The Department of Justice announced today that it will no longer seek to prosecute those who act in accordance with state law by using or distributing marijuana for medical purposes.  The directive only affects those in the 14 states which currently have medical marijuana laws: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

As a result of today’s announcement, several ongoing prosecutions and pending sentencings have been postponed.

The Obama Administration made clear that the policy shift should not be seen as the legalization of marijuana.  Rather, it will allow the “efficient and rational use” of government resources by not prosecuting those who were in “clear and unambiguous compliance” of state law.  The memo which was sent to the affected U.S. Attorneys can be viewed in its entirety here.