U.S. Dems Urge DOJ to Recognize Legal Marijuana in Washington State

Seven congressional Democrats from Washington are pressing the U.S. Department of Justice to honor the state’s new recreational-marijuana law — the delegation’s first collective public statement on the issue.

In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder released Tuesday, the Democrats urged quick action by the agency to assure pot users and sellers they won’t be “penalized by the federal government for activities legal under state law.”

Initiative 502, which was approved by 56 percent of voters last November, legalizes possession of small amounts of pot by adults. But marijuana for any use, recreational or medical, remains illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act