WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 Today, the U.S. Department of Justice issued formal guidelines for federal prosecutors in states that have enacted laws authorizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. A memo from Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden to United States Attorneys outlined the new position of the department.
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The memo provided in part: "As a general matter, pursuit of these [controlled substances] priorities should not focus federal resources in your States on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana." [emphasis added]
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The full memo is available here: http://blogs.usdoj.gov/blog/archives/192
The Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project (AMMPP), which is sponsoring a medical marijuana initiative that will appear on the ballot in Arizona in November 2010, cheered the Justice Department's action.
"For patients in Arizona suffering because of a variety of serious medical conditions, this is wonderful news," said Andrew Myers, director of AMMPP. "Our initiative promises to provide these patients with safe and reliable access to the medicine they need under state law. It is a tremendous boost to our efforts to have the federal government acknowledge a year before the vote that it will not interfere with this law once it is enacted. This is truly a day to celebrate, both in Arizona and in the 13 other states where medical marijuana is already permitted under state law."
For more information about AMMPP, visit http://www.stoparrestingpatients.org.
SOURCE Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project
