During the 2008 presidential campaign, candidate Barack Obama, along with other major Democratic candidates, promised to stop the federal government's raids on medical cannabis dispensaries. Medical cannabis-related raids continued, in South Lake Tahoe in January and in Mendocino County in February. Several national cannabis advocacy organizations encouraged supporters of medical cannabis to write to President Obama to ask him to stop the raids. Medical cannabis patients became concerned that Obama's words had merely been an empty campaign promise, or that he could not reign in the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency).

In a February 25th press conference with DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters that ending federal medical marijuana raids "is now American policy." His exact words were, "What the President said during the campaign...is consistent with what we will be doing here in law enforcement. He was my boss in the campaign....He is my boss now. What he said in the campaign is now American policy." Cannabis advocates across the country see this as a major victory. However, no federal laws have been changed; cannabis is still classified as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. Americans for Safe Access is still encouraging cannabis advocates to write to the President to ask him to authorize more advanced scientific research into the herb's benefits and to reschedule cannabis.

Controlled Substances Act | Video of Obama Speaking About Medical Marijuana on the Campaign Trail