Fired up over debate on pot

Re “Putting a lid on pot sales,” Editorial, Oct. 30

The Times urges the city to enforce existing medical marijuana laws before enacting new ones. While enforcement is preferable to additional lawmaking, rigorous compliance is even better.

Unfortunately, conflicting guidance from California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown and Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley fosters confusion, which makes compliance difficult.

The Times exacerbated the confusion by referencing a California Supreme Court decision that allegedly prohibits over-the-counter dispensary sales. In People vs. Mentch, the court merely upheld a narrow definition of the term “primary caregiver” to require responsibility for a patient’s housing, health or safety. It didn’t require a dispensary to be a primary caregiver.

Dispensaries should be guided by People vs. Urziceanu, a case that affirmed the legality of medical marijuana cooperatives that receive reimbursement for medical marijuana and related services.

You suggested we call the cops. Let’s instead call on the medical marijuana community to comply with existing laws and provide them clear and accurate information to successfully do so.

Gary Hiller

Los Angeles

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When The Times next opines in support of the latest gun control law du jour, perhaps you can first recall this statement from your editorial:

“A problem caused by a failure to enforce the law won’t be solved by passing a new law.”

David C. Britton

Torrance

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Re “Marijuana farmers basking in the sun,” Nov. 1

Can we just go ahead and legalize pot already?

The Times tells us all about the problems in rural Northern California and seems to conclude that too-lax pot laws are to blame.

Soft pot laws are blamed for trashed national forest lands, supporting violent narco-traffickers, the proliferation of razor wire, inflated real estate prices and strangers with dreadlocks.

If pot were legal, no one would grow it in national forests. Narco-traffickers would stop selling it, and the strangers with dreadlocks would stay home.

People would keep smoking pot like they always have, and we would have to find something else to do with the billions of dollars wasted on the insane war on drugs.

Noel Rhodes

Los Angeles