U.S. ATTORNEYS SHOULD BACK OFF MEDICAL-MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

The Seattle Times Editorial Board Urges Political Leaders Here to Tell
the Obama Administration Not to Interfere With the Lawful Use of
Medical Marijuana in Washington State.

THE federal crackdown on medical-marijuana dispensaries in California
is wrong - a wrong policy and a wrong use of federal power to block
social change.

President Obama was supposed to be for change. He appointed a
drug-policy adviser, Gil Kerlikowske, who announced that the War on
Drugs was "over." That was an exaggeration, but for medical marijuana
it seemed to be so.

In October 2009, the Justice Department told U.S. attorneys they
"should not focus federal resources" on "individuals whose actions are
in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing
for the medical use of marijuana."

For some unexplained reason, that has changed. Last week the four U.S.
attorneys in California sent letters to 16 dispensaries demanding they
close within 45 days or face prosecution and confiscation of their
property. Hundreds more letters are going out.

In Spokane, U.S. Attorney Michael Ormsby sent such letters months ago,
and all dispensaries there have been shut down. Spokane patients are
now buying their supplies on the illicit market - at almost double the
price.

The U.S. attorney for Western Washington, Jenny Durkan, has not done
this here - thank you! - and dispensaries in Seattle remain open with
the open support of city government. We hope Durkan relays to her
superiors in Washington, D.C., that closing dispensaries, seizing
property and imprisoning owners would not be supported by people here.

Our political leaders, particularly our senators, representatives and
governor, should push back. They have to tell the Obama people: Don't
do this.

Washington was one of the first three states to legalize medical
marijuana, along with Oregon and California. All did it by popular
vote. Over the past decade and a half, 16 states plus the District of
Columbia have made this decision, 10 of them by popular vote. More
such votes will be coming in 2012 - in Montana and possibly in Idaho,
Ohio and other states.

Change is happening, and from the bottom up. It is good change. It is
peaceful. It helps people and it respects their rights.

The Obama administration should let it be.