This past election day voters in Massachusetts did a lot more than reelect President Obama and send Elizabeth Warren to the Senate; they legalized medicinal marijuana. With 63 percent in favor and 37 percent against, the ballot initiative was passed.

This change will prove to be beneficial to the people of Massachusetts, and emblematic of a larger shift in public perception of marijuana.

Potential benefits of medical marijuana include helping patients cope with post-traumatic stress disorder, preventing breast cancer from metastasizing and potentially shrinking brain tumors, as numerous universities, research institutes and hospital studies suggest.
Medicinal marijuana is also an excellent supplemental drug. One University of California study argued that cannabis is extremely effective at controlling pain brought on by HIV when added to a patient's current painkiller regimen.

As for who is allowed to receive medical marijuana, the text of the initiative defines those with a "debilitating medical condition," including AIDS, Parkinson's disease, cancer and ALS, as eligible.

Moreover, the initiative dictates that 35 marijuana dispensaries can be established throughout the state to provide this great medication.

The law is set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2013 and over the next several months the Massachusetts state legislature will set up regulations for the new industry.
Massachusetts will also reap economic benefits from medicinal marijuana in the form of taxation, licensing fees and other costs associated with growing, processing, retailing, buying and consuming marijuana.

From taxes on paraphernalia sales to grower licensing, the potential for revenue is immense. Considering the dire economic straits confronting the nation, the new medical marijuana industry will be a boon for Massachusetts and all its citizens-even those opposed to the law.

Moreover, the terminally ill can also benefit from medical marijuana. I believe this is especially fitting, considering the failure of question number two on the Massachusetts ballot.

That measure would have given terminally ill patients the right to request lethal doses of medication from their doctor, so they could commit suicide and end their suffering. Although terminally ill patients cannot completely end their suffering, those that qualify can now acquire medicinal marijuana to help cope with their pain.

There does exist one significant issue with the legalization of medicinal marijuana: it is still illegal on the federal level. In fact, the Drug Enforcement Agency has raided many medical marijuana dispensaries around the country.

This means federal agents can raid any of the potential 35 dispensaries in Massachusetts.
However, President Obama has not made efforts to arrest users of medical marijuana, stating in April 2012 that he has directed the Justice Department to, "use your prosecutorial discretion and properly prioritize your resources to go after things that are really doing folks damage," continuing to say that, "as a consequence, there haven't been prosecutions of users of marijuana for medical purposes."

Nevertheless, he can rescind this order at any time. Ultimately, anyone involved in the Massachusetts medical marijuana industry can be subjected to police and legal action.
However, I think there will be tremendous pressure on the national government not to enforce the law.

So far, twenty states and Washington, D.C. have legalized or effectively decriminalized medical marijuana and now two states have legalized recreational marijuana.
It is becoming evident that fewer people are in favor of the national prohibition on cannabis.
This support for medicinal marijuana is evidenced by the votes for those measures. Politicians will feel pressured to oppose enforcing, or even abolish, the national law by the clear constituent support.

Supporting legalizing marijuana, or just lax enforcement, will also be a great way for politicians to win support and votes from their constituents-a chief desire of our elected officials.

Another reason the federal law will not be effectively enforced is because the DEA simply does not have the resources to prevent or stop every use of cannabis around the country. The fact that dispensaries are still operating in California, Rhode Island and Michigan, among other states, shows that the DEA cannot shut them all down.

Moreover, in 2009, Deputy US Attorney General David Ogden sent a memo to all United States Attorneys that suggests that if medicinal marijuana users are following a regimen consistent with state laws it would most likely be "an inefficient use of limited federal resources" and thus they should not be prosecuted.

Ultimately, I think this all means the DEA will continue prioritizing prosecution of recreational marijuana. Obama's and Ogden's logic illustrate why federal agents who want to maximize their resources to fight the most crime and better society would do well not to target medical marijuana.

For a long time in this country marijuana was a taboo, yet last Tuesday proves that it has become much more socially accepted. This is a great victory for both patients and freedom.
Additionally, the government should recognize this shift in the public will and take a much softer stance on enforcing marijuana laws or eliminate them entirely so resources can be utilized to confront the myriad other issues facing our nation today.
*