DECISION ON MEDICAL POT LEADS TO DEEPER QUESTION

The Supreme Court's decision on the legality of so called "medical
marijuana" was, of course, absolutely right. Nothing in federal drug
laws permits medical marijuana use, and federal drug laws have precedent
over state drug laws.

But does that mean federal drug laws are working?

That question is valid, because so many people continue to disobey drug
laws.

Hundreds of billions of dollars are siphoned annually from the
legitimate economy by drug dealers and their suppliers.

Federal, state and local governments spend dozens of billions more on
the so-called war on drugs, trying to enforce the laws.

And with all that, more than half the adult population has sampled or
regularly uses marijuana, surveys indicate. Other drugs are regularly
used and sampled by adults. And children and teen-agers aren't far
behind the adults.

Some half the people in our prisons are there because of drug violations
or crimes committed to raise money to buy drugs.

With the possible exception of speed limits, are any laws more scoffed
at in the United States than drug laws? Something is very wrong.

Medical marijuana laws passed handily in California and other states,
not because most voters were overly concerned about those who claim to
get medical relief from marijuana, but because they were winking with
their votes at laws they know don't work.

Medical marijuana laws have been a compromise - obviously not a workable
one - for those who would like to see a better solution to the country's
drug problems. They amount to a grass roots effort to improve the laws.
But that effort is blocked, as the court rightly reminded us.

Unfortunately, few in Congress are willing to do more than yell "drugs
are bad" - which is merely to say the obvious. The same can be said,
however, for laws which don't work.