AS HEAD OF THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IS CHARGED WITH ENFORCING FEDERAL LAWS

Colorado and Washington’s legalization of marijuana for recreational use flies in the face of the federal laws enacted in 1937 which prohibit the manufacture, distribution, sales and possession of pot

The legalization of pot for recreational purposes goes into effect in Colorado on the first day of 2014. 136 pot shops, 102 of them in Denver, along with 178 pot plantations and 31 manufacturers of products containing marijuana have been licensed by the state. Washington’s version of recreational pot use will go into effect in mid-2014.

As U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder heads the U.S. Department of Justice. This is how President Obama’s White House website describes the mission of the Justice Department: “The mission of the Department of Justice (DOJ) is to enforce the law …..”

And here is the last part of the Oath of Office that Eric Holder took when he was sworn in as the Attorney General of the United States: "….. and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

Thus, as head of the Justice Department, the Attorney General is charged with enforcing federal laws, and that includes the laws prohibiting the manufacture, distribution, sales and possession of marijuana.

The Huffington Post and other media outlets have reported that Holder telephoned the governors of Colorado and Washington on August 29 and told them that the Justice Department would permit their states to put into effect the ballot initiatives that legalized the use of pot.

The DEA and FBI have been ordered not interfere with the medical marijuana laws passed by 19 states, even though those laws clearly violate the federal prohibition against marijuana. If Holder keeps the DEA and FBI from enforcing the federal laws against marijuana in Colorado and Washington, he will be preventing those law enforcement agencies from carrying out the mission of the Justice Department, thereby violating his oath of office. That would seem to offer Congress a strong case for the impeachment of Eric Holder.