Hawaii's US AG declares it's now a war on doctors

This is not good. I was thankfully wrong about Oregon disbanding its medmar registry but this one unfortunately is true. Hawaii's medical marijuana program is essentially dead.

[U.S. Attorney Ed] Kubo said his office would not prosecute the medical marijuana smokers, but cautioned that the doctors could be prosecuted on misdemeanor charges as accomplices to the distribution of the marijuana, which is still illegal under federal law.

"The U.S. Supreme Court decision this morning is the death knell to the medical marijuana issue," he said, a sentiment shared by some medical marijuana advocates.

"I would advise all physicians and anyone who is involved in distributing or helping in the distribution of any illegal narcotic to be very, very leery," he said.

Of course he fails to mention that he could choose not to persecute the doctors or the patients. The case was always more about State's Rights. Nothing has changed in this decision in terms of medmar, "the federal government had the authority in the past to prosecute marijuana users or doctors acting under state medical marijuana laws, but didn't do so."

It's this announcement of his new priorities that will kill the compassion program. As one doctor said,

"If it could become something I could be prosecuted for, I certainly would want to stay away from that," she said.

She better not get into pain management with legal medications either. The feds have declared war on those doctors too.

[via Talk Left]