MEDICAL POT VIEW

I have enormous respect for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. As a
council member and now mayor of Covina, I have seen firsthand their
commitment to the quality of life throughout our region. Having said
that, Our View editorial entitled, "A new policy for medical pot"
(March 22) misses the mark.

First, I believe that Attorney General Eric Holder's policy will not
signal any enforcement changes in California. The Attorney General has
said that enforcement will continue where there is a danger of sales
to minors, selling without physicians recommendations, or selling from
an unauthorized place. According to California Attorney General Jerry
Brown, virtually every so-called medical marijuana dispensary in
California is not authorized by Proposition 215 and therefore illegal.

Why is this? Proposition 215 only authorizes co-op sales of so-called
medical marijuana, and these dispensaries are not co-ops. Instead,
they are retail outlets that do a high volume, high profit business.
Further, these outlets have caused significant public safety and
quality of life problems in the neighborhoods in which they are
located. No surprises there, these locations have lots of cash and
lots of dope; and many law enforcement agencies will tell you they are
illicit drug dispensaries for minors and magnets for criminal activity.

Second, I have to also disagree with this editorial when it seems to
dismiss marijuana as being a benign substance. Asides volumes of
research demonstrating the negative value of marijuana, respected
neurosurgeon, Dr. Sanjay Gupta (who was a candidate to be President
Obama's Surgeon General) was very clear that "marijuana isn't really
very good for you." Dr. Gupta goes on, saying that "marijuana can
seriously affect your short-term memory. It can impair your cognitive
ability (why do you think people call it dope?) and lead to
long-lasting depression or anxiety. While many people smoke marijuana
to relax, it can have the opposite effect on frequent users. And
smoking anything, whether it's tobacco or marijuana, can seriously
damage your lung tissue."

Finally, as a retired assistant chief for the California Department of
Justice and former director of the California Youth Authority, I ask
the reader to consider all of the public safety and social damage that
is done by legal mind altering substances like alcohol and
pharmaceuticals. What possible benefit is served by adding yet another
mind-altering substance to the array of legal substances that
compromise our five senses?

I love the Tribune and its great staff, but I'm using "A new policy
for medical pot" to wrap the fish.

Walt Allen

Covina