California's medical-marijuana law survived a legal challenge launched by San Diego County, with a state Supreme Court judge ruling that state law-enforcement officers have no obligation to arrest people who violate federal drug laws, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Dec. 7.

The ruling by Judge William R. Nevett Jr. was a victory that "saves state medical marijuana laws from an ill-founded and unsupported attack," said ACLU lawyer Adam Wolf. "The law is clear: The federal government cannot force the state of California to arrest and prosecute medical-marijuana patients."

The case pitted the county government, which was trying to avoid implementing key parts of the medical-marijuana law, against the state and a group of medical-marijuana patients and advocates. A lawyer for the county said no decision has yet been made about whether to appeal the decision.