Pubdate: Sat, 15 Dec 2012 Source: Daily Freeman (Kingston, NY) Copyright: 2012 Associated Press Contact: http://www.dailyfreeman.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3269 Page: B2 POT PROPONENTS OPTIMISTIC Obama Says Pursuing Recreational Drug Users Not 'Top Priority' SEATTLE (AP) - Backers of new laws that legalized marijuana in Washington and Colorado were cautiously optimistic after President Barack Obama said Uncle Sam wouldn't pursue pot users in those states. Following the November votes in Washington and Colorado the Justice Department reiterated that marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but had been vague about what its specific response would be. In a Barbara Walters interview that was slated to air Friday on ABC, President Barack Obama said: "It does not make sense from a prioritization point of view" to focus on drug use in states where it is now legal. Marijuana activists were relieved at Obama's comments, but still had questions about how regulation will work. They said even if individual users aren't charged with crimes, marijuana producers and sellers could be subject to prosecution, civil forfeiture and other legal roadblocks. And the president didn't specifically address how the federal government would respond to state officials in Washington and Colorado, who under the new laws are now tasked with coming up with regulations for commercial pot sales. Obama simply told Walters that going after "recreational users" would not be a "top priority." "There's some signal of hope," Alison Holcomb, who led Washington's legalization drive, said of Obama's statements. "I think it's correct that we ultimately we need a legislative resolution." But Tom Angell of the group Marijuana Majority said Obama's comment don't add anything new. He said the federal government rarely goes after users and Obama can do more besides passing the responsibility to Congress. Angell said Obama can use executive power to reclassify marijuana as a legal drug. Federal prosecutors haven't targeted users in the 18 states and Washington, D.C. that allow people to use marijuana for medical reasons. However, federal agents have still cracked down on dozens of dispensaries in some of those states. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., said Obama's statements weren't definitive but were encouraging. "I think the president's comments are a good sign that the federal government might be willing to work with our state as we work to develop a new regulatory model for marijuana," she said. "There is a conflict between federal law and state law on this issue, we need to continue to work through that." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom