Holder: DOJ Won’t Target Medical Marijuana in States That Allow It
Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters at a news conference yesterday that the Department of Justice has no plans to prosecute the sale of medical marijuana in the states that allow it.
Thirteen states have laws allowing the sale of medical marijuana, but federal law doesn’t make an exception for pot sold with a doctor’s prescription, according to the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times reports. During the Bush administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration had raided marijuana dispensaries.
Holder said law enforcement will will continue to target anyone who tries to “use medical marijuana laws as a shield” for other illegal activity, according to the AP story.
“Given the limited resources that we have, our focus will be on people, organizations that are growing, cultivating substantial amounts of marijuana and doing so in a way that’s inconsistent with federal and state law,” Holder said.
Medical marijuana advocates say it’s still unclear whether the government will pursue medical marijuana prosecutions that are currently pending in federal court.
