ON MARIJUANA, LET THE STATES DECIDE

On The Issue Of Marijuana Law, Clear Logic Is Not As Important As What Works.

IN 2003, Seattle voters approved a ballot measure to make marijuana
possession the lowest police priority. Seattle has lived with this
rule for more than five years. It is not perfect, but it is a more
tolerable rule than the city had before.

We offer the rule to the nation. If "lowest police priority" seems
like a muddled concept, it may be that in this case clarity is not a
virtue. It may be like the gays-in-the-military issue 15 years ago. In
logic, "don't ask, don't tell" made no sense, but in practice it was
more tolerable than what went before. The military had a chance to
test it, knowing that by and by, those who wanted to go further would
press their case, which they have.

Marijuana is a different issue, and the ultimate answer is not so
clear. Few want to publicly endorse marijuana. Then again, millions
smoke it already. Their purchases feed vast criminal syndicates that
our government spends billions to try and stamp out — an effort doomed
to defeat by the forces of supply and demand.

How to manage the problem? Some states have effectively decriminalized
small amounts of marijuana. Others, including Washington, have
permitted an approved supply for approved medical purposes.

There is muddle in all this: What is an approved purpose? What is an
approved supply? Who is the user supposed to get it from? Above all,
how can any of this be done when it is against federal law?

The answer to the last question comes from Attorney General Eric
Holder: Growing medical marijuana is still illegal, but federal
agents will not raid them.

It is the right policy. The Obama administration should continue to
stay back, and let the states, and cities like Seattle, discover what
works.