CRUSADING AGAINST MARIJUANA

This is admittedly an idea that takes some getting used to.

For decades, police have crusaded against marijuana. Everything from
infra-red cameras to helicopters has been used to locate illegal
crops. Swat-team tactics have been used to raid indoor and outdoor
growers.

Now the state of Maine is being called upon to grow and distribute the stuff.

What's up with that!

While jarring at first, the idea is the natural offshoot of the
medical marijuana law passed last year by Maine voters.

It allows people who have specific illnesses and a doctor's
prescription to grow and possess small quantities of marijuana.

The problem with last year's successful referendum campaign was clear
from the start: These are sick people. Many of them have progressive
diseases like cancer or AIDS that eventually make them incapable of
growing or processing the marijuana.

In several instances, sick people have been arrested for stocking up
on marijuana knowing that they would one day be unable to raise any
more.

If we are serious about allowing these people to use marijuana, we
must provide a practical and legal way for them to obtain it.

Last October, a state taskforce appointed to look into the problem
endorsed a solution: state-sanctioned distribution.

Now a draft of a bill has surfaced in the Legislature that would
provide for a pilot cultivation and distribution center in one
county. The center would grow marijuana in a controlled setting,
process the plants and charge patients just enough to cover its
costs. The county would maintain a registry of eligible patients.

After a period, the Legislature would receive a report on the pilot
program and decide whether it should be expanded to the entire state.

One curious provision of the bill would prohibit the center from
buying marijuana from outside the state.

The state should not close the door on the possibility that an
out-of-state source may one day be the cheapest alternative for
high-quality medicinal marijuana.

Until we solve the problem of supply, access to medicinal marijuana
will remain beyond the reach of many of the people who might benefit.

This bill deserves serious consideration.