2013: Obama Administration Issues New Medical Marijuana Policy

The Obama administration is calling off the dogs in the clash of state versus federal marijuana laws. According to the AP, Federal drug agents and prosecutors will be instructed not to pursue pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers in states that allow medical marijuana, under new legal guidelines to be issued today, Monday acco. The forthcoming Justice Department memo represents a change in policy from the Bush administration (who always preferred booze and coke), which said it would enforce federal anti-pot laws regardless of state rules.

Medical marijuana is now legal in 14 states.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. In addition the new guidelines urges prosecutors to pursue marijuana cases which involveselling pot to minors and other federal crimes, which are not considered illegal under certain state medical marijuana laws.

The Obama administration is making a sharp turn from the Bush administration when it comes to state laws regarding medical marijuana usage.

The guidelines to be issued to federal prosecutors Monday will suggest that it's not a good use of time to go after users and distributors of medical marijuana in the 14 states that allow such usage, while encouraging that illegal pot operations involving violence, firearms and sale to minors still be pursued.

Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington currently have state laws allowing at least limited use of marijuana for medical purposes. The AP reported that federal prosecutors in these states, as well as top officials at the FBI and DEA, would being receiving the three-page Justice Department memo outlining the new policy.

Under the George W. Bush administration, medical marijuana dispensaries were still targeted for violating federal law despite state laws allowing pot for medical use. Attorney General Eric Holder signaled a shift in this policy in March, stating that federal enforcement would concentrate on illegal marijuana operations that use medical pot allowances as a cover.

The move doesn't come as a surprise, as Obama the candidate had expressed support for states that allowed medical marijuana.

"I would not have the Justice Department prosecuting and raiding medical marijuana users," then-Sen. Barack Obama said on the campaign trail in New Hampshire.

♥☠✿☮❀☠✿☮❀☠✿♥❀☠✿