Justice Department: Drug laws "remain unchanged" following passage of marijuana ballot initiatives

Updated at 2:22 p.m. ET

The federal government said Wednesday that its enforcement of drug laws "remains unchanged" following voters' approval of ballot initiatives in two states allowing recreational marijuana use.

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Colorado's Amendment 64 legalizes recreational marijuana use

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Wa. legalizes recreational use of marijuana

Voters in Colorado and Washington passed similar initiatives on Election Day legalizing marijuana as well as regulating and taxing it.

In response, Justice Department spokeswoman Nanda Chitre said in a statement: "The department's enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act remains unchanged. In enacting the Controlled Substances Act, Congress determined that marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance. We are reviewing the ballot initiatives and have no additional comment at this time."

The Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. attorneys in Denver and Seattle issued identical statements.

Earlier, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, who opposed the initiative in his state, also indicated that legalization was far from a reality.

"Federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug," he said, according to The Associated Press, "so don't break out the Cheetos or Goldfish too quickly."

Oregon voters also considered a legalization initiative but rejected it.

[Necroscope84]

Let me first clarify that I'm all for legalization for pot but some of these asinine arguments are really pathetic. Get over it everyone, it's going to take at least 2/3'rds of all the states legalizing it for the Feds to accept it and stop with the whole medical garbage. Yes it has medical value and yes it helps people but for the most part people just want to get high. I'd have so much more respect for you'll if you'd just state the simple honest truth. That you want to get high. Unfortunately pot is a gateway drug for some of us. Nobdoy knows why some people can smoke it and be just fine whereas others smoke it, move on to coke, crack and/or heroin. It happened that way to me, I thought hmm pot's not so bad coke must not be bad either. Was the worst decision I ever made. I recognize everyone is not like me though.

I think this thing needs to be thought out alot more than it is. For instance can bus drivers for schools smoke pot? Do you want them driving your children. How about cops? How about teachers during recess? When is it ok to smoke and when is it not? How to handle the whole tax thing, how to keep people from abusing the system. What happens if you cross the state line with weed? God help you if you have a handgun too, that's trafficing and will get you a life sentenece in some places. This whole thing needs to be thought out on a massive scale. I'm all for legalizing it but what happens when those who are addicts move on to better drugs? What kind of laws will there be to protect children? What about America's obesity problem? Really want the World's most obese nation getting the munchies? Just alot to consider. Other than that I find it ridiculous that anyone caught smoking or owning a little bit of pot should ever have to spend time in jail with murderers and rapists. Also do past offenders get out of jail now? What kind of regulations will be in place to make sure there's nothing impure in the weed? I'm sure alot of this is already being done but you kinda need to think of all of the what if's for this to be successful in the long run.

I think Obama wouldn't mind legalizing it but honestly as the first black President do you think he wants to be the one to say it's ok? Republicans would make him out to be a blunt smoking thug if he did. Best way for this to happen is if enough states legalize it then any President can save face and say the people have spoken unanimously.

And then there's the deal about smoking in public.
When I saw the video of all the potheads out toking it up in public I hate to say but I don't think that helps your cause very much. At least for now anyways. Gotta let it sink in slowly. If you start bursting out the bongs on day one you're only going to make yourselves look bad. Smoke at home, or in your front lawn if you want but don't do giant toke ups on the spot. People would have a fit of cigarette smokers had a giant smoke'a'thon. Be adults about it. Looking like glazed eye brain dead potheads doesn't help the image much. You want it legal then use your brains. No disrespect intended but these are the kind of opposition that you ARE going to run up against. Be adults about it and it may happen. Only time will tell I guess.

[jman1983]

I'm 29 years old, and I'm personally against legalizing it. MAYBE for medical purposes, when someone has cancer or some other serious condition....but not for every moron that wants to get high and lies to get a medical marijuana card. At any rate, I just wanted to note that I thought your comment was well thought out and well written. You made many good points, that most people probably wouldn't think about on their own. It is actually for many reasons you mentioned that I am AGAINST it. I would be pissed it someone was smoking it in public near me. I would avoid any establishment that allowed it to be smoked. I would flat out murder my kids' bus driver if he dared smoke it before or during his shift. A drug is a drug, and just because there's a lot of potheads in this country is not a good enough reason to legalize it. Again, if someone has a true medical reason, and marijuana is the best treatment, that's a different story. But I bet most of the medical cards out there are based on lies which sickens me.

I'm against drinking in excess too, but at least with alcohol there are ways to check a person's BAC and there are still laws regarding how much is too much. How many people are going to get high and then drive, and cause car accidents before they realize they jumped the gun.

Anyway, that's my rant. I'm really getting sick of this country.

[patrickdawes]

MEANWHILE:

Alcohol will kill 80,000 this year. (CDC)

[anebt]

You should have voted for Ron Paul. You didn't. Now understand that federal law trumps state law. Thus it is illegal to smoke pot or possess it in Colorado.

[Rodeo_Joe]

In 1484 Pope Innocent VIII issued a papal bull called "Summis desiderantes", which specifically condemned the use of cannabis as Satanic - all due to a severe Climate Cooling which had been blamed on Euro Pagans and their practices.
Fast forward to the twentieth century, add some Jim Crow USA racism, and DuPont's greed about his newly patented "Nylon" fiber - and you end up with todays prohibition. Fear, Greed, and blind Obedience.

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[thevoteisin]

As a resident of Colorado we have great regulations in place for marijuana.
The people have spoken and the feds need to acknowledge it. There is no proof that smoking weed has as harmful effects as even booze or the real demon out there prescription drugs. people are always going to find a way to catch a buzz as many have stated get the revenue!!! put the $$ towards education and/or helping to balance state budgets. Colorado is pledging $40 million to education per year from the taxation of marijuana. I can't find an issue except that the feds have mis-labled a weed a non-lethal substance and a renewable resource.

[Toxic_Truth]

Medical Marijuana, Amendment 64 and the Justice Department: Eric Holder 2010: Federal drug agents won't pursue pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers in states that allow medical marijuana, under new legal guidelines to be issued Monday by the Obama administration. Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to The Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is
not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state law. The guidelines to be issued by the department do, however, make it clear that agents will go after people whose marijuana distribution goes beyond what is permitted under state law. One should only imagine this philosophy will be presented by the Justice Department about Amendment 64.

[VapeGirl]

The DEA continues to tell people that there is no recorded medical study that smoking marijuana has any medicinal benefit. Well that is funny, because US actually had a medical marijuana program for many years - up until 1992. It was regulated by the FDA. Yes folks. This is not a lie. The very government that tries to tell you that marijuana has no medical value - had a medical marijuana program. Despite the closing down of the program, some of the patients that have been around since its inception in 1976 still receive free marijuana through the program!

Maybe that is why in 2003 the US government put a patent on cannabis. Patent #US 6630507 - Google it. Also Google - Compassionate Investigational New Drug Program

BTW - if enough states pass legalization of cannabis, there is little the US government will be able to do to enforce their laws, because then the government stands the chance of irrelevance. It won't come to that. Cannabis will either be legalized or decriminalized by 2015.

[tjsands]

Hell you don't have to go all the way back to the 80's for the government's knowledge of cannabis's medicinal value. With in the last two year the FDA has approve the cannabis derived drug Saltevex, and the synthetic version, Marinol, has been legal for years.

[dtmacb]

I have just two words for the DOJ, jury nullification. Good luck finding juries that will convict.

[aliwatson1031]

Have we not spent enough money trying to fight the war on drugs??? One would think that we would have learned after Prohibition that the Government can't regulate morality. If people want to smoke dope and take drugs, they will find a way to do that. They have been doing that since the US started the war on the drugs. For years we have wasted billions of dollars and what has come out of that? Nothing! Legalize pot, tax it and gain revenues. That is what the states are trying to do. The Feds should get off their high horses, legalize pot and let the states do what they need to do in order to create more revenue. If the Feds were smart, they would go along and get some of the revenue for the federal government.

[bobbychuckles]

The Fed reaction to this reminds me of the 'It's just a flesh wound.' scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
It's time for them to hang up their jackboots and admit defeat.
The public has spoken and now they're tokin'.
Good night DEA and don't let the door hit your fat kiesters on the way OUT!

[apanthropy]

Our national motto is "In God We Trust"

Genesis 1:29 doesn't say "except weed"

1 Timothy 4:1-5 reinforces this.

Words actually mean things. "Motto" actually has a meaning.

[thevoteisin]

Religion has no place in politics. We need to have seperation of church and state. We are a country of freedoms and choices not oppression! marijuana is a much safer alternative to presciption drugs or even alcohol which cost millions of dollars in medical bills every year because of OD's.

[Anti-Apanthropy]

I'm not really getting your point. The motto technically does not distinguish which "God". So by quoting the christian book of faith, you really are putting yourself in a corner...

DON'T TRY AND USE THE BIBLE AGAINST CHRISTIANS. It makes it harder for the rest of us to live our lives peacefully. If you start pointing out the hypocritical way that christians live their lives, they get all shooty and stabby.

[JenSkeen]

All I want to know is this: How does the Governor of Colorado know about Cheetoes and Goldfish? (Sorry, just trying to lighten the tone!)