Enforcing pot laws in states that have legalized it not a top priority

[TotallyOz]

President Barack Obama says that federal law enforcement agencies have "bigger fish to fry" than prosecuting marijuana users in Colorado and Washington, which voted in November to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

Obama made explicit in an interview to air Friday on ABC News that prosecution of marijuana users in the two states would be placed low on his Justice Department's list of law enforcement priorities, but that certain issues must still be ironed out as more states could pass similar legislation.

"This is a tough problem, because Congress has not yet changed the law," Obama said. "I head up the executive branch; we're supposed to be carrying out laws. And so what we're going to need to have is a conversation about, How do you reconcile a federal law that still says marijuana is a federal offense and state laws that say that it's legal?"

In a statement Monday, U.S. Attorney John Walsh said that the Department of Justice is "reviewing" the initiatives passed in both states and that the department's "responsibility to enforce the Controlled Substances Act remains unchanged."

"Regardless of any changes in state law, including the change that will go into effect on December 10 in Colorado, growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law," Walsh said.

http://politicaltick...rity/?hpt=hp_t3

I do hope that the Fed leaves these states alone to do their business and finally something that should have been legal all along might start a wave of new legislation to legalize in all states.

[Gotti]

You are absolutely right. Marijuana is an unaltered product of nature, as a comedian whom I forgot the name would say: "Does that mean that God is wrong"?

Besides is an issue of common sense and public health. How many people die in a coma caused by alcohol excess? Quite a few every day. Has anyone ever heard of anybody that has OD'd because of pot?

[Guest Hoover42]

Isn't it true that some states legalized alcohol while it was still illegal under prohibition?

Wonder if this will play out in the same way.

I suppose congress would have to pass a law leaving MJ legalization entirely up to the states (as it is now with alcohol legalization).

[Guest NCBored]

You are absolutely right. Marijuana is an unaltered product of nature, as a comedian whom I forgot the name would say: "Does that mean that God is wrong"?

Besides is an issue of common sense and public health. How many people die in a coma caused by alcohol excess? Quite a few every day. Has anyone ever heard of anybody that has OD'd because of pot?

I have no issues with smoking marijuana, but the fact that it's 'natural' is irrelevant; there are lots of toxic and harmful things in nature.

Tobacco is as natural as weed.

[Gotti]

The point is the legality of nature sources and tobacco is legal (and more deadly) while pot is criminalized. Besides cigarettes have countless chemical substances that contributes to its malignity. A cigarette is not a truly product of nature as a joint is.

[lookin]

. . . cigarettes have countless chemical substances that contributes to its malignity. A cigarette is not a truly product of nature as a joint is.

I agree, and this is one of the main reasons I'd prefer to see decriminalization rather than legalization. Once the cigarette companies get their hooks into marijuana, I can't see any reason why they wouldn't start loading it up with flavorings and chemicals and preservatives and going for a selling price that's ten times the cost of goods. I expect they'll have to budget for packaging costs, legal costs, marketing costs, distribution costs, and - wait for it - lobbying costs, just like they do now with tobacco. But it will be the slow and steady deterioration of the product that will be the real buzzkill.

Also, it wouldn't surprise me to see Monsanto come along and patent a hundred varieties and sue the tie-dyes off of anyone who ends up with one of the genes in their backyard grow.