PINCHES CALLS FOR END TO POT WAR

Wants To Send Letter To State And Federal Officials Calling For
Legalization, Regulation And Taxation Of Marijuana

In a place lauded for its wine grapes but notorious for its other cash
crop, one Mendocino County supervisor says it's time to put an end to
the war on marijuana and finally embrace its commercial value. On
Tuesday, 3rd District Supervisor John Pinches will ask fellow Board
members to endorse a letter to area state and federal legislators, and
even President George W. Bush, supporting the legalization, regulation
and taxation of marijuana.

In Mendocino County, Pinches says conflicts between state and local
initiatives supporting personal cannabis use, have clouded law
enforcement practices and put neighbors at odds.

"This is a law issue, a public health issue, an air quality issue, a
revenue issue and a divisive community issue, " a draft version of the
letter reads.

According to Pinches, the illegal status of marijuana only increases
what are considered its negative effects. The more that's eradicated,
the higher the price goes, and the greater the use of violence to
either protect or steal the plants becomes, he said. Now is the time
to meet the issue head-on, Pinches said. "We have to acknowledge
after 40 years that the war on marijuana is lost, " Pinches said.
"Didn't we learn anything in the Prohibition days of alcohol?" He
emphasized that the issue is not legalization alone. Regulation and
taxation are important components of the plan as well. Regulation
would enable individual jurisdictions to choose whether or not they
would allow the sale or consumption of the substance within their
boundaries, Pinches said, citing the Jack Daniels Distillery, located
in a dry Tennessee county, as a viable example. In addition,
regulations similar to those put on alcohol, such as who can buy it,
where it can be sold and the manner in which it can be consumed, could
be applied to marijuana.

And taxation on what Pinches said has been estimated as a $5 billion
annual crop in just Mendocino County would aid ailing government budgets.

"Shouldn't our roads, and our law enforcement and our schools get
some of the benefits of that?" Pinches said.

The draft letter states that leaders in the federal government should
be called upon to initiate, sponsor and support legislation that calls
for the legalization, regulation and taxation of the valuable crop.

"Local government is in dire need of identifying stable revenue
streams, and through your able leadership, we are confident that a
taxing mechanism can be achieved," Pinches' letter reads. According to
Allen St. Pierre, executive director of NORML (the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), only a handful of
hundreds of current and former state or federal politicians have gone
on record in support of legalizing and taxing cannabis. Pinches said
Thursday he doesn't know how his colleagues will vote, but hopes to
see a unanimous decision.

"I really believe if I can obtain a unanimous vote at the board,
coming from Mendocino County, I think it would be a real strong
message to our local legislators and back to Washington, D.C., " he
said. The meeting, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., will be held in the
Board Chambers at the County Administration Center, 501 Low Gap Road,
Ukiah.