THUMBS DOWN

To federal authorities, for giving Santa Cruz some law enforcement it
really doesn't need by raiding a local medical-marijuana garden north of
Davenport last week. There's a diversity of thought about marijuana use and
medical marijuana as well, but our community was doing just fine in
figuring out the best way to proceed.

No one asked federal drug agents to sweep into town, and no good will come
of it. We're confident that local law-enforcement leaders, including
Sheriff Mark Tracy and District Attorney Kate Canlis, are well qualified to
set the tone for the kind of enforcement needed. And no matter what the law
says, some people need marijuana to help their medical conditions, and an
outside force like agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration simply
isn't going to help.