The Consequences of Abandoning Rule of Law: Oakland Pot Factory Farms

When President Obama promised not to enforce federal marijuana law in states where medical marijuana laws exist, he violated his oath of office and opened the door to widespread criminality. Now, there may be factory pot farms established in Oakland.  From the story:

Oakland could approve a plan Tuesday to set up four marijuana factory farms, a step that could usher in the era of Big Pot. The proposal is a testament to just how fast the marijuana counterculture is transforming into a corporate culture. And it has ignited a contentious debate in Oakland that could spread as cities face pressure to regulate marijuana cultivation and find ways to tax it. “Everybody knows it’s going bigger and big money is moving in,” said Dale Gieringer, an Oakland resident and prominent marijuana activist. As the state edges toward legalization, he said, more businessmen will seek to capitalize on a fast-growing market in a recession-hindered economy, forcing cities to make difficult choices on how to exert control.

Just what we need, a society funded by vice and the consequent dissipation of lives and community. Notice that they no longer even bother with the pretense that this is medical.

Cannabis clearly and unequivocally has medical qualities. When the Feds deny it by statute, that too opens the door to disrespect for law. Indeed, as I have repeatedly written, I support medical marijuana’s legalization via change of the Controlled Substances Act and then proper prescribing and dispensing.

But “Big Pot” isn’t about “our medicine,” but stoner desires. The last thing crime ridden and dysfunctional Oakland needs is pot factory farms.  But what else does one expect when the authorities abdicate their responsibilities and thereby undermine—both coming and going—the rule of law?