By The Associated Press
Published: December 13, 2011 at 7:59 am
A federal judge has torn apart Arizona’s medical-marijuana lawsuit, but stopped short of dismissing the case.
U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton said Monday she’ll issue a ruling later but Arizona has to pick a side in the conflict over state and federal law.
Gov. Jan Brewer has asked the federal court to clarify whether U.S. drug laws override the voter-approved state law. If not, Brewer wants to clarify whether state workers are immune from federal prosecution if they fully implement Proposition 203.
The lawsuit was filed in May and stalled the state’s medical marijuana dispensary permit process.
The Arizona Republic (http://bit.ly/uZFm5F) says more than 16,300 people now have state-issued ID cards allowing them to use medical pot for certain debilitating health conditions, but would-be dispensary owners are on hold.
