FORMER ANTI-MARIJUANA LOBBYIST SWITCHES SIDES

The last time the House debated medical marijuana, David Krahl trod
the halls of Capitol Hill lobbying against the legislation as deputy
director of the Drug Free America Foundation.

Now, he's ready to lobby for allowing medicinal use of marijuana, and
do anything he can to support it.

So far, no one has asked him for help, but in a recent letter to
medical marijuana bill sponsor Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), he
proclaimed that he'd reversed his position on whether cannabis can be
a medicine.

"I'm saying, 'Here I am, an individual who had one point of view, and
now I have a different one,' " Krahl said in an interview.

Krahl left the St. Petersburg, Fla.-based foundation in October, and
has returned to teaching. He declined to name the college where he is
teaching, but said the topic is "drugs, deviance and crime."

"Being away from the Drug Free America Foundation allowed me an
opportunity to take a fresh look at the issue," Krahl said. "I don't
have skin in the game anymore."

He had joined the foundation in July 2006. At the time, the
foundation's executive director, Calvina Fay, noted his 25 years of
experience in criminal justice and human services and said, "His
anti-drug philosophies, along with his experience, will be a great
fit."

Krahl had previously been a grants manager for the
YMCA.

"When I joined that group the question of medical marijuana was not
entirely settled," Krahl said. "I was looking at it from the issue of
'does it have a medical benefit?' There's evidence both ways."

His letter to Hinchey lays out seven points that revolve around
states' rights to regulate marijuana and the physician-patient
relationship.

"In our nation today, we need less interference by the federal
government on any issue such as this," Krahl wrote.

Foundation officials were caught off guard by Krahl's reversal, saying
they hadn't heard of the letter until a reporter called about it. But
they said they're happy that lawmakers still aren't trying to legalize
marijuana for medicinal purposes.

"I don't believe one person changing their position gives any
credibility to the other side on this," said foundation spokesman John
Pastuovic.

A medical marijuana measure likely won't come up in this session,
because it would be an amendment to the Commerce-State-Justice
Appropriations bill and Democratic leaders have all but junked the
appropriations process for the year.