Has the medical-marijuana industry been hijacked?

Sept. 2, 2010, 8:20 a.m.

Map shows marijuana-related deaths in L.A. County this year. Source: Homicide Report.

Times' reporter Richard Winton has a story today about Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca's sharp criticism of the medical marijuana industry, which Baca said had been "hijacked by underground drug-dealing criminals who are resorting to violence in order to control their piece of the action."

The sheriff's remarks came after last week's triple homicide in West Hollywood, a crime that investigators believed was a botched robbery attempt. The victims, detectives believe, bought the marijuana from collectives and then tried to resell it on the streets

At a news conference Wednesday, Baca said the dispensaries have strayed from their original mission — to aid the seriously ill — and are now the target of criminals who see an easy way to make money and get drugs. At least seven homicides in Los Angeles County in recent years have been tied by authorities to the medical marijuana industry, according to data collected for the Homicide Report. Click for a map showing their locations.

What to you think about Baca's statements regarding medical marijuana?

-- Megan Garvey

Top photo: Map shows marijuana-related deaths in L.A. County this year. Source: Homicide Report. Bottom photo: Sheriff Lee Baca criticizes the medical marijuana industry. (Nick Ut / Associated Press / August 12, 2010)

40 reader comments

"The Pro-Drug crowd will sell your sons and daughters into slavery to get this thing passed, and pass the bill on to the rest of us taxpayers. Let those idiot come up with a way to AT LEAST pay for the anticipated health and social costs before we legalize this thing."

Did you copy that directly from the pamphlet your black preacher gave you? Wake up guys, it's only the black curches who are lock and step against prop 19. Why? Because they often launder money for these low-life street dealers (and take some of the money for "community development").

It's sad because black people are the worst hit by these draconian drug penalties (what with minimum sentencing) but they're too ignorant and misinformed to even realize it.

To veeho: the drug counseling will be paid for with the taxes from the legalized sale of the drugs. Read the news, stop believing the lines and slogans you are fed, and learn to think for yourself. This bill will help your community more than any other, but your corrupt preacher will be hit in the pocket book. It's all about dollars; open your eyes!

— realist Sept. 4, 2010 at 3:22 p.m.

Simply decriminalizing marijuana possession will not solve any problems related to crime.

To cut down the crime surrounding marijuana, the government needs to do the following-

1. Allow drug companies (phizer etc) to setup farms to grow large amounts of marijuana. This would create jobs, contribute to income taxes and social security, and make sure the production of marijuana is regulated and consistent.

2. Have marijuana stores operated and controlled by the state governments. In Virginia for example, to buy hard liquor you have to go to a state run ABC store, so I know this would work. I'm not sure if that's still the case, but it was while I lived there.
Once again, this would create jobs, and contribute to taxes.

3. Make the marijuana so affordable that the street value will greatly reduce the profits made by its sale on the street. If it were priced similarly to Beer, the reward in selling it would be outweighed by the possible jail time.

4. Keep it illegal to sell marijuana. In fact, increase the jail sentences for its sale by anyone besides authorized sellers. This is true with alcohol in certain situations, so it would work with pot.

5. Prevent people from smoking it in the first place. The same tactics that have been used to get teenagers from smoking cigarettes should be used for marijuana. It seems like there is so much anti cigarette and alcohol propaganda in the media, but very little in the way of anything discouraging marijuana use in our society.

People that advocate marijuana use are so quick to extol it's virtues, and seem to ignore the fact that it is an expensive habit in terms of money and health. It does negatively affect your health to smoke marijuana, and its not free. And when you buy marijuana, you are putting money into criminal hands.

Thank you.

— sick of this debate Sept. 3, 2010 at 2:47 a.m.

The comment Sheriff Baca made that the medical marijuana industry is being "hijacked by underground drug-dealing criminals" is a bit self-serving. As in any industry, there will always the few who corrupt it and the many who pay for the actions of the few. There are many documented examples of corruption even with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, L.A. County Probation Department, and other County agencies. That does not mean everyone within those agencies are bad, just as there are many medical marijuana collectives who are doing their best to follow the "ever changing laws" sponsored by public officials who have no clue what is is to suffer pain from debilitating illnesses that these collectives with their products help control. SHAME ON YOU ALL!!! Also, to link 7 homicides over several years to these collectives like this is an anomaly in Los Angeles County is ridiculous. There are plenty of other businesses that can be attributed to homicides, such as liquor stores. Are liquor stores being "hijacked by underground criminals" also? Sadly, living in Los Angeles County and having criminals kill others for money or product is just a way of life. Please consider all the sick people who these collectives help, such as myself, before you quote misleading statistics just to favor news coverage.

— Randall Sept. 2, 2010 at 7:13 p.m.

In my opinion, I believe that legalizing marijuana in California will only increase crime, shootings, and killing allot of innocent human beings in the name of greed and not for need. The underground already controls the price for medical use and the patients pay high prices while growers do not pay one cent of taxes on labor or profit. Medical marijuana was allowed for patients by our federal government, and a rash of crimes soon followed. So now, the state, counties and cities think they can get in on the cash crop charging taxes, good luck trying to collect a dime from the growers or resellers!
I will bet that if the legislation passes, there will be more violence, and a rise of crime that will again affect our resources such as police, courts and prison systems. Keep it strictly for medial patients and quit trying to make a buck off someone else’s pain and misery!
What most people forget is that the grower’s already found a way to skirt around the laws and will do it again paying absolutely nothing!

— azurewlf Sept. 2, 2010 at 5:21 p.m.

It is cannabis prohibition that causes the thefts and violence, not cannabis use.

Cannabis dispensaries are a target of criminals because it is mostly a cash business and the cannabis is very valuable. Both problems are caused by prohibition. Legal cannabis will be so cheap it will not be worth stealing. It is just a weed with taxes. RAND estimates the cannabis price for 1 oz will drop from $350 to $38 (including 50% tax) when legalized.

Legalization will remove the criminals from cannabis businesses and put it in a regulated market only for adults.

The easiest way to destroy the street gangs and drug cartels is take away their income. Cannabis delivers big money to cartels and gangs. They grow it cheap and make huge profits on high prices. Legalizing cannabis will take over 60% of their income away.

— wayneflo Sept. 2, 2010 at 4:26 p.m.

The Homicide Report

Has the medical-marijuana industry been hijacked?

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