Cole's memo stresses that the Justice Department "never intended to shield such activities from federal enforcement and prosecution, even where those activities purport to comply with state law. Persons who are in the business of cultivating, selling or distributing marijuana, and those who knowingly facilitate such activities, are in violation of the Controlled Substances Act, regardless of state law."

"Relations between the medical marijuana movement and the Obama administration are starting to feel like the Cold War," Smith writes, going on to quote Dale Gieringer of California NORML on the current state of the conflict:

"They want to put a stop to any large-scale distribution of medical marijuana, but all they're doing is prolonging the conflict between federal law and reality. We have to put pressure on Obama," Gieringer insists. "He owes us an explanation of his waffling on this issue, and certainly his failure to address rescheduling.

Why indeed? Legalize marijuana and all this horseshit goes away and our pitiful economy gets a huge boost from a thriving cannabis industry.

—Amsterdam

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