Is Medical Marijuana Getting Into the Wrong Hands?

Proponents of medical marijuana fought hard to get it legalized here not so long ago. Their goal is to allow people who are in pain to get relief by smoking marijuana instead of taking pain medications, which they correctly assess as often being more dangerous than the marijuana itself. Oxycodone and Percocet have led too many people to be addicted, and added to the horrific problem of illegal sales of prescription drugs.

Now that it is legal in Colorado and over a dozen other states, there have been questions as to who may grow it, who may distribute it, and now there is a question as to where the medical marijuana clinic may be located.

U.S. Attorney John Walsh stated on January 19, 2012 that he is going to order 23 dispensaries to close because they are located within 1,000 feet of school buildings. He cites the statistic that the number of students who were expelled from school for drug usage rose from 535 back in the 2008-2009 school year to 767 in the 2010-2011 school year.

Furthermore, a report from the Denver Health drug-treatment doctor named Christan Thurstone stated that out of 80 kids that had been admitted for substance-abuse treatment, almost 50% reported receiving marijuana from a person who possessed a medical-marijuana license in Colorado.

With these facts in mind, Walsh has concluded that the medical marijuana establishment is having a detrimental effect on the kids in Colorado.

Walsh believes that it is important to protect the federal interests, which he sees as taking precedence over the local law. He cannot change the law, nor make the dispensaries go away entirely. But, he stated, "One of those interests, without question, is protecting drug-free zones around schools."

The 23 are being told to close down by February 27, 2012 or else face criminal prosecution or seizure of assets. In addition, Walsh said that there may be other dispensaries that are within 1,000 feet of schools as well as cultivation operations. If so, they also will be ordered to close down.

Advocates of medical marijuana view this as interference and overreaching and do not think that Walsh and the federal government have the right to do this. It’s going to end up being a discussion on states’ rights vs. federal government’s rights, and neither side is likely to back down.

It would be no surprise, though, if the 23+ dispensaries just get out their maps and find a new location that is 1,001 feet away from the schools. One could wish that would make a big difference.