Federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents raided 10 medical marijuana clinics in Los Angles County this week. Yes, that’s right, medical marijuana clinics. Those of you who’ve spent time with me in class know that California is quite different from the rest of the U.S.
In 1996 voters in California approved the “Compassionate Use Act” that allowed use of medical marijuana and said users should not be subject to criminal prosecution. We’re not alone: 19 other states have decriminalized marijuana, approved it’s medicinal use or both (see map and info). However, it remains illegal under federal law to possess, sell or cultivate marijuana and neither the federal nor state courts have resolved the matter.
This is a classic example of federal versus state power in the United States. Whether or not you believe in legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes, the bigger question is who takes precedence. Most laws that regulate our daily lives in the US are made at the state level–from speed limits to alcohol regulation. The controversial subject of gay marriage will most likely be settled at the state level (Massachusetts, for example, allows it). People who strongly oppose it want a constitutional ban on gay marriage to prevent states from passing their own laws. What I find ironic is that the people who oppose progressive laws such as allowing medicinal marijuana use and gay marriage tend to be Republican. And the Republicans supposedly support a small and limited federal government that stays out of the private lives of citizens.
Some extra vocabulary and facts on this subject:
- slang for marijuana: pot, weed, grass, bud, more slang at marijuanadictionary.com
- 40.1% of the US population aged 12+ as tried marijuana at least once
- According to a study by drugscience.org, Marijuana is the biggest cash crop in the US.
- White House Drug Policy website
You can read more about this in today’s LA Times.