Pubdate: Sun, 12 Apr 2009
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2009 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: Ed Quillen
Note: Ed Quillen of Salida is a freelance writer and history buff, 
and a frequent contributor to The Post.

THE WAR ON A PLANT

Historians of the future will doubtless marvel that a great and 
powerful republic, founded in part on "liberty and the pursuit of 
happiness" but now suffering from difficult economic times would 
waste billions of dollars every year in a futile war against a humble plant.

That plant, of course, is hemp -- source of oil, fiber and a mild 
psychoactive drug. It's so mild that in all of history, no one has 
ever died from a marijuana overdose.

And those who used it in their youth, like the three most recent 
American presidents (Clinton claimed he "didn't inhale," Bush was 
"young and foolish" in his jejune days, and Obama confessed that "pot 
had helped" during his youth), somehow managed to go on to reasonably 
productive lives.

So why is the stuff still illegal?

For one thing, there's an immense federal bureaucracy, the Drug 
Enforcement Administration, which naturally seeks to stay in 
business. As long as pot is illegal, the DEA has plenty of work. And 
when the need arises for a headline to show that the DEA is on the 
ball, its agents can always drive to some home that uses too much 
electricity, shoot the dogs, kick in the door, and announce that 
American youth are protected because it just seized plants with an 
estimated street value of $4.2 gazillion.

For another, there's our pharmaceutical industry, a major source of 
campaign contributions. The pill-makers buy candidates so they can 
protect their revenue streams.

Now, it might be too much to expect the federal government to move 
sensibly here. There are, after all, two wars and a crumbling economy 
to contend with. But Colorado could help itself by legalizing the 
cultivation, sale and use of marijuana with a reasonable excise tax 
of $25 an ounce.

It would save money in several ways, like lower law-enforcement 
costs, as well as a reduction in the prison population. Further, the 
corruption and violence associated with black markets should diminish.

More money would circulate in our state, as Colorado hemp farmers 
received money now going to Mexican drug cartels. Profitable farms 
mean that open space gets preserved through market mechanisms, rather 
than taxes and zoning. Further, it might enhance tourism, at least 
until other states catch on.

One possible snag is the federal government. No matter how sensible 
we make our state laws, there would still be draconian and moronic 
federal laws enforced by federal agents.

So initially, the marijuana excise tax proceeds should go to our 
state attorney general's office, with instructions that the money be 
used to defend all Coloradans charged with marijuana violations that 
are crimes under federal law but not under our enlightened state law.

In other words, every "probable cause" for a search warrant would be 
vigorously contested. The chain of evidence would come under intense 
scrutiny. The credibility of informants and agents would be subject 
to brutal cross-examination.

Every such trial -- our tenacious defense teams would never 
plea-bargain -- would be a grinding ordeal for the U.S. Attorney's 
office. The federal Department of Justice would soon move its 
prosecutorial resources away from pot and toward real crimes that 
people care about.

The downside? Maybe a few more lazy potheads munching junk food. But 
in today's economy, there aren't jobs for them anyway, so where's the 
harm to society?

Contrast that with the benefits of reduced spending on cops and 
prisons, a boost to Colorado agriculture, and increased revenue for 
our hard-pressed state government, if we'd just give up on this silly 
war against a plant.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake