Arcata Eye :: The mildly objectionable weekly newspaper for Arcata, California (pagesetter)
On Tuesday, July 15, Arcata hosted Scott Burns, deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, who is the Bush Administration’s second-in-command for drug regulation. After participating in marijuana raids in Eureka and points south and meeting with county officials, Burns traveled to what has apparently come to be known as America’s grow house capitol, the City of Arcata.In [an] interview, Burns adamantly dismissed any notion of medical usefulness of marijuana, saying that dosages are unregulated, smoking is an irresponsible delivery system and that suitable substitutes for medical cannabis exist in the form of FDA-approved medications. Legalization, Burns said, would immediately lead to even more widespread use. He said today’s marijuana fundamentally alters human brain structure and leads to addiction and ruined lives.
Burns said grow houses, including home gardens maintained by purported Prop 215 patients, are used to supply dispensaries, which the federal government views as criminal enterprises. In fact, two of the four existing Arcata dispensaries have admitted buying from residential Prop 215 grows.
He said owners of dispensaries risk “losing their property” via asset forfeiture, which, he said, “I predict will happen soon.”
City Manager Michael Hackett said that the City hadn’t called the meeting with Burns, but that City officials and others were happy to share their views. “Everyone that spoke made the statement loud and clear that this community supports compassionate use, but that in some cases it has gotten out of hand,” Hackett said.
The Burns interview airs on KHSU 90.5 FM this Friday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. after the Home Page, and will stream online at khsu.org.
The transcript of Deputy Drug Czar Burns’ interview will be online tomorrow, and should, no doubt, earn him a spot in my Reefer Madness segment.
I’m always amused at the prohibitionists who are alarmed at the grow house industry. They point to dispensaries and say, “See, look what medical marijuana has done, it’s moved criminal drug manufacturing to the suburbs!” No, prohibition is what forces people to grow marijuana in suburban houses, where it is out of sight from marauding law enforcement. Most people would love to grow big outdoor marijuana gardens, but you guys keep ripping them up!
This is why marijuana must be legalized for all people, Until it is, medical users or marijuana will continue to suffer from the intended and unintended consequences of law enforcement crackdowns on social users of marijuana.
No, you don’t owe me any apologies at all. And I kind of disagree – I thought my questions were somewhat fragmented, and there were threads I didn’t pick up on.
I’m happy to talk any time. Just e-mail me at the paper and we can set it up: news@arcataeye.com
Also, I just posted some thoughts on a local blog, in part similar to what I said on yours:
http://kymk.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/the-arcata-eye-provides-a-scary-look-at-federal-views-on-marijuana/
Kevin
Kevin, I’ve just read the full interview and I owe you an apology. Your questioning was brilliant. I would very much like to have you on as a guest on the Daily Audio Stash.
Check out the interview when it airs and after that, if we’re still on speaking terms, I’m always happy to talk to anyone.
Very well stated, Kevin, and I appreciate your input. If you would like to discuss this on tomorrow’s podcast, I would be glad to call you for a telephone interview. You can email me at stash@norml.org.
“but they also seemed very welcoming to the deputy in charge of marijuana prohibition, the very policy that is creating criminal grow house enterprises.”
Imagine for a moment that you’re the mayor of Arcata, or the city manager, police chief, a Humboldt State University vice president or even the newspaper editor (which I am).
You’re dealing with all of the problems the prohibition has caused, and the second-in-command for drugs for the entire freaking country announces that he’s coming to town. You know two things: 1. That you have been elected or appointed to represent the citizens, students or in my case, to provide readers with all the information you can get. 2. That federal, state and local law are in conflict and you’re trying to reconcile them all.
So what do you do? Refuse to see him? What, really, is in the best interests of the people/students/readers?
The City chose to interact with this man. So did HSU, and so did I.
You’ll note in my story that the city manager and others made clear to Mr. Bush’s representative that despite all the problems and fraud associated with it, Arcata will not back down in supporting Prop 215. I took it further, as you’ll hear/read in the actual interview tomorrow, and pointed out that the prohibition is at the root of all the strife.
So, those were our choices, Snub the deputy czar or make clear our support for 215 and legalization.
Another point:
“But if cities like Arcata would recognize that prohibition is the root of all this evil and work together to end it, there could be legal and regulated industrial facilities. Outside of residential neighborhoods.”
That’s not an “if.” Almost everyone in Arcata recognizes that, from bums on the train tracks to the super-cool 86-year-old ladies that call me to burn up my telephone with why the hell isn’t pot legal?
I maintain that talking to Burns was the right decision. I will be interested to hear what you who spend more time on this subject than I do think of the interview.
Kevin
Right, and you’ve eloquently outlined the problems with marijuana prohibition. The people of Arcata were clear that they supported compassionate use, according to the article, but they also seemed very welcoming to the deputy in charge of marijuana prohibition, the very policy that is creating criminal grow house enterprises.
So long as the people continue to support the ludicrous idea that the cancer survivor with a joint is a “patient” but the healthy person with a joint is a “criminal”, then you’ll continue to get criminals taking advantage of the patients.
But if cities like Arcata would recognize that prohibition is the root of all this evil and work together to end it, there could be legal and regulated industrial facilities. Outside of residential neighborhoods.
“I’m always amused at the prohibitionists who are alarmed at the grow house industry.”
Maybe that needs explanation. I, and most others in Arcata, ardently support Prop 215. We wish cannabis was legalized.
What I and others oppose is the conversion of residential homes in neighborhoods to industrial facilities. These houses almost invariably have loaded shotguns, pit bulls, big piles of cash, they often have other drugs present and lots of people coming and going who don’t participate in the neighborhood. There are cars and trucks arriving and leaving at all hours, etc.
We have had fires and home invasion robberies. These houses use up to 50 times as much energy as normal homes. Students in our town have nowhere to live, and families are priced out since growers can pay cash at $40,000 over list.
But maybe most pernicious, the for-profit grow houses discredit Prop 215. they hide behind it and make money off it.
That’s the problem we are facing in Arcata.