STATE NEEDS TO CLEAN UP MEDICAL MARIJUANA MESS

Medical marijuana in California is an utter mess, a mockery of what
most voters intended when they approved Proposition 215 in 1996.

It was supposed to be a nonprofit enterprise, but has spawned a $1.5
billion industry in which networks of storefront dispensaries and
large growing operations are reaping millions of dollars. Cities and
counties are trying to keep up with the explosion of pot shops by
limiting where they can operate, but at the same time they're also
trying to wring revenue out of them.

The first-in-the-nation law was supposed to allow "compassionate use"
to ease the pain and suffering of people with cancer or AIDS.
Instead, it's so easy to get a recommendation for "medical" marijuana
that, according to the first statewide study, many patients are using
pot to relieve headaches and anxiety, and to sleep and relax.

The law has been so corrupted that the feds are cracking down. On
Friday, the four U.S. attorneys in California announced criminal
charges against large-scale dispensaries, growers and financiers,
declaring that medical marijuana "has been hijacked by profiteers."

Some are accused of drug trafficking by shipping "medical" marijuana
to other states for sale. Others are accused of irregular banking
practices. And some are charged with marketing to underage customers
with products like marijuana cotton candy. The prosecutors are also
seizing the properties of landlords leasing space to dispensaries
that are too close to schools or parks or not allowed at all.

This chaos calls out for clear and fair state regulation and oversight.

We need to get back to the original, worthy premise of Proposition
215. Keep marijuana available to the truly seriously ill. Ensure that
dispensaries are actually nonprofit. Get tough with doctors who write
recommendations to make a quick buck.

Attorney General Kamala Harris, whose office is reviewing state
guidelines on medical marijuana, should lay out in detail how she
will enforce state law and soon. If she doesn't, the Legislature and
Gov. Jerry Brown will have to step up.

It appears federal officials are intervening here because of the
state's failure to have uniform regulations. They have not targeted
the growing pot trade in Colorado, for instance.

Mixed messages from the U.S. Justice Department haven't helped
California. In October 2009, the department issued a memo that
declared it would not target medical marijuana in states where it was
legal, even though it violated federal law. That hands-off stance set
off the industry's boom and some of the abuses that prosecutors are
now trying to rein in. Lurching from little enforcement to an
aggressive crackdown is unfair to dispensaries that do put patients
first and is confusing to everyone.

It's up to state officials to show some leadership and clear up the situation.