Score one for medical marijuana

While the Obama administration has underperformed according to many of our hopes (especially in terms of restoring the rule of law, see our running scorecard), today marks an occasion in which we’re onboard.

The justice department (in accordance with a policy change promised throughout the campaign) announced today that “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, but we will not tolerate drug traffickers who hide behind claims of compliance with state law to mask activities that are clearly illegal”

This is coming from Attorney General Eric Holder, and it marks a huge victory in terms of drug reform. Now, instead of going after patients or distributors (oftentimes, legal distributors), federal prosecutors will instead focus on “marijuana cases which involve violence, the illegal use of firearms, selling to minors, money laundering or involvement in other crimes”, according to an NPR story.

For more on the ACLU’s views on Medical Marijuana and drug reform, check out the official site of the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project.