Lawmakers, DEA official wrangle over legal pot
WASHINGTON—The growing national debate over legalizing marijuana made its way to a congressional hearing Tuesday as lawmakers sparred over what role the government should take in reconciling divergent state and federal laws on the issue.
The House Government Operations Subcommittee hearing was convened by the Republican chairman to address inconsistencies in federal law enforcement efforts and what he called “mixed signals” sent by the Obama administration in the wake of legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington.
But several Democratic representatives quickly seized control of the hearing and used it to grill Drug Enforcement Administration Deputy Administrator Thomas Harrigan on his agency’s policies, calling his approach on marijuana outdated.
“You haven’t kept up with society,” said Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., citing a January CNN/Opinion Research poll that found a majority of Americans are now in favor of legalization. “You haven’t kept up with science.”
Harrigan defended his opposition to legalizing marijuana and spoke against reclassifying the drug, which is currently listed as a Schedule 1 controlled substance along with heroin and Ecstasy.
“Marijuana is dangerous,” he said. It “destroys families, undermines our economy and insults our common values.”
The push to relax marijuana laws has accelerated in recent years. Since California first moved to allow medical marijuana in 1996, 19 other states and the District of Columbia have passed similar laws. A Seattle Seahawks fan smokes marijuana before watching his team play in the Super Bowl last month.
Georgia bill OK’d
ATLANTA — A Georgia measure that would legalize use of a liquid, nonintoxicating form of marijuana for patients with severe seizure disorders has been passed by the state House of Representatives with wide support. The bill, which would limit availability of medical marijuana to a handful of research facilities, now goes to the state Senate.
In response to November 2012 ballot initiatives, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize marijuana for recreational use. This directly contradicted the 1970 Controlled Substances Act and raised a host of issues for federal authorities who regularly cooperate with local law enforcement agencies to track down and prosecute drug traffickers.
“Their policies create some ambiguities about the true state of federal law,” said Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., the subcommittee chairman. He said the differences express a “pretty foggy, hazy, almost marijuana-induced haze.”
The Obama administration has greeted the state initiatives with a degree of tolerance, signaling it would not strictly enforce federal drug prohibitions against marijuana in states that have legalized it for recreational use. In February, the Treasury Department issued guidelines for banks dealing with money from marijuana dispensaries that are illegal under federal law, but allowed in their state.
But such guidelines have not changed the priorities of the DEA, Harrigan said.
“Today there has been little effect or impact on DEA’s operation,” he said, adding the agency remains focused on preventing drug trafficking, marijuana distribution to minors and drug-related violence. He warned that the new Treasury Department guidelines might be exploited by foreign drug traffickers.
Cohen asked Harrigan to cite a case of marijuana abuse-related death, which Harrigan said he could not.
Following in the footsteps of Colorado and Washington, Alaska will include a ballot measure to legalize marijuana in this year’s primary election, while activists in Oregon and California are circulating petitions to add similar ballot measures.