Feds oppose Calif. Prop 19 to legalize marijuana

OFF THE WIRE
BY: MARCUS WHOLSEN
Source: ASSOCIATED.PRESS

California - By MARCUS WOHLSEN, Associated Press Writer Marcus Wohlsen, Associated Press Writer – 13 mins ago SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. government will "vigorously enforce" federal laws against marijuana even if voters next month make California the first state to legalize pot, Attorney General Eric Holder says.
Holder's warning, contained in a letter to ex-federal drug enforcement chiefs, was his most direct statement yet against Proposition 19, and it sets up another showdown with California over marijuana if the measure passes.

With Prop 19 leading in the polls, the letter also raised questions about the extent to which federal drug agents would go into communities across the state to catch small-time users and dealers, or whether they even had the resources to do it.