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The Daily Dish - 2006-2011 archives for The Daily Dish, featuring Andrew Sullivan

The Feds And The Weed, Ctd

By The Daily Dish
Oct 19 2009, 8:58 AM ET

Here is the memo. Greenwald's take:

Criminalizing cancer and AIDS patients for using a substance that is (a) prescribed by their doctors and (b) legal under the laws of their state has always been abominable.  The Obama administration deserves major credit not only for ceasing this practice, but for memorializing it formally in writing.  Just as is true for Jim Webb's brave crusade to radically revise the nation's criminal justice and drug laws, there is little political gain -- and some political risk -- in adopting a policy that can be depicted as "soft on drugs" or even "pro-marijuana."  It's a change that has concrete benefits for many people who are sick and for those who provide them with treatments that benefit them.  So credit where it's due to the Obama DOJ, for fulfilling a long-standing commitment on this issue.

Video above from 2008 via Nick Gillespie who describes the memo as "the most compassionate and sensible policy to come out of Washington in a very long time." Jacob Sullum isn't so sure. Earlier Dish coverage here.



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