Rethinking marijuana

By now, it's no secret that various groups have put forth ballot measures this election year to completely legalize the drug, which until now has only been legal as medicine. But that current qualified legality has led to mass confusion across the state, and a number of legal conundrums that threaten public safety in a number of ways.

For starters, it's obvious that much of what is grown in California under the banner of Proposition 215 is instead channeled into the black market, where it's turned to cash. Add to that the rash of home invasion robberies in this area and others in recent years, and it's clear that something needs to change in regards to medical marijuana regulation.

The need for change becomes even more acute when one analyzes how the rules and regulations surrounding medical marijuana are different from one locale to the next, depending in part on the local residents' attitudes and those of local law enforcement.

Each and every time the state appears to have settled the issue -- such as when the state Attorney General's Office issued statewide guidelines -- something comes along to once again mercilessly complicate matters. The recent state Supreme Court decision on how medical marijuana can be regulated is a perfect example.

We believe that the time has come to throw out the concept of medical marijuana, and consider complete legalization. Doing so would allow us all to take a big step back and figure out the best way to regulate and tax the drug, while sucking the life out of black marketeers, who have dominated its propagation for many years.

Legalization would also reduce costs to government by doing away with useless prosecutions and freeing up space in state prisons, and could, in fact, become a significant revenue generator for state coffers at a time when Sacramento is otherwise tightening its belt.

We don't believe this is a move that should be made in a rash manner, without due consideration to all the possible consequences, but it's clear that a rational cost-benefit analysis of marijuana legalization would, in all likelihood, tilt toward repealing the drug's prohibition.

It's a drug that's been around for centuries, one that's clearly no more detrimental to health or society in the long run than alcohol. And if the goal of prohibition is to eradicate the use of a substance, it's also clear that with marijuana, the ban isn't working.

Let's rethink the issue. The time has come.