Pubdate: Fri, 30 Aug 2013
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA)
Copyright: 2013 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc
Contact:  http://www.philly.com/inquirer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/340
Author: David G. Savage

U.S. WON'T CHALLENGE POT LAWS

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration announced Thursday a limited 
pullback on federal enforcement of the prohibition on marijuana, 
saying it will not interfere with new state laws that permit 
recreational use of the drug.

The Justice Department said that it will not seek to veto new state 
laws in Colorado and Washington that legalize the recreational use of 
marijuana, and that it will not bring federal prosecutions against 
dispensaries or businesses that sell small amounts of marijuana to adults.

A department official stressed, however, that marijuana remains 
illegal under federal law, and that U.S. prosecutors will continue to 
aggressively enforce the law against those who sell marijuana to 
minors and to criminal gangs that are involved in drug trafficking.

Attorney General Eric Holder described the Obama administration's 
middle-ground approach to marijuana enforcement in a call to the 
governors of the two states.

Holder also sent new guidance to U.S. attorneys, telling them to 
focus their prosecutions on certain federal priorities. These include 
preventing drug sales to minors and stopping traffickers from moving 
marijuana across state lines.

Under the new guidance, a marijuana dispensary will not be targeted 
by federal prosecutors because of its sheer size or its volume, an 
official said.

This change could have an immediate impact in states where medical 
marijuana is legal under state law.
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