CONSEQUENCES OF LEGALIZING MEDICINAL POT

Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes sounds like a great idea
but has anyone thought about how it would actually work here? (Would
we become the Commonwealth of the Marijuana Islands?)

Where will the plots of land set aside to grow medicinal marijuana be
located? There isn't any part of the islands-except perhaps the
northern ones-that is remote enough, secluded enough, difficult enough
to get to, to be safe from constant thievery. Electric fences would
not be enough, barbed wire would not be enough, to keep anyone from
stealing the plants allegedly being grown for medicinal purposes.

It would take armed guards, stationed around the perimeter 24/7, maybe
even accompanied by pit bulldogs, to protect the investment of those
who would grow marijuana for medicinal purposes. Which could get
rather expensive, as well as labor intensive.

One could, perhaps, grow the marijuana in covered warehouses-out of
sight of passersby. But still, it wouldn't be long before their
location would become known, and again, armed guards would be required
to keep the crops safe from thievery-from the casual smoker,
individual addicts or criminal gangs. And who knows what the effect of
artificial lighting-another cost!-would be on the marijuana itself.

Also of concern would be the facilities where the plant produce would
be packaged for sale. Those too would need to be heavily guarded. As
would the pharmacies that dispense the marijuana upon doctors' orders.

Almost seems like the biggest boost to the economy would be in the
area of providing jobs to security guards.

Have the consequences of such a proposal really been thought
through?

Ruth Tighe

Tanapag, Saipan