Justice Dept announces pot guidelines
Posted: Monday, October 19, 2009 10:44 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Courts, Pete Williams
From NBC's Pete Williams
Formally announcing its new guidelines to prosecutors on medical marijuana, the Justice Department says "the focus of federal resources should not be on individuals whose actions are in compliance with existing state laws."
In a written statement, Attorney General Eric Holder said, "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."
The guidelines contain examples of conduct that would show when individuals are not in clear compliance with state law and may indicate illegal drug trafficking activity -- including unlawful use of firearms, violence, sales to minors, money laundering, amounts of marijuana inconsistent with purported compliance with state or local law, marketing or excessive financial gains similarly inconsistent with state or local law, illegal possession or sale of other controlled substances, and ties to criminal enterprises.
