Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) issues CYA on marijuana legalization statements

THIS IS YOUR GOVERNMENT: Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) on CNN’s American Morning, March 12, 2009 (video):

MARCIANO: Let’s talk about the larger issue here, which is drug, drug dependency, drug addiction. I want to get to this quickly. The economist this week, of all things, argues that legalizing drugs would diminish this gang violence and addiction. Here’s what it said, briefly. “Legalization would not only drive away the gangsters, it would transform drugs from a law and order problem into a public health problem which is how they ought to be treated. Government would tax and regulate the drug trade and then use funds raised in a billion save on law enforcement to educate the public about the risk of drug taking and treatment of addiction. What do you think? I mean, should we legalize drugs?

SANCHEZ: Well, certainly there is one drug — it’s called alcohol — that we prohibited in the United States and had such a problem with as far as underground economy and cartels of that sort that we ended up actually regulating it and taxing it. And so, there has always been this thought that maybe if we do that with drugs, it would lower the profits in it and make some of this go away.

MARCIANO: Is that realistic, or is this a political hand grenade?

SANCHEZ: Well, certainly I have seen in my own state in California people over and over voting in a big majority the whole issue of marijuana and possession of that. So, we haven’t unfortunately been able to see if maybe that particular drug, what the effects of that would be, because of course the federal law says no while the state law says, yes, let’s regulate it. Let’s allow people to carry it, et cetera. So, maybe it would be a good pilot program to see how that regulation of marijuana might happen in California since the populace, the majority of Californians believe maybe that should happen.

THIS IS YOUR GOVERNMENT ON LAW-ENFORCEMENT LOBBYISTS: Email received by NORML from the press assistant of Rep. Loretta Sanchez, this afternoon:

My name is Caroline Hogan and I am the new press assistant in the office of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. I just wanted to touch base and clarify the Congresswoman’s position on drug legalization, which has been somewhat misconstrued in recent media reports.

As Vice Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Sanchez’s number-one concern is keeping American citizens safe. Securing the Southwest border against human trafficking, the smuggling of weapons and drugs, and drug cartel violence, are particularly important challenges that will require innovative and strategic solutions.  And the best way to achieve a solution to our border crisis is to explore and debate the merits of all available options.  Rep. Sanchez’s comments were not intended to be interpreted as an endorsement of any form of drug legalization.

The Congresswoman’s strategy for combating drug cartel violence involves a three-pronged approach of (1) implementing appropriate border security measures (including more outbound border searches and rigorous police training); (2) strengthening legitimate trade and commerce between the U.S. and Mexico; and (3) investing in Mexico’s economic development, so impoverished individuals are less likely to be coerced or intimidated into the drug trade by Mexican cartels. These measures have the support of border security and law enforcement officials, and-where implemented-have created positive results.

So we’ve gone from “prohibition was such a problem we ended up taxing and regulating it” and “maybe it would be a good pilot program to see how the regulation of marijuana might happen in California” to “no endorsement of drug legalization” and “more law enforcement” in just eight weeks.  Is that California Correctional Police Officers Association an effective and powerful lobby, or what?