Nine former administrators of the Drug Enforcement Administration blasted Department of Justice Attorney General's Eric Holder's decision to soften his stance on marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington, CNN reported.
Those two states had allowed legalization of marijuana after voter-approved ballot measures. Over two dozen other states, as well as D.C. allow medicinal marijuana use.
The former DEAs said they were "shocked and dismayed" by Holder's decision to not challenge voters' desire to allow recreational use of marijuana being legal.
"You took an oath of office, as each of us did, to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, Great harm will be done in Colorado and Washington and throughout the country with the legalization of marijuana," the former DEA officials said.
Pro-marijuana activists, meanwhile, are continuing to find more ways to legalize marijuana in more states.
In March the DEA heads were urging the Obama administration to nullify the marijuana laws. They feared the marijuana laws would instigate a "domino effect."
"My fear is that the Justice Department will do what they are doing now: do nothing and say nothing," Peter Bensinger, a former DEA administrator had told the Associated Press.
"If they don't act now, these laws will be fully implemented in a matter of months."
Governor John Hickenlooper, however said, after last year's November election:
"The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will,This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug so don't break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly."
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