The Justice Department has no plans to prosecute marijuana dispensaries that are operating legally under state laws in California, as well as, a dozen other states.
This new policy was detailed in a statement made by United States Attorney General Eric Holder yesterday at a briefing with reporters in which he stated the priority of the new administration is to go after the egregious offenders operating in violation of both federal and state law, such as dispensaries being used as fronts for drug dealers. The statement by Attorney General Holder follows through on a pledge made by President Obama during his campaign during which he stated that dispensaries operating within state law would not be subject to prosecution should he be elected.
Medical marijuana advocates and civil libertarians hail the new policy as a landmark change in federal drug policy and a complete about-face from the Bush administration’s zero tolerance policy for marijuana use by patients. Under the Bush administration, medical marijuana distributors were targeted despite conforming with state laws.
When asked by reporters if the Justice Department planned to raid anymore clinics the Attorney General said “[t]he policy is to go after those people who violate both federal and state law, to the extent that people do that and try to use medical marijuana laws as a shield for activity that is not designed to comport with what the intention was of the state law.” “Those are the organizations, the people that we will target.”
FYI: In California, it is legal to cultivate, use and sell medical marijuana. However, under federal law, all such actions are illegal.
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