Pubdate: Wed, 18 Jul 2012
Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)
Copyright: 2012 The Baltimore Sun Company
Contact:  http://www.baltimoresun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37
Author: Ian Duncan

PANEL: LEGALIZATION OF POT IN 1 STATE RISKS RIPPLE EFFECT

WASHINGTON - Legalizing marijuana in even one state could drive down 
prices dramatically across the country, encouraging more people to 
smoke the drug, a panel of experts said at a briefing Tuesday.

Last week, Oregon became the third state to schedule a vote on a 
ballot measure in November to legalize possession of small amounts, 
joining Colorado and Washington.

"Legalization is unprecedented - not even the Netherlands has done 
it. It is entirely possible it will happen this year," Jonathan 
Caulkins, co-author of the book "Marijuana Legalization: What 
Everyone Needs to Know" and a professor at Carnegie Mellon 
University, said at an event at the American Enterprise Institute for 
Public Policy Research. "The effects will be enormous."

The Obama administration opposes legalizing marijuana and has moved 
against some medical marijuana dispensaries in California and Colorado.

Caulkins said one of the main reasons for outlawing the drug is 
tomake it riskier to produce and sell, driving up prices and curbing 
use. A price collapse after legalization in some states could have a 
ripple effect on marijuana laws nationally, he said.

Caulkins said Colorado's proposition would make it fairly easy to get 
hold of a grower's license, making the state a good home for 
exporters to other states. A drop in prices would diminish the 
revenue states could collect from taxing marijuana sales, which has 
been an important argument in favor of legalization.

Mason Tvert, a founder of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like 
Alcohol, which is backing the Colorado initiative, acknowledged that 
prices could fall but said legalization in the state would make it 
easier to stop trafficking to other parts of the country.

"It will remain entirely illegal to transport marijuana outside the 
state," he said in an interview.

Mark Kleiman, professor of public policy at UCLA, said his advice to 
federal officials looking to limit the effects of a small number of 
states opting for legalization would be "to sit down with the 
governor of the state and say, look, we can make your life completely 
miserable- and we will-unless you figure out away to avoid the exports."

One option would be for states to impose strict limits on how much 
retailers could sell to each customer.

The Oregon initiative would create a state commission to set the 
price of marijuana, license growers and run stores to sell it to the 
public. The Washington and Colorado plans call for existing state 
bodies to regulate marijuana and taxes on sales.

A Gallup poll in October found that 50 percent of respondents 
nationwide favored legalizing marijuana and 46 percent were opposed. 
Polls in Colorado and Washington show similar levels of support.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom