Pubdate: Thu, 17 May 2012
Source: Albany Democrat-Herald (OR)
Copyright: 2012 Lee Enterprises
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/HPOp5PfB
Website: http://www.democratherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/7

POT LAW'S VICTIM

Dwight Holton lost the Democratic primary for attorney general, 
according to the conventional wisdom, because he pledged to strictly 
uphold the law on marijuana. If so, he has become a casualty of a bad law.

Holton was in charge of federal law enforcement in Oregon when 
federal agents investigated a large pot-growing operation in Southern 
Oregon last fall. Indictments have since been returned in that case.

According to the government, this operation cultivated many thousands 
of marijuana plants in large and barely hidden plantations and 
shipped the product out of state for vast amounts of profit. No way 
was this what the backers of Oregon's medical marijuana law said they 
had in mind.

Once they became aware of this illegal drug business, authorities had 
an obligation to proceed, and Holton should not have been blamed.

The pot operation would not have had to be illegal, though. The 
country should face the fact that if medical marijuana is allowed, it 
will always be exploited by people making a fast buck.

The sooner the country quits outlawing this ordinary and plentiful 
plant, the sooner we remove the lure of big money and thus the 
temptation for crime.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom