Score one for the good guys!
Earlier this month, new U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder promised a clean break from the policies of the Bush administration. Yesterday, during a live interview on C-Span, he affirmed that this change includes ending the DEA raids of state-authorized medical marijuana providers!
Responding to a reporter’s question regarding the DEA’s recent actions against several California medical cannabis providers, Holder stated: “What the President said during the campaign . . . will be consistent with what we will be doing here in law enforcement. . . What [President Obama] said during the campaign . . . is now American policy.”
You can watch the video of Attorney General Holder’s remarks here.
Holder’s statement marks a dramatic shift in U.S. drug policy, and is a major victory for the 72 million Americans who reside in states where the use of medical cannabis is legal! It also lends support to the ongoing efforts in Minnesota, New Jersey, and Rhode Island — each of which are debating legislative proposals to make the production and distribution of medical cannabis legal under state law.
At this time, NORML would like to personally thank those of you who responded to our request to contact the Attorney General’s office and urge Eric Holder to call off the DEA raids. Your phone calls and e-mails have helped to change U.S. marijuana policy!
So go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back. And while you’re at it, click here to thank the new Attorney General for supporting the will of the people and the health and welfare of seriously ill patients.
“Change we can believe in?” Yes it is, and it’s about time.
We clearly need an unambiguous statement from Obama/Holder that there will be no interference from federal government agencies in any aspect of the state medical marijuana programs.
#101 Jim Says:
March 10th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
We clearly need an unambiguous statement from Obama/Holder. . .
RE:
– – A written, legally-recognized statement,
ammending &/or abolishing the schedule-one
federal CSA-status would be the MOST UNAMBIGUOUS! 8)
this is a MINOR victory. it doesn’t help the majority of us and are you really going to trust the enforcers out there to give up their easy pickings. I trust Mr. Holder but I sure as hell don’t trust all of the peple working for him.
Most of you are missing the point. This has everything to do with Politics and politics alone.
This is the best news I have heard in a long time. We now need to leagalize pot and grant amnesty to those people who’s lives have been ruined by becoming felons for pot related offenses.