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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2010


KLMNO Mexico wary as Calif. votes on legalizing marijuana marijuana from A1


ing to the polls, the vote is tight. Weary of spectacular violence


and destabilizing corruption stoked by the prohibition against pot, some ofMexico’smost promi- nent figures are wondering aloud what legalization would do on their side of the drugwar. Vicente Fox, the former presi-


dent of Mexico, a rancher and a free-market conservative, said last month that cannabis should be legal in his country. “The sales could be taxed,with high taxes, as we do with tobacco, to be used to fight addiction and reduce con- sumption,” he said. Marijuana smuggling and sales


represent a roughly $10 billion business forMexico’sdrugmafias, which earn up to 60 percent of their profits from pot, according toU.S. estimates. Fox said legalizing marijuana


and other drugs “will allow us to hit and break apart the economic structure that allows thedrugma- fias to generate huge profits — profits they use to corrupt and increase their power.” Calderon, a center-right politi-


cian,devoutCatholicandfatherof three young children who has staked his presidency on his fight against organized crime, hosted three days of nationally televised meetings last month to debate “the pros and cons” of legaliza- tion. “It is worth asking if it still


makes any sense to maintain our prohibition against marijuana in Mexico when the United States is taking gradual steps towardlegal- ization?” asked Jose Luis Astorga, one of Mexico’s most prominent scholars of drug policy. “Why are we spending our resources on this?”


Legal-pot predictions U.S. voters have already passed


measures allowing the medicinal use ofmarijuana in theDistrict of Columbia and 14 states, including Maryland. Proposition 19 would legalize the drug for all adults in California over 21. The nonpartisan voter guide


writtenbytheCaliforniasecretary of state concludes that a commer- cialmarijuanaindustrycouldpro- duce “hundreds ofmillions ofdol- lars annually” in newtaxes. Proposition 19 allows local gov-


ernments to adopt ordinances re- garding commercial marijuana activities—including cultivation, processing, distribution, trans- portation and retail sales. For ex- ample, local governments could licenseestablishments tosellmar- ijuana and allowcustomers to get high on the premises. Oakland’s CityCouncilhasalreadyapproved giant indoor marijuana farms as large as two football fields. But no one knows whether le-


galization in California would hurt or help Mexico. Bringing marijuana into California from Mexico would remain illegal un- der federal law. Still, U.S. and Mexican law en-


forcement officials worry that le- galization in California could stoke greater demand that would bemet byMexican cartels. TheMexicanmilitary, working


with U.S. agents and intelligence, chops and burns thousands of tonsofpot eachyear inthe rugged mountains of the “golden trian- gle” in Chihuahua, Sinaloa and Durango. Mexico’s marijuana- eradicationprogramis the largest in the world, according to the UnitedNations. Advocates of legalization in the


United States and Mexico argue that California’s Proposition 19 would actually hurt the drug car- tels. Given California’s agricultural


expertise and fertile soils, these advocates say, domestic marijua- na yields would soar. A study re- leased in July by the Rand Corp. predicted that the price could crash by asmuch as 80 percent, a step that could carry with it the potential todisplaceMexicansup- plies and deal a major financial blowto theMexican syndicates. “The cartels’ power would be


greatly reduced,” said John Kirby, a former assistantU.S. attorney in San Diego who has prosecuted cross-border drug cases. “For them, marijuana is an easy crop that provides a daily infusion of cash.All of thatwould be gone.” Much of the Mexican marijua-


na that reaches U.S. consumers today is a lower-quality, relatively inexpensive product raised on large mountain plantations with little husbandry. At harvest time, it is hacked up, dried and pack- aged into shrink-wrapped bricks that weigh 30 or 40 pounds and can be smuggled over the border on foot or be stashed in vehicles. In contrast, the meticulously


tended, genetically refined, ultra- potentmarijuana typically sold in California dispensaries for $20 to $40 a gram is a cartel-free local product, EugeneDavidovich said. HisSanDiegodispensary, theBest BudsCollective,acquires itswares only from known providers, not


Mexican smugglers, he said.


