Attorney General Holder threatens federal enforcement if California legalizes marijuana, citing pressure from former DEA chiefs and Mexico's president

Two days later, to the dismay of Obama--who told a town hall meeting that he was restricted because the “Don’ t ask, don’ t tell” policy was written into law, adding, “This is not a situation where | can, by the stroke of a pen, end this policy” --he wanted Congress to repeal it after the November midterm election, but Federal Judge Virginia Phillips upset that timetable by issuing an immediate and permanent ban on what she considered to be unconstitutional. This ruling was not a spoof, though it was treated as one by an appeals court that set aside her injunction. In December 2010, Congress repealed the 17-year-old law. Nor was it a spoof when Attorney General Holder—having been pressured by nine former DEA chiefs, plus the president of Mexico-- warned that if Prop. 19 was passed, making California the first state to legalize pot, the federal government would not look the other way, as it has done with medical marijuana. Holder (who wouldn’ t prosecute the Bush administration for promulgating torture) explained: “Let me state clearly that the Department of Justice strongly opposes Proposition 19. If passed, this legislation will greatly complicate federal drug enforcement efforts to the detriment of our citizens. We will vigorously enforce the [law] against those individuals and organizations HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015329