[HMF]

WASHINGTON — The White House won’t say it explicitly. Neither will the Drug Enforcement Administration. Yet there is a whiff in the air that U.S. policy is about to change when it comes to medical marijuana.

The message is clear, said UCLA professor Mark Kleiman, a former Justice Department official and an expert on crime and drug policy.

“It is no longer federal policy to beat up on hippies,” said Kleiman.

Tell that to the DEA. In California this past week, agents raided four dispensaries in Los Angeles and seized 225 kg of pot.

California law permits the sale of marijuana for medical purposes, though it is still against U.S. federal law.

Thirteen states have laws permitting medicinal use of marijuana. California is unique among them for the presence of dispensaries, businesses that sell marijuana and even advertise their services.

“Anyone possessing, distributing or cultivating marijuana for any reason is in violation of federal law,” Sarah Pullen, a DEA spokeswoman in Los Angeles, said Thursday.

That may be the law, but it contradicts the medical marijuana position of the new president.

“The president believes that federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws … he expects them to review their policies with that in mind,” said White House spokesman Nick Shapiro.

So on Friday, DEA officials in Washington declined to comment at all on the subject.

As a candidate, Obama repeatedly promised a change in federal drug policy in situations where state laws allow medical use.

[jmpestwoman]

I am so glad I voted for Obama!! It is about time!!

[codeman420]

a whiff in the air? not very encouraging, but it is something.

lets see how it pans out....i hope for the best... our state needs the tax money desperately right now anyhow..