Blog: Election Years Are Always Tough for Marijuana

Last week was a tough one for medical marijuana supporters.

Activist Richard Lee was raided. Oaksterdam University is going to close its current facilities. The federal government sent letters threatening asset forfeiture to three dispensaries in Boulder, Colorado. And the IRS continues to treat medical marijuana dispensaries the same as it would a crack dealer.

As tough as weeks like this are to the supporters of the Compassionate Use Act, it's good to remember this isn't the first crackdown. In fact, it is an election year, and election years are always tough for marijuana.

On the pro-medical cannabis side, Senator Mark Leno sponsored a bill on Monday, SB1182, which would clarify SB 420 so that entities (patients and caregivers) who conform to Attorney General Bill Lockyers' 2008 guidelines may legally, cultivate, process and transport medical marijuana. Currently, these issues are implied, but not specified.

Then there is Tom Ammiano's bill, AB 2312 (to be known as the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Controll Act). It was introduced to try to eliminate the "grey" area that dispensaries are in now. In SB 420, and Prop 215, there is no language that prohibits dispensaries, sales, transportation etc. of cannabis, but nothing that allows for it either.

So the bill would create guidelines for sales and cultivation of cannabis. It also would create a state board to oversee and enforce regulations. Also, it would put a tax in place on medical cannabis. It would also permit commercial grows.
For those of you out there that love to read the language, click here to go to the "Americans for Safe Access" web site and a list of bills for 2012 and their links.

If the state can successfully pass and regulate Medical Marijuana sales and cultivation, and most importantly, keep the federal government from messing with our state laws, not only would the state collect more tax revenue from dispensaries, but the price of medicine would go down also for all the patients out there.

As long as the federal government keeps raiding dispensaries and growers, we will continue to pay a hazard premium on our medicine. The cruel irony for dispensaries, is that the tax being paid to the federal government is the same money going to the paychecks of the agents that kick the doors in.

And as for Richard Lee, he's out of the business, but Oaksterdam and his dispensary will be transferred to others. A few days after the raid, the cannabis community came together and some medicine was donated for free so the dispensary could open again. He plans to work on a book and hopefully a TV documentary series about his activism.

And personally, i think there could be no one better to do it.