POT LAW NEEDS CLARIFYING, NOT ACTION BY LOCAL SHERIFF

After raids by Oakland County against medical marijuana facilities
and homes, Sheriff Bouchard reportedly quipped, "This is not a Cheech
and Chong movie."

He was right in that his actions were not representative of a
light-hearted comedy. A better comparison might be the 1937
propaganda film "Reefer Madness," with hysterical officials warning
about the deadly menace of marijuana. As the dozens of court cases
from these raids now wind through our courts, it's time for rational
discussion about marijuana.

Voters overwhelmingly decided to decriminalize marijuana for persons
with medical issues and who obtained recommendations from physicians.
Opponents are unhappy with this result and claim that the voters were
duped. But in a democracy, the voters are "the deciders." It's not
officials' prerogative to decide what voters "meant" but rather it's
their duty to follow instructions. Authority comes from voters.

The Michigan Department of Community Health says more than 55,000
Michigan residents have applied for medical marijuana permits. Each
has seen a physician and sent the state $100 to process their
request. While the state cashes the checks right away, there is a
seven-month wait to get the permit. Meanwhile, the state has received
$5 million under this program.

Ferndale residents voted three times to legalize medical marijuana.
City Council determined areas to be zoned for facilities where
physicians and others could counsel, prescribe and/or dispense
marijuana. For two months the facility functioned well, with no
problems or complaints. According to our police officials, there was
no rise in criminal activity in the area. Two days after Ferndale
voted these zoning areas, sheriff's deputies and narcotics
enforcement officers swooped down on homes and businesses across the
county, including our little storefront in Ferndale.

State law governing medical pot was not written well. It is unclear
and causing consternation among local officials. But had state
leaders done their job, we wouldn't have had citizen-led effort to
force their issue. Now, law enforcement officials are using their
assets to send the political message that they don't approve of the
law. They're dealing with marijuana in the only way they know how, as
a dangerous narcotic no different than meth or heroin.

We do have serious drug problems, including the growing number of
addictions to legal pain-killers such as Vicodin and Oxycontin. But
it's doubtful that fighting this epidemic should see raids on the local CVS.

With dwindling resources, law enforcement should focus on the serious
crimes that put residents in true danger. Focus on burglary, auto
theft, robberies and violent crimes. Fight serious drugs like heroin,
meth and cocaine. Send all the political messages you want, with
lobbying, petitions and letter-writing. Spending hundreds of
thousands of dollars raiding legal reefer is madness.