A4 T H E BULLETIN • SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 2013
TODAY'S READ: DRUG LAWS
anuana oesmainsr eam,conoun in e e s •
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By Nancy Benac
fornia voters made the first move in 1996. Voters in ColoThe Associated Press Eighteen states andthe District of Columbia haveallowed the use of rado and Washington state marijuana for medical or recreational purposes as support for legalizing WASHINGTON — It took 50 took the next step last year and the drug gathers momentum. years for American attitudes approved pot for recreational about marijuana t o z i gzag use. Alaska is likely to vote on • Legal for medical Use • Legal for medical and recreational Use from the paranoia of"Reefer the same question in 2014, and Madness" tothe excesses of a few other states are expected Woodstock back to the hard to put recreational use on the line of "Just Say No." ballot in 2016. The next 25 years took the Nearly half of adults have nation from Bill Clinton, who tried marijuana, 12 percent of famously "didn't inhale," to them in the past year, accordBarack Obama, who most em- ing to a survey by the Pew Rephatically did. search Center. More teenagers And now, in just a few short now say they smoke marijuay ears, public o p i nion h a s na than ordinary cigarettes. Fifty-two percent of adults moved so dramatically toward generalacceptance that even favor legalizing marijuana, up those who champion legal- 11 percentage points just since ization are surprised at how 2010, according to Pew. Sixty quickly attitudes are changing percent t h in k W a s hington Percentage of adults who say Percentage of adults who and states are moving to ap- shouldn't enforce federal laws pot should be legalized say they have tried pot prove the drug — for medical against marijuana in states 60% use and just for fun. that have approved its use. 2013: 52% —• 0 It is a moment in America S eventy-two p ercent t h i n k 40 40 that is rife with contradictions: government efforts to enforce People are looking more m arijuana laws c ost m o r e 20 • 20 kindly on marijuana even as than they're worth. L1973: 19% ~12% "By Election Day 2016, we sciencereveals more about the 0 O Ever P a styear drug's potential dangers, par- expect to see at least seven '73 '83 '93 '03 '13 ticularly for young people. states where marijuana is leSources: General Social Survey, National Conference of AP States are giving the green gal and being regulated like State Legislatures, Pew Research Center light to the drug in direct de- alcohol," says Mason Tvert, a fiance of a federal prohibition spokesman for the Marijuana an interview that "it does not and pot. In April, the Justice on its use. Policy Project, a national lemake sense, from a prioritiza- Department targeted 63 disExploration of th e poten- galization group. tion point of view, for us to focus pensaries in Santa Ana, Calif., t ial medical benefit is l i m on recreationaldrug users in a and filed three asset forfeiited by high federal hurdles to Sticky issues state that has already said that ture lawsuits against properresearch. Where California led the under state law that's legal." ties housing seven pot shops. And W ashington p o licy- charge on medical marijuana, In April, Attorney General Prosecutors also sent letters makers seem reluctant to deal the next chapter in this story is Eric Holdersaid to Congress, to property owners and operawith any of it. being written in Colorado and "We are certainly going to tors of 56 other marijuana disRichard Bonnie, a Univer- Washington state. enforce federal law.... When pensaries warning that they sity of Virginia law professor Policymakers there are it comes to these marijuana could face similar lawsuits. who worked for a n a tional struggling with al l sorts of initiatives, I think among the University of D enver law commission that recommend- sticky issues revolving around kinds of things we will have professor Sam Kamin says if ed decriminalizing marijuana one central question: How do to consider is the impact on the administration doesn't act in 1972, sees the public taking you legally regulate the prochildren." He also mentioned soon to sort out the federala big leap from prohibition to duction, distribution, sale and violence related to drug trafstate conflict, it may be too late a more laissez-faireapproach use of marijuana for recre- ficking and organized crime. to do much. "At some point, it without full deliberation. ational purposes when federal Rep. Jared Polis, a Colorado becomes so prevalent and so "It's a remarkable story his- law bans all of the above? Democrat who favors legaliza- many citizens will be engaged torically," he says. "But as a How do you tax it'? What tion, predicts Washington will in it that it's hard to recrimimatter of public policy, it's a lit- quality control standards do take a h a nds-off approach, nalize something that's betle worrisome. It's intriguing, you set? How do you protect based on Obama's comments come commonplace." it's interesting, it's good that children while giving grownabout setting law enforcement liberalization is occurring, but ups the go-ahead to light up? priorities. "We would like to see The politics of it it is a little worrisome." What about driving under the that in writing," Polis says. "But There's a political calculus