Justice Department Rolls Out New Medical Marijuana Policy

John DuBois, University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

A new policy introduced by the Obama administration Monday restricts the federal government’s authority to prosecute medicinal marijuana patients and sanctioned suppliers. Instead, federal resources will be diverted toward apprehending larger criminal operations.

Mondays decision was praised by medical marijuana activists.

“This is an important step forward today. The federal government said, that they will respect state laws regards to medical marijuana,” said Mike Meno, Assistant Director of Communication for the Marijuana Policy Project, an organization based on reforming existing marijuana laws. “We think this is great and more [reforms] should follow.”

However, the responses to the decision have not all been optimistic. House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-Texas) charged in a statement Monday that “the Administration is tacitly condoning the use of marijuana in the U.S.” The statement goes on to read “If we want to win the war on drugs, federal prosecutors have a responsibility to investigate and prosecute all medical marijuana dispensaries and not just those that are merely fronts for illegal marijuana distribution.”

The new policy states that those who use or provide marijuana without medical clearance will still be prosecuted. Fourteen states currently permit marijuana for medical use; Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.