RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - Two dozen states and the District of Columbia have legalized the use of marijuana for medical use, and four states have legalized it for recreational use. Since federal law prohibits the use possession or distribution of marijuana, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is recommending that the Department of Justice document its monitoring of the effects of legalization in states.

A new report from GAO summarizes the situation:

"Officials from the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of the Deputy Attorney General (ODAG) reported monitoring the effects of state marijuana legalization relative to DOJ policy, generally in two ways. First, officials reported that U.S. Attorneys prosecute cases that threaten federal marijuana enforcement priorities (see fig. below) and consult with state officials about areas of federal concern, such as the potential impact on enforcement priorities of edible marijuana products. Second, officials reported they collaborate with DOJ components, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and other federal agencies, including the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and assess various marijuana enforcement-related data these agencies provide.
However, DOJ has not documented its monitoring process, as called for in Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government .

Documenting a plan specifying its monitoring process would provide DOJ with greater assurance that its monitoring activities relative to DOJ marijuana enforcement guidance are occurring as intended.

Further, making this plan available to appropriate DOJ components can provide ODAG with an opportunity to gain institutional knowledge with respect to its monitoring plan, including the utility of the data ODAG is using.

This can better position ODAG to identify state systems that are not effectively protecting federal enforcement priorities and, if necessary, take steps to challenge these systems in accordance with DOJ marijuana enforcement guidance."

The full report and podcast on the subject can be found at gao.gov.