by Kay Falls

Created on: December 08, 2008

Yes, absolutely, the federal government and the DEA should enforce federal drug laws regarding marijuana, in all states, regardless of what the voters of those states have said to the contrary. Right or wrong, marijuana is classified as a narcotic.

It's safe to say that the mounting evidence regarding the medical application of marijuana, at the very least, deserves unbiased analysis and consideration. Simply to reclassify it as an agricultural crop, and tax it accordingly, would eliminate many of the issues associated with marijuana.

Just as there were originally thirteen colonies, there are currently thirteen states with medical marijuana laws. All of them are in direct violation of federal drug law, but clearly the voters of those states feel that the federal law is, in short, wrong.

The only way federal drug law is going to be changed is by the people, by initiative, by pressure on their elected representatives, or by drawing so much attention to the problem that change is forced to the forefront rather than being nibbled at state by state.

I am a native of northern California, as was my father, and his parents before him. I have spent my life in "the emerald triangle" of marijuana cultivation, although for clarification, I have never participated in the industry. It is the single largest agricultural crop in Mendocino County and has been for years.

So why do I want the DEA to come in and wipe out the local economy? Because it's not just about Mendocino County with it's scattered rural population, or even northern California. It's about Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhone Island, Vermont,Washington and the millions of people who live in those states that have voted to enact medical marijuana laws.

Those people, currently, are placated because they've enacted medical marijuana laws and have developed a working relationship with local and state law enforcement. If the federal government and the DEA begin enforcing federal drug law, those people are no longer going to be placated.

A little revolution now and then is a good thing; the laws of man must be refreshed from time to time with the efforts of the unwashed masses and the infirm.

If the DEA enforced the laws, I believe the laws would change.

If the laws changed, the questionable element would largely be uninterested and eliminated.

Instead of spending millions to enforce existing law, the government could reap millions in tax revenues.

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