Up in Smoke

Recent elections have opened some doors towards the legalization of marijuana. And while I stand firmly against any legalization other than for medical issues (it is after all an herb). I'd like to see this issue in the federal governments hands rather than leaving this decision to individual states. I can't believe I just said that because I'm one of those who want the federal government to do less not more. But let me explain my views.

I live in Oregon. Medical marijuana is legal here. A doctor issues you a card saying that you are a medical marijuana user. This allows you to have possession of a certain amount of weed. You may also grow a fixed amount. If you are a dealer, all you need is a list of customers and copies of their medical cards. This allows you to grow, possess and distribute pot legally. That's it.

Before moving here I thought that the whole process would look more like this. Your doctor gives you a prescription, you take it to your pharmacy and get it filled just like any other medicine. Nope. You have to find a dealer to get your own and he's not in the yellow pages.

Cops think the whole system is a joke. They basically can't touch anyone who says that they are growing and dealing for “medicinal purposes”. Not if they have the paperwork and we all know how easy it is to get the paperwork.

We live across the river from the great state of Washington where it is legal to purchase pot right along with your groceries I guess. Actually, they are still trying to work that all out. One entrepreneur wants to get in on the ground floor and set up smoke shops that sound like a cross between a bookstore and a coffee shop.

I just read about one old farmer who thought he would get in on the ground floor. His state legalized medical marijuana so he planted a few fields. Problem was that his state is set up like mine. Small amounts are legal, large amounts are not. He assumed he would be selling his crops to pharmacies all over the place. He didn't know that the system didn't work that way. He was arrested and charged.

So, basically, in most of the states that have legalized pot for medicinal use, the only people profiting are the regular dealers. They are off the hook for growing and distributing as long as they do it in small batches and comply with the documentation. Around here, dealers have a number of small growing areas. They are using the same documentation for each one. No one is going to know unless all of them get found at once.

In other words unless the feds get involved, all we've done is make illegal dealing easier. If the federal government legalizes medicinal pot, it can regulate it and create a pharmacy type scenario, making the dealers illegal again and keeping farmers in the loop instead of jail. That's the view from my side of the street, what's yours?