Washington (AP) - Republican sen. Chuck Grassley says the Obama Administration's change in policy toward medical marijuana is a bad Idea.

The Iowa lawmaker is criticizing the justice department's new policy of targeting California's medical marijuana distributors Only if they violate both federal and state law. That's a break from the Bush administration, which targeted eispensaries under federal law even if they complied with the State's law allowing sales of medical marijuana.

Grassley says the new policy outlined by attorney general Eric Holder Wednesday is counterproductive because marijuana leads to Use of harder drugs. The senator said Thursday that holder isn't doing health care reform any good.
     
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AP-NY-03-19-09 0924EDT