MEDICAL MARIJUANA LOBBYING DEBUTS IN D.C.

The $1.7 billion medical marijuana industry made its lobbying debut
in Washington on Wednesday with its official trade association
launching an effort for changes in federal tax law that would put
medicinal purveyors on equal footing with fully legitimate businesses.

From an underground movement to a legal business in California, 14
other states and Washington, D.C., medical marijuana is emerging as a
full-fledged commercial sector with sales that might soon rival those
of Viagra, advocates said.

"We simply feel that our industry should be treated like any other
legitimate industry," said Aaron Smith, director of the National
Cannabis Industry Association. He spoke at a news conference kicking
off the association's first day of lobbying, which included meetings
with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Federal law does not recognize Big Pot. The sophisticated marijuana
farms sprouting up in Northern California's Emerald Triangle and
elsewhere exist in a legal twilight zone, although the Justice
Department has advised its prosecutors not to pursue marijuana
providers operating under state law.

The lobbying campaign is aimed at amending a federal tax code
provision that categorizes medical marijuana dispensary operators as
drug traffickers. Such a categorization prevents them from tax
deductions for marijuana-related expenses. It also makes them
particularly susceptible to audits from the Internal Revenue Service.

California has 76 percent of the nation's medical marijuana market
and issued 51,550 medical marijuana cards in the past 5 years.