Obama Orders an End to DEA Raids on Legitimate Medical Marijuana Operations
Federal law prohibits the sale and use of marijuana without exception, but 14 states have independently legalized medical marijuana to those in need. Under Bush, medical marijuana providers still risked federal raids and prosecution – under Obama, that won’t happen anymore.
On the campaign trail, Obama called for an end to federal raids of medical marijuana dispensaries that although legal under state law, remained in violation of federal regulations.
DEA raids on marijuana dispensaries have continued since Obama’s inauguration, but now, with a statement from US Attorney General Eric Holder, the president has made good on his pre election promise.
In a directive, Holder called for an end to the enforcement of federals laws on medical marijuana dispensaries and/or their clients that operate in accord with state laws, saying, "It will not be a priority to use federal resources to prosecute patients with serious illnesses or their caregivers who are complying with state laws on medical marijuana.”
Holder said that federal agents will continue to investigate those who use medical marijuana laws to conceal illegal drug trafficking activities.
Medical marijuana activists have been celebrating this departure from Bush era enforcement tactics, with one campaigner calling the new policy, “a huge victory for medical-marijuana patients.”
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