MARIJUANA WITCH HUNT BURNS STATES

There's been a most interesting battle these past couple of years, pitting
John Ashcroft, the U.S. attorney general, against states in the union.

If states allows medical marijuana, Ashcroft and company are after them.

And Oregonians have supported -- you guessed it -- medical marijuana.

The attorney general hasn't chalked up many victories. Just this week,
Maryland became the 10th state since 1996 to ease or eliminate sanctions for
medical use of marijuana. A total of 13 state legislatures have considered
medical-marijuana bills since fall 2002.

The governor of Maryland was getting stiff-armed pretty good by the Bush
administration not to sign the legislation. Thing is, Gov. Robert Ehrlich is
a Republican. And his message to Washington, D.C., was much the same as the
message sent by former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, back in the day: Hands
off. Our state's citizens know what they're doing.

Anyone remember the good old days, when Republicans were the party of
states' rights and the Democrats were the party of big government dominating
little government? It's getting so you can't tell the players without a
scorecard anymore.

But I digress.

A quick history of Oregon's medical marijuana act: It was approved by voters
in 1998. Oregon is now one of nine states that allows medical use of
marijuana. Patients in all those states, except California, have to produce
their own marijuana or receive it as a donation. Not everyone is eligible.
Patients must have specified medical conditions, such as cancer, glaucoma or
AIDS. Or they must have conditions resulting in severe pain or nausea,
seizures or persistent muscle spasms.

So far, about 4,500 Oregonians are registered with the program through the
Department of Human Services. Each patient can produce three mature and four
immature plants, and patients can possess up to 7 ounces of weed.

None of which pleases Ashcroft.

The Bush administration's fight against marijuana took a somewhat weird turn
last week. House Republicans, on behest of Ashcroft and Bush, pressed for a
bill that would strip federal anti-drug money from local police in states
that have passed medical marijuana laws.

According to a May 22 article by Associated Press writer Larry Margasak,
groups opposed to strict criminal enforcement of marijuana laws said more
than $11 million could be eliminated from state and local police budgets in
"high-intensity" drug trafficking areas. The money would go, instead, to
federal law-enforcement officers because local police could not enforce all
marijuana laws in states that legalized the drug for medical use.

So basically, if you've passed a medical-marijuana law, this bill would
strip your state of money needed to crack down on methamphetamine or cocaine
or heroin.

U.S. Rep. Darlene Hooley, who represents the Salem area, disagrees with the
bill. She has vowed to fight the bill in Congress. And she has bragging
rights on the tough-on-drugs issue because she helped three Oregon counties,
including Marion County, become designated as High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Areas. That made them eligible for extra federal bucks. She also
garnered federal money for the Marion Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement
Team, which focuses on meth sales.

Bush, Ashcroft and House Republicans want to focus attention on marijuana
use, even for glaucoma and cancer patients, at the expense of programs to
fight coke and meth and such.

Hooley probably would refer to such a policy as a pipe dream.