POT RANKS NO. 8?

There's almost no way to exaggerate the seriousness of the
methamphetamine scourge that has torn through our society. But
attention to that problem should supplement, not replace, attention
to other drug problems.

An Associated Press story this week illustrates how, even with the
rise of the meth problem, the marijuana problem still hasn't gone
away. With a bit of creative but still valid calculations, marijuana
can be described as our state's No. 8 agricultural commodity, just
ahead of sweet cherries. Of course, the difference is the former is
illegal and thus doesn't belong on the commodities chart, but you
still get the message: The 135,323 marijuana plants seized in the
state last year carried an estimated value of $270 million.

And make no mistake, these are serious farmers. "We're struck by the
amount of work they put into it," said Lt. Rich Wiley, head of the
Washington State Patrol narcotics program. "It's very labor
intensive. They often run individual drip lines to each plant, and
are out there fertilizing them. It takes a tremendous amount of
work." Well, lawbreaking might be a better term than "work."

At the local level, 1,727 marijuana plants were seized in Clark
County last year, 1,042 planted outdoors and 685 indoors.

Washingtonians can still stand proudly behind apples, milk, wheat,
cattle, potatoes, hay and nursery products as our top seven legal
crops, but let's not lessen our vigilance against the illegal No. 8.