Marijuana Policy Project

A couple of Sundays ago, we ran a front-page story about the difficulties patients face while trying to obtain marijuana for approved medical uses.

A little deeper in the paper, we published the court records, which included mention of one man's brief jail sentence for marijuana possession, presumably for non-approved uses.

A handful of news pages separated the two items, but it occurred to us there's a potential connection that might reap real benefits.

Patients are caught in a Catch-22, where it's legal to possess marijuana and use it as medicine, but practically impossible to obtain it legally.

Meanwhile, what happens to the illegal user's supply?

No doubt, confiscated marijuana is destroyed as soon as it's no longer needed as evidence.

Why not make it available to a legitimate user instead?

Sure, it's a little odd to think of saddling police with the task of providing marijuana to individuals, even with a doctor's approval.

And there might be some legal hurdles to clear, especially since the federal government has a different outlook than many states on the medicinal use of marijuana.

But 13 states, including Washington, allow the use of marijuana under a physician's guidance to treat certain ailments.

Similar legislation is pending in 13 other states, and two states have passed laws aimed at making marijuana easier to obtain for medical use.

That's well over half the country trying to make marijuana available to ease human suffering, but figuring out ways to make the drug available to patients has proved to be the biggest challenge.

Even in California, where an extensive network of dispensaries has been established, the question of how to distribute marijuana legally hasn't been fully resolved. Raids and allegations of wrongdoing occur from time to time.

At the same time, police in virtually every corner of the country have a problem that's the polar opposite of medical marijuana users.

While patients have difficulties obtaining the drug, police are spending time and money to destroy it. It's not too big of a stretch to see the opportunity here.

Don't be too quick to dismiss the idea as folly. The potential benefits are worth considering.

In states where medical marijuana is legal, authorities worry about whether distributors also are supplying the illegal market.

That concern would disappear if the local precinct house served as the dispensary. It's tough to imagine anyone but legitimate medical users showing up at the police station to ask for pot.

There would be logistical problems, but police aren't strangers to dealing in contraband. They've been auctioning off stereos, TVs, bikes and other unclaimed property for decades.

All the paraphernalia needed to weigh and package marijuana are confiscated during raids on illegal operations, so there'd be little required in the way of additional investment.

And police could keep the profits to purchase equipment or pay for operations. That's not only a possible break for taxpayers, but it would also deliver a bit of poetic justice. Imagine marijuana profits from confiscated supplies subsidizing the bi-county drug task force.

In Washington state, medical marijuana is approved for treatment of chronic pain, cancer, epilepsy, acute or chronic glaucoma, hepatitis C with debilitating nausea or pain, Crohn's disease, HIV, multiple sclerosis and diseases — including anorexia and other eating disorders — that result in nausea, vomiting, wasting, appetite loss, cramping, seizures, muscle spasms or spasticity.

Used as medicine for specific ailments, marijuana can hasten healing and alleviate suffering. In many cases, it replaces drugs that are more dangerous, addictive and less effective, such as Oxycontin, Percodan and Demerol.

That's why so many states have approved marijuana's use under a doctor's supervision.

It doesn't make sense for society to make the treatment legal but force those it can help to become criminals just to get their medicine.

It's just as senseless for society to destroy marijuana that could easily be put in the hands of legitimate medical users.

We need to replace such nonsense with policies that work.