 at 8:59 a.m.
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I say we legalize marijuana and outlaw Ho-Ho's.
Oct 20, 2009 at 6:22 p.m.
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I would like to recount my mixed success into the world of reefer.
After seeing the film Reefer Madness, I decided that precautions were necessary for my first time smoking tea. My plan amounted to chaining myself and an itinerant hooker (the best kind) to my toilet. The chains were 10 feet long and time-locked for 48 hours.
I stocked the bathroom with ample supplies of Ding Dongs, Twinkies, Good and Plenty, Doritos, Nachos, Ho Hos, and Jelly Beans.
I had had a three by three foot slot (with a door) cut into the exterior wall. The slot was for the purpose of taking delivery of Jim's pizzas and Singapore Chow Mein Fun from the King Wok on Court Street. Needless to say my $100 line was promptly maxed-out on my JC Penney credit card.
Things were going very well for the first six hours, we (her name was February) were laughing, happy, and resolved to never touching alcohol again and possibly even talked of rudimentary plans for moving to New Mexico to live with the Indians -it was either that or buying a ranch house in Footville -I can't remember for sure.
However, at the seven hour point tragedy struck when the hooker (her name was February) succumbed to insulin shock after gorging on 27 Ho Hos, nonstop. (Please, no comments about the poetic justice of a hooker dying from eating Ho Hos.) You can imagine my grief. She was a good one.
The remaining 41 hours were brutal, though marked with occasional bouts of laughter and realizations that all-in-all, tea aint such a bad thing. And just because every once-and-a while something bad happens, that's no reason to blame it on reefer.
Currently I use medical marijuana to treat my injuries from a motorcycle crash.
The moral of the story is: Don't judge a book by its cover.
;~)
Oct 20, 2009 at 1:41 a.m.
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The greatest danger to smoking marijuana is going to prison. MJ is not any more of a health danger than alcohol or cigarettes. So why are they legal when MJ is not? Why are we compounding the health issues by sending our children to jail?
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Let's let go of the tired old past -- let's make marijuana legal, just like we make alcohol legal. Prohibition has failed, and we need to fix it, again.
Oct 19, 2009 at 9:37 p.m.
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^5!
Oct 19, 2009 at 9:16 p.m.
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I agree too. It should be a state issue.
Oct 19, 2009 at 7:56 p.m.
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No lets get this law in Wisconsin..
Oct 19, 2009 at 7:03 p.m.
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http://www.gallup.com/poll/123728/U.S.-S...
Oct 19, 2009 at 7:03 p.m.
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good idea, more tax revenue for the state.
Oct 19, 2009 at 6:24 p.m.
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good point panamared...leave it to the herb to bring us all togethor:)
bythelake: be patient my friend...medical marijuana is looooong overdue...but the best part is that after a few years the blind will see that society with marijuana will not crumble. i believe i have a legit reason for a medical marijuana card but i WANT all out legalized. same as alcohol. the fact is medical marijuana is just a lead in to full legalization!!
Oct 19, 2009 at 4:40 p.m.
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It's about time. I am all for it. How about we legalize it all the way and outlaw booze? Now that would really make me happy.
Oct 19, 2009 at 2:53 p.m.
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ROTFL, DiGriz. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THaoYW0Kp...
Oct 19, 2009 at 2:25 p.m.
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PanamaRed.... yes it is a beautiful thing..I agree
Oct 19, 2009 at 2 p.m.
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Its a beautiful thing to see thekid, prounion, DiGriz and RAF all agree on the same issue. Who'd have thought THAT was possible!
Just for the record, I also believe the change in policy is long overdue.
Oct 19, 2009 at 11:16 a.m.
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Kid, once again I agree with you 100%.
Oct 19, 2009 at 9:13 a.m.
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Bout time the government started using some common sense.
Oct 19, 2009 at 9:12 a.m.
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we're almost there... ;)
Oct 19, 2009 at 9:12 a.m.
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we're almost there... ;)
Oct 19, 2009 at 9:03 a.m.
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I don't smoke it, but I support The Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act now being circulated among Wisconsin legislators for cosponsors.
Oct 19, 2009 at 9 a.m.
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'The memo particularly warns that some suspects may hide old-fashioned drug dealing or other crimes behind a medical marijuana business'
similar to the way some bars currently operate
Oct 19, 2009 at 8:39 a.m.
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hahaha. im here miltonalum:) RAF is absolutely correct. the legalization of marijuana is a STATES RIGHTS ISSUE. just like the 21 year old drinking age was/is a states rights issue. the state of WI had a bill introduced last month name The Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act. It is similar to the bill passed in Michigan last year(w 2/3s of the vot). it also includes other ailments such as PTSD. it will set up not for profit dispensaries, similar to rhode island. you can help make this possible by contacting your state reps. click here, fill out the form, and an email will be sent stating your support for a doctors right to prescribe a medicine.
http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?a...
the good news is this bill would give ALOT of suffering people relief, it would also give thekid a new job growing marijuana:)
the bad news(for those that dislike my posts) is that until its taxed/regulated equal to alcohol im not goin anywhere:)
BUT....this is a huge swing from the archaic policies of the past administrations and THE ONLY reason i voted for O. thanx mr prez!!
Oct 19, 2009 at 8:12 a.m.
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Why can't it just be treated like any other prescription drug? If they don't have a prescription for it then throw their butts in jail. It certainly isn't as dangerous as Oxycontin and some of these other addicting drugs that are being prescribed.
Oct 19, 2009 at 8:08 a.m.
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The fed needs to stay out of States business.
Oct 19, 2009 at 6:10 a.m.
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thekid wru?
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