the week in WEed
The View from the Chopper By Ryan Burns
C
ongressman Jared Huffman came to town this week, along with veteran news anchor Dan Rather and his crew, to get briefed on the unholy clusterfuck that is our rogue marijuana industry. It’s an industry subsidized and metastasized thanks to the artificial price constraints resulting from the War on Drugs. On Tuesday morn-
ing, Sheriff Mike Downey told Huff and the media that the federal government needs to do one of two things: escalate the war or call it off. According to Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Steve Knight, Downey outlined the expanding scope of collateral damage being caused by literally thousands of grow
10 North Coast Journal • Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013 • northcoastjournal.com
operations — the violence, the unpermitted grading and stream diversions and the widespread use of rodenticides and other poisons, which have begun to move up the food chain. (Remember that dead fisher found at a grow site last month? Murdered Rep. Jared Huffman (left) gets primped for his interview with by a poisoned hotdog, Dan Rather. Photo by Ryan Burns the Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.) After the briefing, a fresh one, where they literally have pieces Huffman and Rather went for a helicopter of the poisoned hot dog in the esophagus ride to get an aerial view of some local of the freshly killed animal.” grows. Later, they sat down in Huffman’s EuHuffman said he’s currently co-sponreka office for one of those well-groomed, soring “at least a half dozen” bills aimed at brightly lit TV newsmagazine interviews. reforming marijuana policy, ranging from Squeezed between those two events, our medical dispensary regulations to full federal congressional representative took a few decriminalization — and he has found some minutes to chat with the Journal about surprising allies in Tea Party Republicans who the day’s events and the shifting sands of think recreational pot use should be none of marijuana laws. the feds’ business. Strange bedfellows, but For his part, Huffman seems to be Huffman said it’s a good sign. hedging his bets, arguing for national The big question mark that remains is decriminalization while at the same time the stance of the Obama administration. trying to get Humboldt County listed as Despite assurances to the contrary, federal High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, which law enforcement officials have waged an would serve to escalate the drug war here. unrelenting campaign against medical “Incongruous?” Huffman asked, anticipatdispensaries, often targeting those trying ing the response. “It only seems incongruhardest to abide by state laws. And nearly ous to folks who aren’t familiar with what’s 10 months after voters in Washington and going on on the ground.” Colorado voted to legalize recreational use, He argued that given the current “inthe administration has yet to respond. coherent and conflicting policy situation,” Huffman insisted that Obama’s not buryhis two-pronged attack is the only way to ing his head in the sand: “I’ve been part of do it — working to reform the regulatory a very specific conversation with President framework while continuing to address “the Obama on this subject. What the president environmental damage, destruction and has said — and he’s right — is that he inherpublic safety issues” presented by big-time ited a law that Congress passed that made trafficking operations. marijuana a criminal substance.” Even Downey has come to see eradicaTrue enough. But what about Attorney tion efforts as all but futile. At Tuesday’s General Eric Holder’s assertion, way back in briefing he made a statement that would 2009, that the Justice Department would have been unthinkable for a man in his stop raiding state-law-abiding dispensaries? position just a few years ago. “I was never Huffman said the continuing raids are partly a big fan of legalization,” the Lost Coast because federal prosecutors “have a lot of Outpost quoted him as saying, “but right autonomy,” but also because federal law is now I think that’s the most logical way to federal law. Pot is illegal. “And if Congress end this drug war.” wanted to update that law and change it, my Huffman predicted that things are movsense was [Obama] would be very happy to ing in that direction. “I do think it is ineviconsider that.” table,” he said. “I think marijuana prohibition Unlikely? Perhaps. But as Downey’s call will be a thing of the past, at least in states for legalization proves, today’s unthinkable like California. ... But you can’t wait for that.” can quickly become tomorrow’s reality. And Another point of agreement between there seem to be more signs every week Downey and Huffman is that the dead fisher that America is approaching some sort of is a big deal, a symbol that could serve as tipping point on marijuana prohibition. a wake-up call for increased eradication We’re at a stage where an authoritative efforts on trespass grows. Wildlife biologists voice from on high could make all the difhave long been aware of increased toxicoloference. Something like, say, Dan Rather in a gy in wildlife due to poisons such as d-CON, helicopter. l Huffman said. “But this is a direct kill — and