A pair of California lawmakers is pushing back against a federal crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries in the Golden State.

Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and Assemblyman Tom Ammiano today lashed out against the pronouncement by Department of Justice officials that dispensaries are against the law on a federal level and will be targeted despite medical pot's legal status in California.

Ammiano:

With national polls showing support for marijuana at an all-time high, it defies common sense that the Department of Justice would return to the failed policies of the past. Instead of supporting state efforts to effectively regulate medical marijuana in accordance with Prop 215, the Obama administration seems committed to re-criminalizing it. This destructive attack on medical marijuana patients is a waste of limited law enforcement resources and will cost the state millions in tax revenue and harm countless lives. I urge President Obama to reconsider this bad policy decision and respect California's right to provide medicine to its residents.

There was some conjecture, our own thoughts included, that this federal action was a pre-election move by the Obama administration to appear tough on crime.

However, the Huffington Post reported this week that the decision to declare California's dispensaries illegal happened at DOJ offices in California.

Marijuana remains a top outlaw drug on a federal level.

Leno:

I urge the federal government to stand down in its massive attack on medical marijuana dispensaries, which will have devastating impacts for the state of California. At a time when resources are precious and few, federal officials have chosen to waste time and money in an ambush that will harm countless patients who will no longer be able to safely access doctor-prescribed treatments. Our federal dollars, especially during a down economy, would be better spent on activities and programs that save jobs and help people in need. Instead, this ill-timed offensive would have no positive impacts on our state and would only force more Californians into unemployment.

Godspeed, lawmakers.

[@dennisjromero/djromero@laweekly.com]

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