RE 'TIME TO RETHINK the war on pot' (editorial, Dec. 11): The voters of Colorado and Washington state have made it clear that the federal government can no longer get away with confusing the drug war's collateral damage with a comparatively harmless plant.

If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to subsidize violent drug cartels, prohibition is a success. The drug war distorts supply and demand dynamics.

If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to deter use, prohibition is a failure. The United States has a higher rate of marijuana use than the Netherlands, where marijuana laws are rarely enforced.

The criminalization of Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis has no basis in science. The war on marijuana consumers is a failed cultural inquisition, not an evidence-based public health campaign. It's time to stop the arrests and instead tax legal marijuana.

Robert Sharpe

Arlington

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Battle lines in this nation's war on drugs became slightly more complicated last month, when voters in Colorado and Washington became the first in the country to legalize use of marijuana. That newfound freedom isn't permitted under federal law, and it is unclear how the federal and state governments will reconcile their differences.

Legalization of marijuana may not be the most prudent solution for regulating America's most popular illicit drug. Other states, including Maryland, have passed laws that permit medicinal use. Virginia has not.

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NORFOLK - Over a 34-year police career, Neill Franklin was a big-time drug warrior.

As an undercover narcotics agent with the Maryland State Police, he made hundreds of drug arrests. Later, as a supervisor and commander, he was indirectly responsible for thousands more.

He was proud of his work. He thought he was contributing to the betterment of society.

Today, he tells anyone who will listen that he was wrong.

Franklin is now executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition an organization of current and former law enforcement officers that lobbies for the legalization and regulation of drugs. He will lead an audience discussion Wednesday night after the screening of the documentary film "The House I Live In" at the Naro Expanded Cinema.

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DENVER - What's next? Amid all the munchie-themed jokes from reporters, political elites and late-night comedians, this remains the overarching question after Coloradans voted overwhelmingly to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana in the same way alcohol is already legalized, regulated and taxed. Since those anti-DrugWar principles are now enshrined in Colorado's constitution, only the feds can stop this Rocky Mountain state - if they so choose. But will they? And should they even be able to?

The answer to the former is maybe. Barack Obama campaigned for president pledging to respect state marijuana laws but his Justice Department has been authorizing federal crackdowns. Now, with the results of the 2012 election, Colorado's Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper has been forced into the awkward position of fighting off the feds in defense of a state constitutional amendment he tried to defeat.

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Seeking to scare the public away from legalizing the stuff, the Obama administration notes that in 2009, marijuana was "involved in" 376,000 emergency-room visits nationwide. Be afraid, be very afraid: This represents less than 0.3 of 1 percent of all ER visits, and 3.3 million fewer visits than are caused annually by recreational sports. Figures such as those help explain why voters in Washington and Colorado were not frightened, and passed referenda decriminalizing pot.

Oregon rejected a similar measure, just as California did two years ago. But the tide may be turning. On Tuesday, five Michigan cities (Detroit, Flint, Ypsilanti, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo) and Burlington, Vt., also passed measures relaxing pot laws. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have approved marijuana for medical use.

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WOODSTOCK - A former substitute Shenandoah County judge, accused of growing marijuana plants on his property, pleaded guilty this morning in the county's circuit court.

James H. Allamong Jr. accepted a plea agreement that amended the charges against him. He was charged with felony possession with intent to distribute, and felony manufacturing of marijuana. He was convicted of two misdemeanors: possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Retired Arlington County Judge Paul Sheridan sentenced Allamong to 30 days in jail beginning Oct. 5 and to pay a $500 fine. The sentence includes 12 months suspended jail time, two years probation and 200 community service hours.

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Boone offers advice on tackling substance abuse issues in area

Just because someone is a former felon or an addict doesn't mean that their life will never be anything, Delbert Boone said at a Recovery Day gathering Saturday.

Anyone can recover, he said, adding, "I'm living proof." Boone, a motivational speaker who travels across the country talking about overcoming addiction, spoke at Patrick Henry Community College on Saturday as part of Recovery Day.

Recovery Day was hosted by the Community Recovery Program of Piedmont Community Services and Drug Free Martinsville Henry County to mark September as National Recovery Month. The day also celebrates those recovering from alcohol and drug abuse and mental illness.

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RICHMOND- Cigarette smuggling has become so lucrative that organized crime is getting involved, and many former drug dealers have switched to peddling contraband smokes instead of narcotics, the Virginia State Crime Commission was told Wednesday.

The General Assembly last winter directed the commission to study illegal cigarette trafficking and make recommendations before the 2013 legislative session, which begins in January. The commission's staff conducted the investigation and will present its recommendations at the next meeting in November.

G. Stewart Petoe, the commission's legal affairs director, said the amount of money cigarette smugglers can make is staggering. That's because they can buy a pack of premium cigarettes for about $5.55 in Virginia and sell it for a big profit on the black market in New York City, where a higher cigarette excise tax pushes the retail price to about $14 a pack.

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NEWPORT NEWS -- When Quwanisha Hines was arrested numerous times as a juvenile for crimes related to abusing alcohol and drugs, she could see her life going down the wrong path.

One day, she said, she started imagining her future, and it wasn't pretty.

In addition to smoking marijuana, she was drinking a six-pack of beer every day, or two large malt liquors --and more on the weekends. Normally a "B" student, her grades slipped to "Ds" and "Fs."

"I saw my life flash before my eyes," said Hines, now 21.

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Re: Your July 23 editorial ("Synthetic drug manufactures concern"):

The use of synthetic marijuana is an unintended side effect of the war on natural marijuana. Consumers are turning to potentially toxic drugs made in China and sold as research chemicals before being repackaged as legal incense.

