Vox

Musings, rants, rambling, general nonsense

Duuuude

Posted on | August 10, 2012 | No Comments

I don’t personally understand the fascination with marijuana. The only thing that seems more ridiculous than smoking it is claiming you are doing so for any health benefits. Though there have been studies with varying degrees of legitmate scholarship claiming varying degrees of medicinal effect from THC, if the “sick” wanted only the health benefits, there are more effective delivery methods that avoid the “side effects” (like lung issues & getting high).

If you want marijuana legalized, work for that – don’t muddy the waters with sham claims ripe for abuse.

However, the voters of Arizona were given the choice in 2010 and decided to vote FOR legalized medical marijuana*. Therefore, as it now stands, medical marijuana is legal – no matter how questionable a person’s claim may be.

Enter Maricopa County attorney Bill Montgomery who has dug in his heels on the matter and is determined to prosecute those who grow and/or sell marijuana – medical or otherwise. His justification: Federal drug laws.

It seems counter-productive for a state that is fighting to maintain sovereignty against federal overreach to look to D.C. as an out against a state law. Put it back to a vote if you think the law is too broad. Ask the legislature or the courts to further clarify what counts as legitimate “medical” use (c’mon, you don’t all have ‘chronic pain’).

But don’t, for the love of the Founding Fathers, cede to the central government power we do not wish them to have.

 

* This is an illustration of why I hate the so-called “direct democracy” of ballot propositions. That is not the way our system of government was designed, and it is used against an uninformed electorate to suit the desires of anyone with marketing acumen.



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Category: AZ, Law, politics

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