Pubdate: Sun, 27 Oct 2013
Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser (HI)
Copyright: 2013 New York Times
Contact: 
http://www.staradvertiser.com/info/Star-Advertiser_Letter_to_the_Editor.html
Website: http://www.staradvertiser.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5154
Authors: Adam Nagourney and Rick Lyman, New York Times

LEGALIZED POT OFFERS LESSONS

Warnings of Disorder in California Have Proved Unfounded

LOS ANGELES - In the heart of Northern California's marijuana growing 
region, the sheriff's office is inundated each fall with complaints 
about the stench of marijuana plots or the latest expropriation of 
public land by growers. Its tranquil communities have been altered by 
the emergence of a wealthy class of marijuana entrepreneurs, while 
nearly 500 miles away in Los Angeles, officials have struggled to 
regulate an explosion of medical marijuana shops.

But at a time when polls show widening public support for legalizing 
marijuana - recreational marijuana is about to become legal in 
Colorado and Washington, and voter initiatives are in the pipeline in 
at least three other states - California's 17-year experience as the 
first state to legalize medical marijuana offers surprising lessons, 
experts say.

Warnings voiced against partial legalization - of civic disorder, 
increased lawlessness and a drastic rise in other drug use - have 
proved unfounded.

Instead, research suggests both that marijuana has become an alcohol 
substitute for younger people here and in other states that have 
legalized medical marijuana, and that while driving under the 
influence of any intoxicant is dangerous, driving after smoking 
marijuana is less dangerous than after drinking alcohol.

Although marijuana is legal here only for medical use, it is widely 
available. There is no evidence that its use by teenagers has risen 
since the 1996 legalization, though it is an open question whether 
outright legalization would make the drug that much easier for young 
people to get, and thus contribute to increased use.

And though Los Angeles has struggled to regulate marijuana 
dispensaries, with neighborhoods upset at their sheer number, the 
threat of unsavory street traffic and the stigma of marijuana shops 
on the corner, communities that imposed early and strict regulations 
on their operations have not experienced such disruption.

Imposing a local tax on medical marijuana, as Oakland, San Jose and 
other communities have done, has not pushed consumers to drug dealers 
as some analysts expected. Presumably that is because it is so easy 
to get reliable and high-quality marijuana legally.

Finally, for consumers, the era of legalized medical marijuana has 
meant an expanded market and often cheaper prices. Buyers here gaze 
over showcases offering a rich assortment of marijuana, promising 
different potencies and different kinds of highs.

Advocates for marijuana legalization see the moves in Colorado and 
Washington as the start of a wave. A Gallup poll released last week 
found that 58 percent of Americans think the drug should be made legal.

Still, even as public opinion in support of legalizing marijuana has 
grown, opposition remains strong among many, including some law 
enforcement organizations, which warn that the use of the drug leads 
to marijuana dependence, endangers the health of users and encourages 
the use of other drugs.

"Unfortunately, many have been convinced that marijuana is harmless, 
and many in policing do not believe that is the case," Darrel W. 
Stephens, executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, 
wrote in an email.

In a broad study on the ramifications of legalizing recreational 
marijuana about to be published in The Journal of Policy Analysis and 
Management, economics professors D. Mark Anderson of Montana State 
University and Daniel I. Rees of the University of Colorado said a 
survey of evidence showed a correlation between increased marijuana 
use and less alcohol use for people ages 18 to 29.

"(Colorado and Washington) will experience a reduction in the social 
harms resulting from alcohol use; reducing traffic injuries and 
fatalities is potentially one of the most important," the professors said.

The marijuana cultivation business in Northern California has been an 
economic boon for many communities, creating tax revenues, ancillary 
industries and local wealth.

"A lot of cottage industries have popped up that service the 
marijuana industry," said Scot Candell, a lawyer in San Rafael who 
specializes in medical marijuana clients. "Labs that do testing, 
hydroponic stores that provide growing equipment, software 
developers, insurance companies that specialize in dispensaries."

This has altered the economy of places like Mendocino County.

"I am not aware of any business in Mendocino County that doesn't 
consider marijuana as part of their business plan, and that can be 
good and bad," said Sheriff Thomas D. Allman.

Allman said he spent about 30 percent of his resources on medical 
marijuana cases, especially during the growing season. The No. 1 call 
to 911 in October is complaints about the overwhelming smell of a 
next-door plot.

California has learned a lot in its years of dealing with legal 
marijuana, Candell said. "But there are a lot of states that are just 
now going through it, and there are things they need to know."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom