In a letter to the City Attorney of Oakland last month, CA, U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag "clarified" the Justice Department's position on federal prosecution involving medical marijuana, and specifically, cultivation authorized by state or municipal law.

The Oakland City Attorney had asked for guidance on Oakland's Medical Cannabis Cultivation Ordinance. U.S. Attorney Haag responds that DOJ is familiar with Oakland's solicitation of applications for permits to operate "industrial cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facilities" pursuant to Oakland Ordinance No. 13033 (Oakland Ordinance)." After consulting with the Attorney General, she says she is writing to clarify DOJ's position:

The prosecution of individuals and organizations involved in the trade of any illegal drugs and the disruption of drug trafficking organizations is a core priority of the Department. This core priority includes prosecution of business enterprises that unlawfully market and sell marijuana.

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Wisconsin marijuana activist Ben Masel is well known to readers of TalkLeft. He's been a frequent commenter here for many years.

I'm so sad to read this interview with Ben today, in the Wisconsin State Journal. Ben has terminal, stage IV lung cancer, that has "metastasized past a cure." Ben says the treatment plan has gone from "cure" to "contain."

Ben is undergoing radiation, and will start chemotherapy in May. He still plans on being in Denver in April for a NORML conference. I look forward to finally meeting him in person.

Our best thoughts go out to Ben. Feel free to leave him yours in comments.

It's been a wild day already.

Talk about it here.

Let's Go Gators!

The House today voted to strip NPR of federal funding.

It's a symbolic vote. Democrats in the Senate won't pass it, if they will even allow it to reach a vote. And the White House opposes it, and President Obama would veto it.

With all the problems going on in the world, it's ridiculous that Republicans would waste time on something like this.

The Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, has issued a report finding the New Orleans police department engaged in misconduct that violated the Constitution and federal laws.

Among the findings are that the police department has used excessive force, made unconstitutional stops and searches, and illegally profiled people based on race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. The investigation also found a number of practices that contributed to the illegal conduct, including failed systems for recruiting and promoting officers, poor training and lack of supervision, among others.

The report finds the misconduct is "serious, wide-ranging, systemic and deeply rooted in the culture of the department." [More...]

It's a busy work day for me, here's an open thread for you, all topics welcome.

The New York Times will require paid subscriptions to access more than 20 articles a month commencing March 28. Here's the letter from the publisher outlining the terms.

When the Times went this route a few years ago with respect to its editorial content, the plan backfired. Will it be different now? And what if other major dailies follow suit?

It may not be as bad as it sounds. First, even non-subscribers will get 20 free articles a month. And, if you get home delivery, even for just the Sunday Times, you get free, full digital access on your computer, smartphone and tablets.

For blog writers and readers, the silver lining is this:

Readers who come to Times articles through links from search, blogs and social media like Facebook and Twitter will be able to read those articles, even if they have reached their monthly reading limit.

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Not only did Hillary Clinton rule out a presidential and vice-presidential bid today, she also said she wouldn't accept a position as Secretary of Defense. More significantly, she said she's not staying in her current position as Secretary of State in 2012.

Clinton, visiting Cairo, was asked whether she would stay on in a second Obama term. She also was asked if she would like the jobs of president, vice president or defense secretary. She offered single word responses to each: "No."

I wonder if she already has an offer so good she can't refuse it in the private sector.

Owsley Stanley died at age 76 this past weekend, following an automobile accident in Australia, where he has lived with his wife for the past 30 years. Revered in the 1960's for the quality of his acid, his name may not be as familiar as Ken Kesey or Timothy Leary, but he was a legend.

Among a legion of youthful seekers, his name was synonymous with the ultimate high as a copious producer of what Rolling Stone once called "the best LSD in the world … the genuine Owsley." He reputedly made more than a million doses of the drug, much of which fueled Kesey's notorious Acid Tests — rollicking parties featuring all manner of psychedelic substances, strobe lights and music. Tom Wolfe immortalized Stanley as the "Acid King" in the counterculture classic "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" (1968).

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Disclosure: I represent and have represented clients involved in antitrust matters, both as plaintiffs and defendants.

The National Football League and the NFL Players Association failed to reach agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement last week. This failure has led to a number of actions. First, prior to the expiration of the then existing collective bargaining agreement, the NFLPA decertified as a union. Second, the NFL has locked out the players (meaning that they are refusing to hire or continue the employment of the players.) Third, NFL stars Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees, among others, have filed an antitrust suit (PDF) against the NFL. Lester Munson provides a good (though NFLPA friendly) recap. To understand how all of this happened, it is important to revisit how they got here. On the flip, I'll review some of the issues, and give my view of where this might go.

Executions may be on hold for a while in Georgia. The DEA has seized the state's supply of drugs used to execute inmates, after allegations were made that Georgia imported thiopental in circumvention of federal law.

CIA contractor Ray Davis, accusing of shooting and killing 2 Pakistanis, has been released from jail. The U.S. paid the victims' families $2 plus million in "blood money." Davis is on a flight back to the U.S. More from Bloomberg News here.