Pubdate: Thu, 12 Sep 2013
Source: Wall Street Journal (US)
Copyright: 2013 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.wsj.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/487
Author: Dale Gieringer
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n455/a04.html

FEDERALISM, THE CONSTITUTION AND A DOJ BLOWING SMOKE

If the president wants to decriminalize marijuana, he should push 
Congress to change the law.

Surely the Obama administration deserves credit, not blame, for 
declining to waste more taxpayer dollars trying to override state 
marijuana laws.

The Justice Department has already wasted nearly half-a-billion 
dollars to investigate, raid, arrest, prosecute and imprison hundreds 
of medical-marijuana offenders in states where it is legal. The DOJ 
is in no way obliged to launch litigation against state-approved 
marijuana laws, nor to seek out further violators in the absence of 
actual victims.

The federal war on marijuana is a sterling example of out-of-control, 
counterproductive, constitutionally dubious big government run amok. 
Polls show that 70% of Americans oppose federal interference in state 
marijuana laws.

Dale Gieringer

Director

California Norml

San Francisco
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom