DEA officials believe many illegal cartels and international crime syndicates are now providing marijuana to the medicinal dispensaries.
booie
syndicates are now providing marijuana to the medicinal dispensaries.
Is our medicinal marijuana helping cartels profit?
October 21, 4:02 PM Jefferson County Conservative Examiner Michael
Schaus
The problem with partially legalizing marijuana is that it creates a
legal leg for illegal operations to stand on. In Denver and in
Colorado demand for medical marijuana has grown so fast in the past
few months that few legal sources of the drug are incapable of
producing an adequate supply. DEA officials believe many illegal
cartels and international crime syndicates are now providing marijuana
to the medicinal dispensaries.
"Dispensaries are popping up like mushrooms," said DEA special agent-
in-charge Jeffrey Sweetin, according to the Denver Post. "Now we have
thousands of 20- to 25-year-olds carrying cards. And the cartels are
getting rich off this law." And such is the danger of only giving
partial exemption to an otherwise illegal activity. Libertarians and
liberals alike support the move to legalize the drug, while
conservatives often move to delegitimize it as much as possible. In
reality, there is little room for a middle of the road solution.
While many conservatives admit they do not mind the idea of legalized,
and regulated, controlled substances such as alcohol, the notion of
providing illegal drug cartels with a loophole seems counterintuitive
to the preservation of peace. A recent bi-national task force has
announced that America’s second amendment rights may be responsible
for the cartel violence on the US-Mexican border; but no word yet on
how much of America’s insatiable appetite for drugs has contributed to
the cartel’s success and accumulation of power.
To add to the difficulties drug enforcement officers face, is the fact
that the number of legal dispensaries in Colorado are not tracked by
the department of health or any other entity. Also, the number of pot
plants a legal supplier can grow is limited to six. By contrast DEA
officials recently busted a massive outdoor growth of over 14,000
plants near Chatfield reservoir. The quasi-legality of marijuana seems
only to have equipped criminals with a more liquid and camouflage
market.
"Supply (of marijuana) is not directly addressed in (state law), and
we think it's one of the areas that could lead to criminal elements
being involved," said Longmont city attorney Eugene Mei. And he is
right. DEA officials have a difficult time investigating dispensaries
that are in state compliance, and therefore have a difficult time
determining the contribution of illegal suppliers.
Moreover, the quasi-legalization of marijuana in Colorado has spawned
a front for otherwise illegitimate cartels to conduct business at
greater profits. A case can certainly be made for legalization of pot,
but the contribution to violent gangs and dealers should be more
heavily considered in the argument. After prohibition the government
did not exactly allow random and unrestricted access, distribution or
production of liquor. Such a nonsensical move would have only enriched
the likes of Al Capone. It was restricted and regulated to ensure
criminals were not capable of controlling the market. To learn from
history it should be noted that while total prohibition routinely
fails to produce the desired outcome, so does apathy toward the crimes
committed.
While conservatives are labeled as drug hating, morally suppressed,
individuals; it should be noted that it is not the concept of free
trade or free choice that is at the heart of the legalized marijuana
argument. Conservatives are not the new temperance movement; but they
certainly are not anarchists either. Rather, it is the attempts from
the left to legitimize an illegal activity that upsets the
conservative movement so much. Consider for a moment the law passed a
few years ago that legalized (or de-criminalized) up to an ounce of
marijuana in Denver. Without proper orders from a doctor it is illegal
to grow, sell, purchase or smoke an ounce of pot. But in Denver, if an
ounce magically appeared in your pocket and you intended to do nothing
with it, you would theoretically not be charged. This sort of apathy
for the crimes involved is what undermines attempts at limiting the
profits and influence of the drug cartels.
Perhaps marijuana should be legal; if we were to treat it like
cigarettes with the appropriate warnings and restrictions, and treat
it like alcohol with the respective limitations. (i.e.: no driving and
smoking, no distributing to minors etc. etc.) Such legalization would
not run contrary to the conservative ideology of free choice and
trade. But the current system of quasi-legalization only impairs the
DEA’s ability to adequately gain control of the violent and illegal
suppliers on the black market.
Steps recently taken to legitimize, not legalize, the drug have
greatly increased the violence and activity of illegal producers.
Partial legalization seems to be more of a way to enrich the criminals
than providing citizens with more freedoms.
Joker
The idea that "partial legalization" is to blame for drug cartels
increased profits and violence is nonsense. Prohibition is the
culprit, whether it's partial or complete.
JimK
<ba_ba...@webtv.net> wrote:
>
>"Dispensaries are popping up like mushrooms," said DEA special agent-
>in-charge Jeffrey Sweetin, according to the Denver Post.
I'm not sure this was the best analogy for a DEA agent to use.
JimK
3jane.
> Joker wrote:
>
> >The idea that "partial legalization" is to blame for drug cartels
> >increased profits and violence is nonsense. Prohibition is the
> >culprit, whether it's partial or complete.
>
> price downward and take out the exhorbitant profits.
Do I detect a hint of desperation in the DEA's take on this? They're
justifiably afraid that the fact they can't bust every reefer dealer
in town anymore means they are on the road to being marginalized and
allah willing, I bet they're right. They're worried they might have
to get real jobs that make a positive contribution to society and I
don't blame them. Maybe they can all join the army and go increase
opium production in Afghanistan.
booie
> A guy with a stereo and a bong is not a threat. A meth cook most of
> the time is a threat.
bbb writes:
LOL, That is so true.
A guy with a stereo and a bong is to funny.
thanks for the laugh : )
booie......
Brad Greer
I didn't know there were states that allowed medical mushrooms.