[420 Girl]

The Durango Herald - The agenda for Tuesday's meeting of the Durango City Council contains an interesting entry. Under the city manager's section is an item that reads, in part, "discussion and possible action concerning an emergency ordinance ... establishing a temporary moratorium on the issuance of business licenses for medical marijuana dispensaries."

The city of Durango is going to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Woodstock by freaking out over pot? We can stop short of quoting Cheech and Chong routines, but one does have to wonder exactly what crisis necessitates an emergency ordinance. Durango now has two medical marijuana dispensaries. Given that such enterprises are legal, it is unclear why that constitutes an issue, let alone an emergency.

True, the exact legal status of marijuana is muddled. It is banned under state law, except for medical purposes. That exception was specifically authorized by Colorado voters in 2000 and is now part of the state's Constitution.

It remains illegal under federal law. But while cracking down on distributors in states that allow medical marijuana was a priority of the George W. Bush administration, in February the Obama administration directed federal agencies to defer to state laws on the issue.

The result has been something of a medical marijuana boom. About 2,000 people had applied for Colorado's Medical Marijuana Registry by the start of this year. That number is now closer to 10,000. And the actual number of medical users is probably greater.

Not surprisingly, the number of dispensaries is growing, as well. An article about Colorado's "marijuana economy" in The Atlantic, says the number of legal dispensaries statewide is expected to double by the end of 2009. That would mean there would be 60 in a state with a population of almost 5 million. But, while the story's focus on what it calls "ganjapreneurship" is cute, 60 is hardly one on every corner. On average, that is not even one in every county.

So, why the panic? Confusion about the exact legal status of marijuana is a question for Congress and the courts. They can sort it out - or not - in their own good time. Local authorities need not concern themselves with discrepancies between state and federal laws. And until the voters say otherwise, under Colorado law, anyone with a doctor's note attesting to medical need is allowed marijuana.

Is that a good thing? Time will tell. Most of us would approve of almost anything that would ease the suffering of a cancer patient. Most of us would also rather not think that the guy driving the 18-wheeler headed our way was high because he got marijuana for his hangnail.

But there is no reason to think doctors would be so cavalier. Not only do they have too much to lose, but the treatment of conditions such as multiple sclerosis is hardly the type of thing that attracts harebrained people.

Besides, why would anyone not actually ill bother with the legal procedure? It is not as if medical marijuana dispensaries are introducing a new product - or one that cannot already be found in every town, college dorm or high school in the country. Legal dispensaries are meant to help precisely the kind of people who do not know dope dealers. Anyone else who wants pot probably already knows where to get it.

There is also no demonstrated connection between medical and recreational use of marijuana. California's attorney general found that in the 10 years after that state legalized medical marijuana, pot smoking among teens there declined faster than the national rate.

So, why not sit back and let this unfold? The police should keep an eye on things, of course, but that can be limited to observation. Do these shops serve a few customers a day, or is the line around the block? Are the buyers emaciated seniors and people with canes or Grateful Dead fans with the munchies?

It is not clear that Durango can support two legal dispensaries, let alone that the city will face a flood of new applications. Until more is known, the City Council has better things to do than solve problems that do not exist and probably never will.

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