There's word today that the Justice Department is going to depart from Bush-era policy by telling federal prosecutors not to go after patients or suppliers in states that allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

Those patients and suppliers must adhere to state laws, however. According to the Associated Press, the new guidelines will make clear "that agents will go after people whose marijuana distribution goes beyond what is permitted under state law or use medical marijuana as a cover for other crimes."

Here's an AP video report on the policy shift:

Update at 11:05 a.m. ET: The Justice Department announced the policy shift, NPR's Ari Shapiro tells us, on its recently created Justice Blog.

Deputy Attorney General David Ogden's memo to U.S. Attorney's is posted on the blog, In it, Ogden says that:

The prosecution of significant traffickers of illegal drugs, including marijuana, and the disruption of illegal drug manufacturing and trafficking networks continues to be a core priority in the department's efforts against narcotics and dangerous drugs, and the department's investigative and prosecutorial resources should be directed towards these objectives. As a general matter, pursuit of these priorities should not focus federal resources in your states on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana.

Update at 9:45 a.m. ET. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports that:

The Justice Department's new guidance to prosecutors comes in a three-page memo. It says the government will continue to prosecute people who use medical marijuana as a cover for other illegal activity. But going after people who are clearly complying with state law is not a good use of prosecutors' time, according to the memo.

Fourteen states currently allow medical marijuana in some form. California's laws are the most permissive.