Expanding the drug war will do little other than add to what is already the highest incarceration rate in the world. Chinese chemists will tweak formulas to stay one step ahead of the law and two steps ahead of the drug tests. New versions won't be safer. Misguided efforts to protect children from drugs are putting children at risk.

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Wanna buy some drugs? How about some drugz?

Years ago, law enforcement had to worry about a handful of illegal intoxicants, primarily marijuana, cocaine, heroin and a few natural and chemical hallucinogens. There were also pills, diverted from the pharmacy or cooked in a kitchen.

But, for the most part, the composition of the various intoxicants was settled and well known by law enforcement and by regulators if not by users.

Today, the drug universe is as broad as the human imagination.

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The latest front in the war on drugs is found as near as a neighborhood store.

If synthetic drugs are the latest battle in the war on drugs, the front can be found at the neighborhood convenience store. There, merchants stock a product deceptively marketed as something else.

The problem with synthetic drugs is that as quickly as lawmakers vote to ban one particular substance, "chemists" concoct a slightly different brew.

Then packets of stuff labeled as bath salts, plant food or some other innocent-sounding concoction end up on store shelves. This isn't the Epsom salts of Grandma's day or the fertilizer your philodendron soaks up. And because it's sold in stores, naive kids mistakenly think, "If it's legal, it mustn't be bad."

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Re: the May 16 letter to the editor "Don't sweep [marijuana] resolution aside" (The Daily Progress):

The General Assembly just passed another budget that fails to adequately fund transportation. Virginia apparently has money to burn on other priorities though. More than 21,000 Virginians were arrested for marijuana offenses in 2010. That amounts to 6 percent of all arrests. Police time spent arresting marijuana offenders is police time not spent arresting child molesters, rapists and murderers.

Pot smokers busted after the age of 18 are branded as criminals for life. The drug war is largely a war on marijuana smokers. In 2010, there were 853,839 marijuana arrests in the United States, almost 90 percent for simple possession. At a time when state and local governments are laying off police, firefighters and teachers, this country continues to spend enormous public resources criminalizing Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis.

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On May 7, the Charlottesville City Council boldly recast the debate about marijuana policy in Virginia. The council adopted a resolution urging the General Assembly to give due consideration to decriminalizing, legalizing or regulating marijuana like alcohol. The council signaled that there is substantial support for changing marijuana laws in our community.

This development undermines claims that marijuana legalization is a marginal issue in the commonwealth. When future sessions of the General Assembly debate this issue, our elected officials will need to give the issue a fair hearing.

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In the Weeds

A resolution that would have marked a shift in city policy toward prosecuting marijuana possession was ultimately passed by City Council last week as a watered-down request for the state to re-examine its drug policy, but that didn't keep the debate over legalization from raging on.

At the May 7 council meeting, the chambers overflowed with citizens ready to argue for or against marijuana decriminalization. After hearing from recovering drug addicts, attorneys, students, and parents, council members discussed the resolution at length. The original draft consisted of two parts, the first encouraging the Charlottesville Police Department to deprioritize by reducing punishment for possession and focusing on other crimes. The final paragraph proposed that the city address the Virginia General Assembly about a statewide decriminalization. It was the only portion that passed.

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Still, Two-Thirds Don't Smoke Pot, Say Results of Survey in County

The percentage of Henry County Schools high school students who say they smoke marijuana every day has increased dramatically in the last few years, and some other measures of marijuana use also have increased significantly, all mirroring national trends.

But Katie Connelly, community organizer for prevention for Piedmont Community Services, said it's important to point out that when the drug survey was most recently done early this school year, about two-thirds of students said they did not smoke marijuana.

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The Charlottesville City Council has shown its willingness to push the envelope on marijuana policy, but Central Virginia's representatives in Richmond seem uneager to follow suit.

The City Council broke new ground last week by calling on state lawmakers to rethink penalties for pot possession and give "due consideration" to legislation that would decriminalize, legalize or regulate marijuana like alcohol.

Pro-legalization activists believe it's the first resolution of its kind in the state, but because marijuana is illegal under state law, nothing will change unless the General Assembly decides to act.

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RICHMOND - After months of an undercover investigation in 2008, a York County sheriff's deputy finally had enough evidence to charge Brandon Gomez, then 18, with intent to distribute marijuana.

"I had actually been just basically the middleman," Gomez said, describing himself as an intermediary between a dealer and users in marijuana sales.

During the investigation, the undercover officer bought 4 ounces of marijuana. After Gomez spent a few nights in jail, the officer offered him a deal: If he turned in his dealer and buyers, the felony charges would be reduced to misdemeanors. Gomez reluctantly agreed, and spent the next six months betraying the people who trusted him most.

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CHARLOTTESVILLE - After a wide-ranging, hourlong discussion of marijuana policy, the City Council voted Monday night to approve a resolution calling on the state to revisit its pot possession policies.

Councilors were split on the issue, with some voicing concerns about whether a broader resolution that defined marijuana possession as a low priority for police would send the wrong message to children.

At least two councilors supported the stronger resolution, but they picked up the third vote needed by narrowing the resolution down to a single paragraph.

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After a wide-ranging, hour-long discussion of marijuana policy, the Charlottesville City Council voted Monday night to approve a resolution calling on the state of Virginia to revisit its pot possession policies.

Councilors were split on the issue, with some voicing concerns about whether a broader resolution that defined marijuana possession as a low priority for police would send the wrong message to children.

At least two councilors supported the stronger resolution, but they picked up the third vote needed by narrowing the resolution down to a single paragraph.

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