The local sheriff in Mendocino County, California earlier this year ended his department’s official monitoring of local marijuana growers. Observers of the debate over medical marijuana, or MMJ, predict that the move will have an impact beyond the states borders.
Mendocino Country was the first locale in the nation to provide official monitoring of marijuana growers in its jurisdiction. Many believed that the program was successful and possessed the potential to aid in the orderly distribution of MMJ. However, Federal authorities differed with this assessment.
The program involved approximately 100 pot growers in the region. Law enforcement monitoring was provided by Sergeant Randy Johnson. In all, the program brought in more than $500,000 to the department.
California legalized the use of MMJ in the mid-1990s. Despite the vote, officials in Sacramento failed to create a viable program government the production and distribution of MMJ. Instead, they left the process in the hands of local authorities. None took the bait – until two years ago, when Mendocino County embarked on an experiment to allow the production of the substance under strict supervision.
Growers who were attracted to the program expressed relief over the chance to ply their trade legally. The state as experienced an explosion in the growth of pot since MMJ became legal. Nevertheless, growers still faced the difficulty of operating under the radar, in the shadows between legality and illegality.
Despite some positive reactions, Federal officials in October 2011 began to take aim at California’s cannabis industry – which directly impacted the production of MMJ. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney for Northern California asserted that the law played into the hands of unscrupulous operators who were motivated by profit, rather than compassion.
At issue is how far laws allowing the production of MMJ extend into society. A former federal prosecutor explained that allowing medical patients’ access to MMJ radically differs from sanctioning the activities of growers with tenuous links to this goal. Essentially, the former prosecutor asserted, Mendocino County was allowing marijuana growers to produce their crops for sale around the state. Crossing county lines also crosses a distinct legal line between MMJ as a medical substance to the production of a commercial product for profit.
This assessment was disputed by Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman, who asserted that the government was improperly interfering in county affairs.
The issue came to a head at a Board of Supervisors meeting earlier this year. Growers expressed varying opinions about the Federal scrutiny and its effect on MMJ. Many felt that the county program to supervise their activities itself brought unwanted Federal interference to the MMJ community.
Ultimately, country officials opted to avoid a lengthy and costly legal battle with the government. Those who favored the local program expressed dismay over the development. In addition to the potential impact on the production and availability of MMJ, they expressed fear that the move would open the door to the black market. Others voiced hope that a voluntary system of monitoring could be instituted for growing seasons in the near future.