Medical marijuana

On the campaign trail last year, Barack Obama vowed, if elected, to respect state laws on medical marijuana and call off the drug warriors in their quest to prosecute ailing patients who have a doctor's prescription to use the substance.

For a while, though, it appeared his promise was just another whopper along the lines of, "If I'm elected, the middle class will not see their taxes increased by a single dime." Within weeks after Mr. Obama took office, DEA agents had raided four California marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles.

Meet the new boss?

Fortunately, no, because Mr. Obama has finally gotten it right.

On Monday, the Justice Department issued a new policy memo to federal prosecutors urging them not to target pot-smoking patients or their state-sanctioned marijuana suppliers.

The memo advises prosecutors they "should not focus federal resources in your states on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana."

But U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was quick to add that "we will not tolerate drug traffickers who hide behind claims of compliance with state law to mask activities that are clearly illegal." In addition, the memo urges prosecutors to pursue pot cases that involve violence or selling to minors.

Nevada is one of 14 states in which state voters have approved the use of medical marijuana. But federal prosecutions over the issue have been extremely rare here, probably because the state hasn't set up an intricate distribution system.

Most of the prosecutions have taken place in California. In some cases, prosecutors have even succeeded in getting federal judges to gag defendants if they attempt to point out to a jury that they are in complete compliance with state law.

It's unfortunate that two previous administrations saw fit to aggressively ignore the will of the people in 14 states out of a misguided need to flex federal muscle at the expense of the sick and infirm. The Obama administration's new policy reflects a refreshing mix of prioritization and common sense.