On Nov. 6, Washington and Colorado became the first two states to pass legislation that allows recreational use of marijuana for adults over the age of 21. Both states are taxing sales heavily. Colorado will use potential revenue for school construction while Washington will use the tax money to fund an array of health services. Experts predict Washington’s marijuana industry will produce $2 billion in tax revenue over the next five years. There is one small catch: the federal government still doesn’t recognize any of these state laws and can still enforce federal prohibition laws in states that allow the drug for medical or recreational use.
Californians passed the landmark Proposition 215 in 1996, leading the country in legalizing marijuana for patients whose doctors recommend its use for medical purposes. Since then, 17 states and the District of Columbia have followed suit. The medical marijuana industry in California now produces more than $100 million in tax revenue.
After 16 years, one would think that the federal and state governments would have come to an agreement about how to enforce marijuana laws in California. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Often, local law enforcement agencies use the federal ban as an excuse to exploit the medical marijuana industry. For example, the Sonoma County Sheriffs have a narcotics task force that is made up of local and federal agents. The task force spends most of its time and resources raiding marijuana grow operations. The vast majority of these operations are legal under state law, and charges are rarely filed and even less often pursued to a conviction. Large amounts of cash are often confiscated from growers and, what makes it into the evidence room is split between the state and the agency. This is how task forces fund themselves.
We’ve all heard the arguments for ending drug prohibition in high school class presentations and reports. The war on drugs is a racist endeavor that gives law enforcement yet another opportunity to single out people of color. It costs tax payers around $40 billion a year—money we can’t exactly afford. If legalized and regulated, drugs would generate tax revenue, criminal enterprises would be crippled, and regulated manufacturing would make drugs safer. A portion of the revenue could be used to treat addiction, fund research and address drug related social problems. But some say legalization of all drugs is going too far.
Marijuana is the least dangerous of all illegal drugs. Thousands of doctors agree that it has medicinal value. Also, it makes some people happy, and it doesn’t seem to be any more dangerous than alcohol. Do we really want to go around putting people in prison and destroying their lives over this?
No, obviously not. Prohibition of marijuana is absurd and archaic. Unfortunately, while laws like Prop 215 and SB420 which are designed to allow medical marijuana use, production and distribution in California often protect users, they leave growers and sellers vulnerable. I applaud voters in Washington and Colorado for passing laws intended to end prohibition in those states, however I’m afraid that until the federal government catches up, marijuana providers in those states will be left in a similar situation.
