Pubdate: Sun, 27 Oct 2013
Source: Times-Tribune, The (Scranton PA)
Copyright: 2013 Townnews.com
Contact:  http://www.thetimes-tribune.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4440
Author: Adam Nagourney and Rick Lyman
Page: B4

STATES PLANNING LEGAL POT LOOK AT CALIF. EXPERIENCE

Marijuana Becoming Alcohol Substitute for Young People.

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
t he 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 others 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.

And though Los Angeles has struggled to regulate marijuana
dispensaries, 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.

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.

California has learned a lot in its years of dealing with a legal form
of marijuana, said Scot Candell, a lawyer in San Rafael who
specializes in medical marijuana clients. "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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