HIGH TIME FOR CHANGE

A new Obama administration policy relaxing the guidelines on federal
prosecution of medical marijuana shows compassion to millions
suffering from debilitating diseases.

The Justice Department should utilize its limited resources more
effectively than hunting down patients who legally smoke
doctor-prescribed pot.

The strict anti-marijuana policies of the Bush administration
reflected a growing federal reach into state affairs and created
further anguish for those using prescribed pot to treat chronic
medical conditions like cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis.

Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawai'i, Maine, Maryland, Michigan,
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and
Washington allow some use of marijuana for medical purposes, according
to the government's count.

In a June 6, 2005, U.S. Supreme Court decision, Chief Justice William
H. Rehnquist and Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Clarence Thomas
stated in their dissenting opinions that the federal government has no
right to force its drug policy on the states.

Fortunately, times have changed.

Critics' lack of sympathy and clinging to misconstrued conceptions of
marijuana affects so many in need.

Smoking pot helps ease pain and in some cases shows therapeutic value
to patients, according to Utah's Pain Research Center and a host of
other professional medical opinions.

For many patients, pot is the only treatment that alleviates their
debilitating symptoms. The fear of federal arrest is the last thing
someone suffering a long, painful death should have to worry about.

The Justice Department's directive to federal prosecutors Monday
expressly says this policy shift doesn't legalize marijuana. The
three-page legal memo penned by Deputy Attorney General David Ogden
says 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 issued by the department do, however, make it clear
that federal agents will go after people whose marijuana distribution
goes beyond what is permitted under state law or use medical marijuana
as a cover for other crimes, an Associated Press story says.

"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," Attorney General Eric
Holder said in a statement.

Let's target the real criminals here while preventing unfair and
unwarranted prosecution and jail time for law-abiding citizens.

Surveys have shown that 65 percent of Americans say adults should be
allowed to use marijuana for medical purposes if their doctor
recommends it. Only one in five says it should be illegal.

Regardless of how you feel about drug use in general or government's
role in personal decisions, we should all be able to agree that
federal agents should not flout state laws and nobody should come
between a patient and their legally prescribed medication.

It's high time our government's policies reflect how Americans really
feel.