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Washington Post, pro-marijuana

The Washington Post editorial board has come out in favor of Colorado and Washington State's new marijuana legalization measures, which were approved by voters in both states in the 2012 elections:

[I]t’s unrealistic and unwise to expect federal officials to pick up the slack left by state law- enforcement officers who used to enforce marijuana prohibitions against pot users and small-time growers. Unrealistic, because it would require lots more resources. Unwise, because filling prisons with users, each given a criminal stain on his or her record, has long been irrational. For the latter reason, we favor decriminalizing possession of small amounts of pot, assessing civil fines instead of locking people up. Also, for that reason and others, the Justice Department should hold its fire on a lawsuit challenging Colorado and Washington’s decision to behave more leniently. And state officials involved in good-faith efforts to regulate marijuana production and distribution according to state laws should be explicitly excused from federal targeting.

The conflicts between federal and state law are still unresolved. In Colorado, district attorneys in Denver and elsewhere have said that they will drop possession and paraphernalia charges. In Washington, the Seattle Police Dept. has said that though the new state law does not change federal law, "Seattle Police officers... will follow state law, and will no longer make arrests for marijuana possession as defined under I-502," which allows those above 21 years of age to posess up to one ounce of marijuana.

The New York Times and Wall Street Journal editorial boards have yet to weigh in on marijuana legalization.