Eight former U.S. drug chiefs are in a dither that it may be too late to stop Washington — and Colorado — from enjoying recreational marijuana use.

Today, they warned the feds that time is running out to nullify the new legalization laws and that the government better get its act together — in a hurry. “My fear is that the Justice Department will do what they are doing now: do nothing and say nothing,” former DEA administrator Peter Bensinger told The Associated Press. “If they don’t act now, these laws will be fully implemented in a matter of months.”

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my.

The former Drug Enforcement Administration chiefs criticized the Obama’s administration for moving too slowly to file a lawsuit that would force the states to rescind the legislation,

Marijuana, as we know, remains illegal under federal law.

What really worries Bensinger is the horrible specter that if the federal government doesn’t immediate sue these two rogue states then, god forbid, there will be a “domino effect” and other states will legalize weed as well.

Alison Holcomb, who led Washington’s legalization campaign, told the AP that the focus should be on reconciling the Colorado and Washington votes with federal law and treaty obligations.

“Ultimately, we do need to see these laws and treaties change,” Holcomb said today. “We’re not going to get resolution overnight.”