HIGH TIMES HEADED FOR THE DESERT

It was a close one, Arizona, but thanks to the passage of Proposition
203, people with certain serious illnesses and chronic pain can
qualify for legal medicinal use of marijuana.

Around this time next year, or earlier, we can expect marijuana
dispensaries to pop up all around the state, and, according to a Q&A
with State Health Director Will Humble, published in the East Valley
Tribune, there's even a possibility that smoking pot in open places
like a park or street corner may be permissible.

In a state where voters have kept Sheriff Joe Arpaio in office for
the past 18 years, and where legislation like SB 1070 has been
cranked out, the general feeling surrounding the results of the
Proposition 203 vote has been one of surprise.

But this is not the first time Arizona voters have OK'd medical
marijuana use. It's not even the second. Similar propositions to 203
passed in both 1996 and 1998 but were shot down due to poor wording
that conflicted with federal law. Really though, the entirety of
Proposition 203 conflicts with the federal laws that prohibit the
use, possession or sale of illegal drugs. As is the case in the first
14 states to legalize medical use, state files and databases are
still subject to search by the federal government at any time. So
this time, writers of Proposition 203 were careful to cut back on the
possibility of loopholes or abuse within the system.

Under the proposition, patients with cancer, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C
and other chronic illnesses or severe pain could be prescribed up to
2.5 ounces of medical marijuana every two weeks. The Arizona
Department of Health Services also plans to keep very tight control
over seeds distributed to growers, to ensure that those growers sell
their product to state-licensed dispensaries at state-sanctioned prices.

Clearly, if ADHS is willing to count and keep track of individual pot
seeds, they are definitely going to be paying attention to who shows
up for a prescription.

Soon after Election Day, results came in quickly and in a one-sided
fashion in the three other states with pot-related propositions. Even
California's Proposition 19 failed fairly overwhelmingly.
Disappointed advocates point to a missing demographic that would've
been crucial in the push for total legalization, and unfortunately it
was the youth.

Legislation was also turned down most severely in counties that
currently profit heavily on the market for illegal marijuana (much of
which is in Arizona), and would have a lot to lose from complete
legalization of its lucrative product.

For once, Arizona has shown a bit of its less-Republican side. The
thing is, marijuana legalization is really an issue of governmental
control and something that a conservative or libertarian cannot get
along with. So don't be mistaken, with the loose gun laws and
immigration haters, Phoenix is not destined to be the next San Francisco.

Let's all remember that this race was down to the wire; a scant 4,341
votes out of 1.67 million were enough to pass the proposition,
according to unofficial results released by the secretary of state.
Public perception, as well as existing laws for those not permitted
to use legally, is still unbendingly harsh. Thankfully, we still know
how to blur party lines just enough so that sick people can get their
hands on a natural care that works.