SEATTLE — For some laboring in Washington state’s fledgling marijuana industry, last week’s announcement by the U.S. Justice Department was a policy shift more nuanced than bold, more a flashing caution signal than a green light.

The department’s long-awaited statement on legalized marijuana in Washington and Colorado offered neither outright support nor opposition. Instead the four-page memo to federal prosecutors set boundaries on what the feds would tolerate from the two states creating recreational markets for adults. At the same time, the memo made it clear that all marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

While the new federal direction might eventually lead to profound changes in marijuana policy across the country, things on the ground in Washington state haven’t changed dramatically, yet.

Final rules will be proposed Wednesday by state officials for a system that will allow adults to buy an ounce of marijuana in regulated stores. Those rules already contain many of the safeguards the federal government is seeking: Don’t sell or market to minors, don’t evade taxes, don’t divert marijuana to other states.