Pubdate: Thu, 24 Dec 2009
Source: Orange County Register, The (CA)
Copyright: 2009 The Orange County Register
Contact:  http://www.ocregister.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/321
Note: This editorial first appeared earlier this month in the 
Colorado Springs, Colo., Gazette, which is also owned by Freedom 
Communications, Irvine-based parent of The Orange County Register.

POT, THE NONPROBLEM

Grappling with the least-important, most-imitation crisis in years,
the El Paso County (Colo.) Commission recently voted unanimously to
allow medical marijuana sellers to operate in specified commercial
zones. Commissioners, some reluctantly, decided to treat marijuana
retailers as they do liquor stores, though with less on-site scrutiny.

Colorado voters approved medical marijuana 10 years ago. It's in the
state constitution, which trumps local authority. A constitution
restricts the powers of government, and the Colorado constitution
specifically prohibits government from impeding the sale of medical
marijuana. That leaves room only for the reasonable time, place and
manner restrictions applied to other businesses. It's really that simple.

County Commissioner Sallie Clark knows some people need marijuana. As
a medical assistant years ago in another state, she treated a cancer
patient who needed marijuana to avoid destructive hard drugs while
coping with pain.

"It was awful, because she was an older woman, and we had to send her
out to buy it off the street from a drug dealer," Clark said. "It was
demeaning."

Let's not fool ourselves. Some doctors write medical marijuana
recommendations for all who seek them, and lots of marijuana retailers
are selling primarily to recreational users. Yet nobody can explain
how that's a problem. Conversely, it's easy to see how the Colorado
constitution solves a serious problem. Eleven years ago, a
recreational user could buy only from the criminal street dealer
just like Clark's elderly cancer patient. Today, the recreational user
can avoid the street thug and buy safely from a retailer who pays
sales taxes and obeys existing time, place and manner retail
regulations.

In a Gazette news story about the decision, Clark said: "If we wait
any longer, we're going to have more problems."

Was Clark referring to social problems, such as traffic danger,
raucous parties, crime, or loitering hippie freaks?

"I don't think we've seen a lot of" social problems, Clark said, in
response to a question from the Gazette's opinion department. "As far
as I know there haven't been any problems."

In fact, county staff members told commissioners that they don't have
record of a single complaint about medical marijuana. Not one person
has called and asked for regulation. Not one person has called to
complain of a problem associated with a buyer or seller.

Clearly, so-called "medical" marijuana has moved Colorado far in the
direction of de facto full-scale legalization. Behold, it hasn't
caused problems. Nobody cares   not the Right, the Left, or the
middle. Only those in government see this as a problem to solve. A
Gallup poll in October showed a dramatic nationwide increase in
acceptance of full legalization of marijuana, and a dramatic decrease
in support for continued prohibition. In Western states, a clear
majority support full legalization.

While it's a great idea to avoid recreational use of any drug, the
biggest societal burden associated with marijuana has been a
longstanding practice of politicians using it to grow and empower
government. Never has this "crisis" been more clearly a fraud than in
Colorado this year. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake