Albert Einstein said in 1921 in reference to alcohol prohibition, "The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the prohibition law...for nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law...than passing laws which cannot be enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous increase of crime in this country is closely connected with this." Einstein and Doug Fine (author of Too High to Fail: Cannabis and the New Green Economic Revolution) are in agreement when discussing prohibition's destructive effects on society. The only difference between Fine and Einstein is the drug of which they are referring to: cannabis. In Chapter One of Too High to Fail, Fine starts off his journey inside the medicinal cannabis industry in Mendocino County, California. Mendocino County is famous for its creation and effective use of its 9.31 program often named the "Zip-Tie Program." Every registered cannabis plant in the county is required to wear a bright yellow anklet--total annual cost for a farmer to be a part of the 9.31 Ordinance Program is about $8,500. This type of regulation is ideal because it helps the government keep track of every bud while adding a new source of governmental income to help raise a county deficit that has been hit hard.
Thirty-three-year-old Matt Cohen considers himself to be a farmer. The plant he grows, however, has been in a longstanding state of illegality in American society since the 1920's and 1930's. Cohen often finds himself dialing 9-1-1 when his farms' laser sensors alert him of movement in his crop. Today, the aboveground and locally legal cannabis cultivators of Mendocino County think of those alarm bells to the police the same way the denizens of Philadelphia treated the peals of the Liberty Bell in 1775. Matt Cohen was as aboveground as the hardware store owner or the vintner next door, and thus was protected from thieves by law enforcement.
Why law enforcement protects growers and users there, but not here?
The battle of finally putting an end to cannabis prohibition comes with internal, domestic struggles. Law enforcement follows local law, but I find it unfair that laws regarding cannabis as a medicine is inconsistent depending on state and county. (Don't get me started on the outdated, uselessness nature in terms of cannabis prohibition of the Controlled Substances Act). Sheriff Allman of Mendocino County admitted to Fine that he'd much rather get a call that involves someone using cannabis than alcohol, let alone cocaine, meth, or prescription drugs. Allman said, "I've never seen a stoned man beat his wife--he generally just plays video games." The implication of Allman's statement backs Fine's reasonable belief that cannabis plays a beneficial role in helping the sick amongst other components, while economically fixing a struggling agricultural county.
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