Obama Administration to Stop Raids on Medical Marijuana Dispensers

[Why Syzygy]

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Wednesday outlined a shift in the enforcement of federal drug laws, saying the administration would effectively end the Bush administration’s frequent raids on distributors of medical marijuana.
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Times Topics: Marijuana

Speaking with reporters, Mr. Holder provided few specifics but said the Justice Department’s enforcement policy would now be restricted to traffickers who falsely masqueraded as medical dispensaries and “use medical marijuana laws as a shield.”

In the Bush administration, federal agents raided medical marijuana distributors that violated federal statutes even if the dispensaries appeared to be complying with state laws. The raids produced a flood of complaints, particularly in California, which in 1996 became the first state to legalize marijuana sales to people with doctors’ prescriptions.

Graham Boyd, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union drug law project, said Mr. Holder’s remarks created a reasonable balance between conflicting state and federal laws and “seem to finally end the policy war over medical marijuana.” He said officials in California and the 12 other states that have authorized the use of medical marijuana had hesitated to adopt regulations to carry out their laws because of uncertainty created by the Bush administration.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/us/19holder.html?_r=1&ref=us

[polichick]

1. This is very good news!

[Why Syzygy]

3. The states get some relief.

.whew. That feels good. We don't have med mj here. But, once we kick Perry to the curb, it is on.

[marylanddem]

2. Yep, very good news.

[tridim]

4. It bugs me that they don't ever mention decrim or legalization, but I'll take this

It's a step in the right direction.

[Why Syzygy]

5. One step at a time. I guess.

Worlds better than the feds kicking in the door and stealing crops.