DEA'S RAID OF COLORADO MARIJUANA GROWER

Coloradans owe a big vote of thanks to the Drug Enforcement Agency's
special agent in charge, Jeff Sweetin, and U.S. Attorney David
Gaouette. Sweetin and Gaouette have something that the Colorado
legislature appears to lack: the courage to rein in a medical
marijuana industry that is spiraling rapidly out of control.

When Colorado voters approved the use of medical marijuana in 2000,
few, if any, could have envisioned the nightmare that has evolved with
no interference from the legislature or the bureaucrats. Voters
thought they were approving the use of "medical" marijuana for
terminally ill patients under strictly controlled circumstances.
Instead, what we are seeing is pot freely available to recreational
potheads, from so-called "caregivers" who are little more than
glorified drug dealers.

If there is actually a medical use for marijuana, then why can't it be
prescribed by physicians and dispensed by licensed pharmacists in
exactly the same way as penicillin, Lipitor and Oxycontin?

Richard Stacy, Denver

The writer was Wyoming's U.S. attorney from 1981-94.