Pubdate: Wed, 05 Mar 2014
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Copyright: 2014 The Dallas Morning News, Inc.
Contact: http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/send-a-letter/
Website: http://www.dallasnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117
Author: Alicia A. Caldwell, The Associated Press
Page: 9A

DEA EXECUTIVE: LAX MARIJUANA LAWS A MISTAKE

Change threatens U.S. institutions, devalues science, fact, he
says

WASHINGTON (AP) - A senior U.S. drug enforcement official urged
Congress and others Tuesday not to abandon scientific concerns over
marijuana in favor of public opinion to legalize it, even as the Obama
administration takes a hands-off approach in states where voters have
made legal its sale and use.

The deputy administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration,
Thomas Harrigan, testified Tuesday before a House oversight panel that
easing laws governing marijuana threatens U.S. institutions.

"We should not abandon science and fact in favor of public opinion,"
Harrigan said. He echoed previous testimony from James Capra, DEA's
chief of operations, who told a Senate panel in January that "going
down the path to legalization in this country is reckless and
irresponsible."

The subcommittee chairman, Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., said the country is
"in a state of conflict and chaos right now" over U.S. marijuana policy.

In an election year that could tip the balance of power in Congress,
some Republicans have accused the White House of cherry-picking which
federal laws to enforce. The administration has said it continues to
pursue dangerous criminals, but in an interview last month President
Barack Obama himself declared marijuana no more dangerous than alcohol
and contrasted it with "harder drugs" including cocaine and
methamphetamine.

Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have legalized
marijuana for medical

Federal law is unambiguous: Marijuana is among the most dangerous
drugs, it has no medicinal value and it's illegal in the United
States. It's a stance supported generally by the president's Office of
National Drug Control Policy.

But the Justice Department has made clear it won't interfere with
businesses in states where marijuana's sale or use has been made legal
so long as everyone adheres to state law and the industry is taxed and
regulated. The Treasury and Justice departments announced formal
guidance last month for banks, though the financial industry has
suggested that banks will remain wary of opening accounts for
marijuana businesses.

Harrigan, the deputy DEA administrator, stopped short Tuesday of
criticizing the administration's enforcement policies. He said a
Justice Department memo issued last year by Deputy Attorney General
James Coles has had little impact on his agency's operations targeting
large-scale drug trafficking organizations. He said law enforcement
remains concerned about international drug organizations exploiting
state drug laws that are more lax than the federal
government's.

The U.S. attorney in Colorado, John Walsh, said his office has never
targeted casual drug users for federal prosecutions, and the Coles
memo has had no impact on that.

Harrigan also told the panel that DEA's foreign counterparts have
questioned why the U.S. appears to be easing its overall oversight of
marijuana laws.

Hours before Tuesday's congressional hearing, the United Nations' drug
watchdog agency said it "deeply regrets" moves by Colorado and
Washington state to allow the sale and use of marijuana. The agency,
the International Narcotics Control Board, said such legalization
posed a threat to the international fight against drug abuse.
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