Pubdate: Fri, 18 Dec 2015
Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)
Copyright: 2015 The Sacramento Bee
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/0n4cG7L1
Website: http://www.sacbee.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/376

IT'S TIME FOR NEW TACTICS IN THE WAR ON DRUGS

Federal Government Remains at Odds With States on Drug Policy

But Congress Is Giving States Leeway on Medical Marijuana Laws

Ban on Federal Funds for Needle-Exchange Programs Gone, Too

Somewhere a calculator is ticking, counting the billions of dollars 
the United States continues to blow on the war on drugs.

Thankfully, Congress, seems to have gotten the memo that it's time 
for a strategic retreat in some quarters. For evidence of this, look 
no further than its $1.1 trillion spending bill, set for a vote this week.

In the face of a rising national epidemic of heroin and opioid abuse, 
lawmakers agreed to eliminate a longstanding, idiotic ban on using 
federal funds for state-run needle-exchange programs. Public health 
officials agree such programs can drastically reduce the spread of 
HIV where intravenous drug use is rampant.

And Congress agreed to face the reality that several states have 
legalized medical marijuana and are trying to regulate it. Because of 
an amendment, sponsored by Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Costa Mesa, and 
Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, no federal money will be spent in 2016 
chasing, arresting or prosecuting licensed cannabis patients, farmers 
or sellers.

For California, this comes as a relief. After nearly two decades, the 
state is finally starting to regulate what's thought to be a $1 
billion industry. Many pot farmers who have been operating in the 
shadows, doing their best to avoid being locked up or fined, are 
gearing up to restructure their operations as legitimate businesses.

Many are excited by the prospect, as are owners of dispensaries. 
After all, who wants to keep living in fear of a drug raid?

But many are overwhelmed, too.

The last thing they - and California - need is the federal government 
creating uncertainty where certainty is beginning to take shape. The 
same can be said for the dozens of other states that have passed laws 
legalizing medical marijuana and reducing penalties for drug use.

We remain skeptical of efforts to legalize cannabis for recreational 
use, but see no reason for the government to spend another dime 
prosecuting people for possession of weed.

The federal government needs to catch up with the states. A good 
place to start is with the provisions that lawmakers left out of the 
spending bill, including one that would have granted pot businesses 
access to banks so they can stop dealing in cash.

An effort to change that in Colorado failed this year when the 
Federal Reserve refused to accept money from the industry because the 
drug remains illegal under federal law.

There's also no excuse for still classifying cannabis as a Schedule 1 
controlled substance, supposedly more dangerous than methamphetamine, 
cocaine and oxycodone, effectively preventing research into it.

Something has to give. The clock, like the calculator, is ticking.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom