In a sharp policy shift, the Obama administration told federal attorneys not to prosecute patients who use marijuana for medical reasons or dispensaries in states where it has been legalised.
A Justice Department official said the formal guidelines were issued on Monday to reflect President Barack Obama's views. The Bush administration had said it could enforce the federal law against marijuana and that it trumped state laws.
The decision was praised by activists in California, the first state to legalise medical marijuana in 1996. But concern remains among some medical and law enforcement authorities about hundreds of clinics distributing marijuana under the protection of state law and without regard to health.
During his presidential campaign last year, Mr Obama said he intended to halt raids of medical marijuana facilities operating legally under state laws.
On Monday a White House spokesman repeated Mr Obama's view that "federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws".
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment