Drug-Law Enforcement Organized by Police

The mafias behind the current tsunami of killings -- more than 6,000 last year -- are a product of the extraordinary black-market profits that drug prohibition generates. And because 60% of the profits earned by Mexican traffickers come from marijuana sales, legalization in both Mexico and the U.S. would deliver a potentially debilitating blow to these powerful gangs.

Unfortunately, the Mexican public remains overwhelmingly opposed to marijuana legalization, with only 14% in favor, according to a February poll by Parametria, a public opinion research firm based in Mexico City. According to CBS News, by contrast, nearly 40% of Americans say they would favor legalization if the drug could be taxed and proceeds used to fund state budgets. Given those numbers, it is hardly surprising that many Mexican legislators chose not to attend last month's forum. Indeed, full legalization apparently had few supporters at the forum in April. Instead, many delegates backed half-measures, such as the formal decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Such measures, though a significant departure from the past, nevertheless promise to do very little to alleviate Mexico's current crisis of violence. Although decriminalization would free up law enforcement to concentrate on trafficking, this would merely exacerbate the fundamental paradox at the heart of drug policy -- that by raising prices, law enforcement increases the economic incentive to traffic in drugs.

State Sen. William R. Haine (D-Alton), sponsor of The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act, told the Huffington Post he plans to bring his bill to a floor vote this week, though observers said its chances of passing both the Senate and the House are slim.

"This is not a bill legalizing all marijuana use. This is not a stealth bill legalizing use," Haine said. "This is a bill that restricts use to those who are suffering or dying."

State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock) said that he doesn't 'want to see anyone needlessly suffer," but that the bill's chances aren't good.

"I really don't think it will pass the House," Franks said.

"I think we want to look at all that," the governor said. "Just because of raising revenues, we have to be very careful not to make mistakes at the same time."

Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear later said the governor was drawing on his conversations with officials in Europe, including a police officer in his hometown of Graz, Austria.

"He's talked to some folks over in Europe," McLear said. "It hasn't worked out so well for them."

Ammiano spokesman Quintin Mecke said he is unaware of any negative consequences from taxing marijuana. He cited studies that show treating the drug as a regulated commodity reduced consumption among young users.

Already 13 states have legalized medical marijuana; bills are also under consideration New York, New Hampshire, Michigan and Illinois. People have begun to understand that marijuana can ease the symptoms and suffering of patients who are diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, and multiple sclerosis. For patients for whom traditional medicine has not helped, medical marijuana may offer hope for relief from pain, nausea, loss of appetite and wasting. A 1999 Institute of Medicine study confirmed the effectiveness of medical marijuana in relieving such symptoms.

Legislative endorsement of medical marijuana lags behind professional opinion. Public officials don't want to seem "soft on drugs." But the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Public Health Association, the American Nurses Association and the American Bar Association have all advocated allowing patients access to medical marijuana. Dozens of state and national polls have indicated overwhelming public support for medical marijuana. Acceptance of legalization for medical purposes has risen over time as the public has learned more about the issue.

Mexico has continued to be tough on marijuana, even in the face of softening U.S. attitudes toward the drug. The last time widespread sentiment for marijuana policy reform emerged in the U.S., it was Mexico that leveled some of the harshest criticism against the trend. "We don't accept that marijuana is less important than heroin," Mexican Atty. Gen. Pedro Ojeda Paullada declared in 1974.

A few years later, a scandal over use of the herbicide paraquat on Mexican marijuana fields produced a similar response from Ojeda's successor, Oscar Flores Sanchez. Paraquat spraying, which often failed to completely destroy the targeted crops, led to the sale of poison-soaked pot to unknowing consumers in both countries.

Obama pointed, that the war on drugs has been an utter failure. Despite various harm reduction programs, drug abuse continues to stand its high ground, even though the United States, with less than 5 percent of the world's population commits to prison almost 25 percent of the world's inmate population. One of Obama's most fraught with meaning achievements is the release from jail to therapeutics and rehabilitation.