[420 Girl]

There is an insane bill making its way through Congress that is worthy of a 1950s health-class scare film. It takes on the mythical "candy-flavored meth" menace. Last week, a change was made to the bill that offers a bit of protection to legal medical-marijuana dispensers, but still leaves them vulnerable to prosecution.

The bill, called The Saving Kids From Dangerous Drugs Act, was written by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). It is aimed at unknown people who supposedly "target our children by peddling candy-flavored drugs," Feinstein is quoted as saying. It would double the federal sentences of drug dealers who mix their product with candy.

Because while selling *************** to kids is bad and all, selling them candy-flavored *************** is truly evil.

Initially, the bill targeted sale of controlled substances that are "combined with a candy product," "marketed or packaged to appear similar to a candy product," or "modified by flavoring or coloring the controlled substance with the intent to distribute, dispense, or sell the controlled substance to a person under 21 years of age." Products that meet all of those descriptions are routinely sold by medical-pot dispensaries. The language of the bill was changed from "…or sell the controlled substance to a person under 21 years of age to "…and sell…"So if a medical-marijuana dispensary sells pot lozenges to a 20-year-old cancer patient, the owner could face serious jail time.

"This change reduces but does not eliminate the threat to medical marijuana sellers, since some of the patients they supply are younger than 21 and it is unclear how intent would be proven," notes Jacob Sullum of Reason, who goes on to ridicule the intent of the bill as "absurdly disconnected from reality." "In the world imagined by Feinstein and Grassley," he continues, "kids do not use drugs because it feels good; they use drugs because it tastes good. Furthermore, they are so repelled by the very notion of using drugs that they have to be tricked into trying them by candy camouflage, after which they are irretrievably hooked and keep coming back for more."

Sullum provides several links to Reason's examination of whether candy-flavored meth is really a problem. In short, it isn't. The bill reportedly hit the Senate floor for debate today.


NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Big Money
Author: Dan Mitchell
Contact: The Big Money
Copyright: 2010 WashingtonPost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC
Website: Selling Pot Losenges to a 20 Year Old Could Soon Be Illegal


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