Feds won't sue to stop marijuana use in Colorado, Washington

The federal government says it will not sue to stop the states of Colorado and Washington from allowing recreational marijuana use.
 
In a sweeping national policy announcement, the Justice Department outlined eight top priority areas for its enforcement of marijuana laws.

They range from preventing the distribution of marijuana to minors to preventing sales revenue from going to criminal enterprises, gangs and cartels and preventing the diversion of marijuana outside of states where it is legal under state law.

These 8 areas of enforcement are:

1. Preventing the distribution of marijuana to minors.
2. Preventing revenue from the sale of marijuana from going to criminal enterprises, gangs and cartels.
3. Preventing the diversion of marijuana from states where it is legal under state law in some form to other states
4. Preventing state authorized marijuana activity from being used as a cover or pretext for the trafficking of other illegal drugs or other illegal activity
5. Preventing violence and the use of firearms in the cultivation and distribution of marijuana
6. Preventing drugged driving and exacerbation of other adverse public health consequences associated with marijuana use.
7. Preventing the growing of marijuana on public lands and the attendant public safety and environmental dangers posed by marijuana production on public lands
8. Preventing marijuana possession or use on federal property.

The announcement follows comments in December by President Barack Obama, who said it does not make sense for the federal government to go after recreational drug users in a state that has legalized recreational use of small amounts of marijuana.