More than a l i t tle worriinfluence? Can growers take we believe, given the verbal as- for the president, or any other some to those in the anti-drug business tax deductions? Who surances of the president, that politician, in all of this. movement. can grow pot, and how much? we are moving forward in ColoYounger people, who tend "We're on this h u ndred- Where can you use it'? Can cit- rado and Washington in imple- to vote more Democratic, are mile-an-hour freight train to ies opt out? Can workers be menting the will of the voters." more supportive of legalizing legalizing a t h ir d a d dictive fired for smoking marijuana marijuana, as are people in the substance," says Kevin Sabet, when they're off duty'? What Federal raids West, where the libertarian a former drug policy adviser about taking pot out of state? The f ederal g o vernment streak runs strong. In Colorain the Obama administration, The list goes on. has taken a similar approach do, for example, last November lumping marijuana with toThe overarching question has toward users in states that more people voted for legalized bacco and alcohol. big national implications. How have approved marijuanafor pot (55 percent) than voted for Legalization strategist Ethan do you do all of this without in- medical use. It doesn't go after Obama (51 percent), which Nadelmann, executive director viting the wrath of the federal pot-smoking cancer patients c ould help explain why t he of the Drug Policy Alliance, government, which has been or grandmas with glaucoma. president was silent on marilikes the direction the mari- largely silent so far on how it But it also has warned that juana before the election. "We're going to get a cultural juana smoke is wafting. But he will respond to a gaping conflict peoplewho are in the business knows his side has consider- between U.S. and state law? of growing, selling and dis- divide herepretty quickly," says able work yet to do. The Justice Department be- tributing marijuana on a large Greg Strimple, a Republican "I'm constantly reminding gan reviewing the matter after scale are subject to potential pollster based in Boise, Idaho, my allies that marijuana is not last November's election and prosecution for violations of who predicts Obama will duck going to legalize itself," he says. repeatedlyhas promised to re- the Controlled Substances Act the issue as long as possible. spond soon. But seven months — even in states that have leDespite increasing public Legalization and opinions later, states still are on their galized medical use. acceptance of marijuana, and Eighteen states and the Dis- own, left to parse every passFederal agents i n r e cent growing interest in its potentrict of Columbia have legal- ing comment from the depart- years have raided storefront tial therapeutic uses, politiized the use of marijuana for ment and the president. dispensaries i n Ca l i f ornia cians know there are complimedical purposes since CaliIn December, Obama said in and Washington, seizing cash cations that could come with
Pot laws acrossthe U.S.
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Continued from A1 The tax bill would raise another $150 million for Oregon public On the otherhand, Demoschools and funnel another $60 million into senior and mental crats have pushed, unsuchealth programs. It would raise corporate incometax rates from cessfully, to r aise taxes on 6.6 to 7.6 percent on amounts more than$2.5 million. It would wealthier earners and on corcapdeductionsforcoupleswhomakemorethan$250,000and porations. A $275 million tax individuals who make $125,000. It makes changes to the senior increase failed in April. medical tax deduction and shifts the benefits to lower-income The end result, Democrats seniors. say, would be a more robust state education budget. The Senate passed a $6.55 billion The PERS bill would lower cost-of-living adjustments for retirees. public school budget WednesFor income below $60,000, the inflation rate would be1.25 day, a measure headed for the percent, compared with about 2 percent currently. For all income House. beyond $60,000 the rate would be 0.15 percent. The bill would Knopp said the two latest also lower pensions for former public employeeswhohaven't pension and ta x p r o posals worked in public employment since 2004 but have yet to draw — Senate Bill 857 and House their pensions. Theproposed changescould reduce the system's Bill 2456 — are not far from unfunded liability by $5 billion in the next two-year budget cycle. what the governor proposed at the session start. At one point, Republicans were hoping the package would include tax breaks for small business. But Gay noted if both bills pass, hopeful the revenue and penthat is no longer on the table. the House could move to raise sion package makes it to the "This was the governor's taxes without further reducing Senate. They passed out of the plan," Knopp said Saturday. pensions. Senate Revenue Committee "It does nothing t o c r eate "This is political posturing on Friday. jobs." a nd gamesmanship by t h e House Majority Leader Val Republican spokesman Mi- Democrats," he said. Hoyle, D-Eugene, said Demochael Gay said the GOP caucus Majority Leader Sen. Diane crats are ready to "make a also has concerns that the two Rosenbaum, D-Portland, on heavy lift" in slashing pension measures — HB 2456 raises Saturday