Pubdate: Thu, 16 Jan 2014
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 2014 The Washington Post Company
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/mUgeOPdZ
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491
Author: Ernesto Londono

DEA OFFICIAL DECRIES STATES' LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA

The Drug Enforcement Administration's chief of operations decries the
legalization of marijuana at the state level. The chief of operations
at the Drug Enforcement Administration on Wednesday called the
legalization of marijuana at the state level "reckless and
irresponsible," warning that the movement to decriminalize the sale of
pot in the United States will have severe consequences.

"It scares us," James L. Capra said, responding to a question from a
senator during a hearing focused on drug cultivation in Afghanistan.
"Every part of the world where this has been tried, it has failed time
and time again."

Capra's comments marked the DEA's most public and pointed criticism of
the movement toward decriminalization in several states, where local
officials see it as an opportunity to generate tax revenue and boost
tourism.

The Justice Department decided last summer it would not challenge
state laws passed in Colorado and Washington after voters supported
proposals to decriminalize the sale of marijuana for recreational use.
The sale and use of marijuana remains unlawful under federal law, but
the Obama administration has indicated that it will not prosecute
ordinary recreational users in states where consumption is legal.

Sales began in Colorado this month and will soon start in Washington.
Officials in several other states are contemplating similar changes to
their laws.

Capra said agents have watched the early days of legal marijuana sales
in Colorado with dismay.

"There are more dispensaries in Denver than there are Starbucks," he
said. "The idea somehow people in our country have that this is
somehow good for us as a nation is wrong. It's a bad thing."

Capra said that senior DEA officials have faced uncomfortable
questions from law enforcement partners abroad. During a recent global
summit on counternarcotics in Moscow, he said, he and the head of the
DEA were at a loss to explain the loosening drug laws.

"Almost everyone looked at us and said: Why are you doing this [while]
pointing a finger to us as a source state?" he said. "I don't have an
answer for them."

Officials in the District are among those contemplating changes to
local codes that could lead to the legalization of marijuana. The D.C.
Council's public safety committee on Wednesday approved a proposal
that makes possession of a small quantity of marijuana a minor
offense, punishable with a citation similar to a parking ticket.

Support for legalization among District residents has increased
markedly in recent years. A new Washington Post poll shows that nearly
63 percent of residents support decriminalizing pot. Four years ago,
residents were evenly split on the issue.

Capra said he worries about the long-term consequences of the national
mood on marijuana, which law enforcement experts call a gateway to
more dangerous drugs.

"This is a bad experiment," he said. "It's going to cost us in terms
of social costs."  
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