1. a) When were laws permitting the use of marijuana for medical purposes first passed in the U.S.?
b) In how many states is the use of medical marijuana legal today?

2. a) In what two states did voters pass laws this past November making the use of recreational marijuana legal?
b) When will these laws be implemented?

3. a) What is the role of the U.S. Justice Department?
b) What decision did the Obama administration's Justice Department make regarding the recreational marijuana laws?
c) How is the Justice Department's decision expected to impact the use and/or legalization of marijuana in the U.S.?

4. a) What federal law makes selling pot illegal in the U.S.?
b) Should the U.S. Justice Department be able to choose which U.S. laws it enforces? Explain your answer.
c) How might the legalization of marijuana in some states negatively impact the residents of other states?

5. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, said the Justice Department's decision "shows the federal government is respecting the will of Colorado voters." He said state officials would block pot access to those under 21 years old and work to prevent marijuana businesses from serving as fronts for criminal enterprises.  What challenges do you think Colorado officials will have in successfully carrying out Gov. Hickenlooper's promise?

6. Under "Background" read about the federal law which makes the sale of marijuana illegal, and classifies it as a Schedule 1 drug.
States' rights in U.S. politics refers to political powers reserved for U.S. state governments rather than the federal government according to the U.S. Constitution, reflecting especially the enumerated powers of Congress and the Tenth Amendment. The Tenth Amendment, which is part of the Bill of Rights, states the Constitution's principle of federalism by providing that powers not granted to the federal government by the Constitution, nor prohibited to the States, are reserved to the States or the people.
a) Do you think the legalization of marijuana is a "states' rights" issue?
b) Should states' rights bar the federal government from enforcing federal laws?
c) Is this an issue of states rights only? -- the Constitution says nothing about the use of drugs: Should states be free to make their own laws, or should this be an exception: Should the federal government have passed a similar law prohibiting the use of harmful narcotics?

[NOTE: Federal and state drug laws cannot be compared to the issue of gun ownership: There is no federal law generally prohibiting the carry of firearms by citizens for protection or other lawful purposes, with limited exception in the Federal Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990. Other statutes concerning Federal property such as military installations also address the carry of firearms. By tradition and as defined in the Constitution, laws describing the bearing of arms are exclusively the business of state legislatures. The Second Amendment Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights and protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms.]