2010 elections: Democratic fears, Republican hopes WASHINGTON - Oh, how the tables have turned. Pot advocates: Looser guidelines leave questions SAN FRANCISCO - A new Obama administration policy loosening guidelines on federal prosecution of medical marijuana on Monday signaled to users that they had less to fear from federal agents but still left their suppliers to contend with a tangled mesh of state laws and regulations. Americans struggle through a day in the recession It's a rainy spring morning and Tamara Ogier plants herself at a table in a Spartan room in the Atlanta federal courthouse, computer and tape recorder at hand, ready to hear another day's stories of financial ruin.