said she was sur- systems. " We're waiting t o se e i f revenue and SB 857 further re- prisedtheRepublicans seemed duces pension costs — would against the two measures. House Republicans and Sen"I think our Republican col- ate Republicans are ready to be voted on in separate bills. Senate P r esident P e t er leagues all session long have make a heavy lift," she said. Courtney, D-Salem, said he said they want changes to — Reporter: 541-554-1162, would first put the tax mea- PERS," she said. "This reduces Idakeibendbulletin.com sure to a vote as early as Mon- the unfunded liability and emday. If it passes, the measure ployer rates.... Now, the same reducing th e P ERS w o uld folks aren't going to support come next. PERS. You'll have to ask them Otherwise, t h e pe n sion why." 1000's Of Ads Every Day measure won't be brought to House Democrats said they the floor. Votes are now ex- are waiting to see what hap~ O ~ ~ ( Rg ~ pected Monday or Tuesday. pens in the Senate, but are
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commercializing a n a d d i ctive substance, some of them already evident i n m e dical marijuana states. Opponents of pot are particularly worried that legalization will result in increased adolescent use as young people's estimations of the drug's dangers decline. "There's no real win on this from a political perspective," says Sabet. "Do you want to be the president that stops a popular cause,especially a cause t hat's popular w i t hin y o u r own party'? Or do you want to be the president that enables youth drug use that will have ramifications down the road?"
set out to sort through more than 100 sometimes conflicting studiesafter his teenage son became addicted to pot. In a 22-page article for Mayo Clinic Proceedings in 2012, he laid out the contradictions in U.S. policy and declared that "little about cannabis is straightforward." "Anybody can find data to support almost any position," Bostwick says now. For all of the talk that smoking pot is no big deal, Bostwick says, he determined that "it was a very big deal. There were addictionissues. There were psychosis issues. But there was also this very large body of literature suggesting that it could The business of it potentially have very valuable Marijuana legalization ad- pharmaceutical a p plications vocates offer politicians a rosi- but the research was stymied" er scenario, in which legitimate by federal barriers. pot businesses eager to keep Marijuana is a Schedule I their operating licenses make drug under 1970 law, meansure not to sell to minors. ing the government deems it "Having a regulated system to have"no currently accepted is the only way to ensure that medical use" and a "high powe're not ceding control of this tential for abuse." popular substance to the crimStill, as state after state inal market and to black mar- moves toward a more liberal keteers," says Aaron Smith, ex- approach to marijuana, "we're ecutive director of the National having a hard time almost beCannabis Industry A ssocia- lieving how fast public opinion tion, a trade group for legal pot is changing in our direction," businesses in the U.S. says Nadelmann of the Drug See C h ange R e search, Policy Alliance. which analyzes the marijuana But William Galston and business, has estimated the na- E.J. Dionne, who co-wrote a tional market for medical mari- paper on the new politics of juana alone at $1.7 billion for marijuana for the Brookings 2011 and has projected it could Institution, believe marijuana reach $8.9 billion in five years. legalization hasn't achieved a Overall, marijuana users spend deep enough level of support tens of billions of dollars a year to suggest a tipping point, with on pot, experts believe. attitudes toward legalization While the federal govern- marked by ambivalence and ment hunkers down, Colorado uncertainty. "Comparedwith attitudes toa nd Washington state a r e moving forward on their own. ward same-sex marriage, supColorado's governor in May port for marijuana legalization signed a set of bills to regulate is much less driven by moral legal use of the drug, and the conviction and much more by state's November ballot will the belief that it is not a moral ask votersto approve special issue at all," they wrote. salesand excise taxes on pot. Ultimately, marijuana adIn Washington state, the Livocates say, it's Congress that quor Control Board is drawing needs to budge, aligning fedup rulescovering everything eral laws with those of states from how plants will be grown moving to l egalization. But to how many stores will be that doesn't appear likely anyallowed. It expects to issue li- time soon. "It will happen very sudcenses for growers and processors in December, and impose denly," Tim Lynch, director of 25 percent taxes three times the libertarian Cato Institute's over — when pot is grown, pro- Project on Criminal Justice, cessed and sold to consumers. predicts. "In 10-15 years, it will be hard to find a politician who The science of it will say they were ever against So how bad, or good, is pot? legalization." There are studies that set off medical alarm bells but also studies that support the saferthan-alcohol crowd and suggest promising therapeutic uses. J. Michael Bostwick, a psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic,
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