Feds still reviewing new (Washington) marijuana law, plan no action on eve of legalization

[Newsjock]

Source: Seattle Times

A strange gap year in Washington’s grand experiment with marijuana legalization begins Thursday, when personal possession of pot becomes legal, but criminal laws banning marijuana growing and sales remain in effect.

... Jenny Durkan, the U.S. Attorney for Western Washington, sent out a statement Wednesday that regardless of legalization measures in Washington and Colorado, the federal ban on marijuana remains unchanged. But the statement did not come with any legal action by the U.S. Department of Justice to block the new law from taking effect on Thursday.

The statement:

The Department of Justice is reviewing the legalization initiatives recently passed in Colorado and Washington state. The Department’s responsibility to enforce the Controlled Substances Act remains unchanged. Neither States nor the Executive branch can nullify a statute passed by Congress. In enacting the Controlled Substances Act, Congress determined that marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance.

Regardless of any changes in state law, including the change that will go into effect on December 6th in Washington state, growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Members of the public are also advised to remember that it remains against federal law to bring any amount of marijuana onto federal property, including all federal buildings, national parks and forests, military installations, and courthouses.

Read more: http://blogs.seattletimes.com/politicsnorthwest/2012/12/05/feds-still-reviewing-new-marijuana-law-plan-no-action-on-eve-of-legalization/

[bluestateguy]

1. The feds have the right to ban it on federal property

I don't think that is really in dispute. It's people buying it and selling it and using it on private property where the feds should butt out.

[RKP5637]

2. +++ 1,000 +++ n/t

[struggle4progress]

3. Be careful with that view of the scope of Federal law, or we may

find ourselves back in that not-so-long-gone era in which some states claimed that the Federal Constitutional protection to freedom of speech was really only applicable on Federal property

[deanplc]

4. 5 things about the law

Here is a little summary regarding the new marijuana laws in Washington,

http://www.pereylaw.com/legalized-marijuana/

* There is currently no legal way to purchase marijuana for non-medicinal purposes.
* Marijuana use is still illegal in public.
* Don’t drive while high.
* Marijuana is still illegal under federal law.
* Marijuana use is only legal for those 21 and older.