Respect for the principles of democracy; respect for the states to make decisions on matters that primarily affect the residents of those states; the chance to conserve scarce federal financial resources — these we believe are many strong reasons for you to defer to the state decisions.
Rep. Barney Frank and Rep. Ron Paul • In an open letter to President Obama, asking that his administration not interfere with recently passed ballot measures that legalized the recreational usage of marijuana in Washington and Colorado. The retiring House members have both long been advocates of reforming existing drug laws, and have repeatedly introduced federal decriminalization legislation in the past. The Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Agency have remained relatively mum on the new laws, outside of signaling disapproval, though many expect to hear some word on the federal government’s stance in the days and weeks ahead. source
