CALIFORNIA: GOING TO POT OR TO SENSIBLE REGULATION?

I am pleased to see that nine former DEA administrators point out
California's legalization of marijuana would violate U.S. treaty
obligations with other countries and runs counter to President Obama's
antilegalization policy. The authors are pushing to get the Obama
administration to speak out against California's medical marijuana
legalization initiative, but I'm not holding my breath that any such
thing will happen. Marijuana advocates are planning on a big turnout
of "yes" voters, but if the administration makes it clear that it will
sue, if the initiative passes, on the basis of federal supremacy as it
did in Arizona, and will enforce federal marijuana law in California,
many potential Democratic Party voters will not bother to vote.

Harvey Swenson

Sacramento, Calif.