Made in the U.S.A. “If someone comes in off the


street, it doesn’t matter what the price is — we won’t buy it,” said Davidovich, whose by-the-books operation nevertheless offers medications such as Trainwreck Hash, pot-laced arthritis balm, and jars of crystallized super-can- nabiswith names such asAfghani Goo.


As much as half of the U.S.


marijuana supply isnowdomesti- cally produced, according toDrug EnforcementAdministrationesti- mates, and the homegrown trend has already cut into the earnings ofMexican cartels. The criminals have responded by setting up in- door operations in the United States or large outdoor plots on public lands. In California,medicalmarijua- na has become a fig leaf for those


who want to legally smoke pot.At one SanDiego area doctor’s office next to a driving school and a Christian youth center, walk-in patients can fill out a question- naire,undergo a four-minute con- sultation with a physician, and purchase a medical marijuana certificatewith a “420” identifica- tion card granting themaccess to the state’s dispensaries. Gil Kerlikowske, chief of the White House’s Office of National


EZ RE


The Nation A13


Drug Control Policy, hasstressed that the Obama administration is opposed to the California mea- sure. The White House drug czar traveledtoMexicoCity lastmonth to counter calls in Mexico for le- galizationandtoshowsupport for Mexico’s fight against the cartels. But in the United States, the


Obama administration has large- ly taken a hands-off approach to state and local efforts to ease can- nabis laws, saying it would not pursue licensedmedicalmarijua- na users. InMexico, the governors of the


states thatgrowthemostmarijua- naandfacethemostdrugviolence


have warned that no solution is possible unless Mexico and the UnitedStates adopt a single, coor- dinated approach to drug use and drug trafficking, and Mexico’s president has made clear that he agrees. “If there is not an international


approach, Mexico will pay the costs and will get none of the benefits,” Calderon said in a re- cent debate. “The price of drugs is not determined by Mexico. The price of drugs is determined by the consumers in Los Angeles, NewYork andChicago.” miroffn@washpost.com boothb@washpost.com


SHOP 9AM-1OPM FRIDAY &9AM-11PMSATURDAYHOURS MAYVARYBYSTORE VISITMACYS.COMANDCLICKONSTORES FORLOCAL INFORMATION.


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SALEPRICESINEFFECT 9/10&9/11/10,EXCEPTASNOTED. Special purchaseitems availablewhilesupplies last.Mattresses carrymanufacturers’ warranties;toobtainawarrantybeforepurchasing, visitastore or write:Macy’s Warranty Dept., P.O. Box1026,MarylandHeights,MO63043,Attn: ConsumerWarranties.Mattressphoto is for illustrationonly. Selectionofadvertisedmodelsmay vary by store. Prices andmerchandisemaydiffer at macys.com. FOR MATTRESS DEPARTMENT LOCATIONS, USE THE ONLINE STORE LOCATOR AT MACYS.COM 6080092


†INTEREST CHARGES accrue on the promotional balance from the transaction date and all accrued INTEREST CHARGES for the entire promotional period will be added to your account if the promotional balance is not paid in full by the end of the promotional period or if you fail to make a required payment on your account when due. Minimummonthly payments of the greater of $25.00 or 3.25%of your promotional balance (which calculation is rounded up to the nearest dollar) are required plus any minimumpayment otherwise due. Making the minimummonthly payment will not pay off your promotional balance in time to avoid INTEREST CHARGES. See belowfor details.††


††NO INTEREST FOR ONE YEAR IF PAID IN FULL BY PROMOTION EXPIRATION DATE. Requires a minimumpurchase of $999 in the mattress department charged to your Macy’s card. Subject to credit approval. INTEREST CHARGE will be determined by applying an ANNUAL PERCENTAGE RATE (“APR”) of up to 26.99% (but if your account has a variable APR, a variable APR of 24.50%as of September 2010) to the account’s Average Daily Balance with a minimummonthly INTEREST CHARGE of $2.00. The variable APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. Deferred offer good 9/10 & 9/11/2010. See Credit Card Agreement for additional details.


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