Feds Won't Try to Block Legal Marijuana in Colo.

As long as stores comply with state law, which sounds an awful lot like what they said about medical marijuana

The federal government will not make it a priority to block marijuana legalization in Colorado or Washington or close down recreational marijuana stores, so long as the stores abide by state regulations, according to new guidance being issued Thursday to federal prosecutors across the country.

The guidance — the details of which were provided by a Justice Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity — is a significant rewrite of the federal approach to marijuana prosecutions in states that have loosened laws around cannabis. The guidance says prosecutors should not make it a priority to target marijuana users or marijuana business — either medical or recreational — so long as they are in compliance with state laws and not violating eight key federal priorities.

The Justice Department official said prosecutors will expect states with liberalized marijuana laws to establish strict regulations to keep pot out of the hands of kids and to keep criminal groups from moving into the legal marijuana industry.