POT CONFUSION

Lawmakers Need To Clear The Smoke On Medical Marijuana

Pot gardens -- whether planted for medical or recreational purposes --
attract criminals looking to steal the valuable crop. And growers and their
security systems are nearly as dangerous as would-be thieves. Armed guards
and attack dogs often protect cannabis crops.

To put it bluntly: Marijuana farmers don't make good neighbors. But the
lack of clarity surrounding Proposition 215 -- the medical marijuana
initiative -- results in situations like that in Sebastopol, where a
cannabis club owner was growing thousands of plants in a residential area.

This is California -- a state where government regulates everything from
swimming pools to organic produce. Yet, opportunists are taking advantage
of the confusion wrought by state and federal disagreements over the
legality of Proposition 215 combined with differing regulations developed
by each county.

The Sebastopol case provides another example of why law enforcement
officers, the Legislature and local governments must develop a common plan
for implementing -- and amending, if necessary -- Proposition 215.