Campaign responds to 'Operation Sweet Leaf'

State and federal law enforcement officials raided 25 suspected marijuana grow houses around Colorado yesterday and arrested 16 people in what the authorities dubbed "Operation Sweet Leaf."  The campaign issued a formal statement in response to the news (see below), resulting in its position on the situation being included in TV news stories on Denver's NBC and Fox affiliate stations.  The response was also thoroughly reported on by Westword.

Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Responds to 'Operation Sweet Leaf'

DENVER -- The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has issued the following statement in response to reports about "Operation Sweet Leaf":

"The raids carried out today by Colorado law enforcement are not surprising. The laws in this country and in this state are specifically designed so that most producers of this widely used substance must do so illegally. Producers have been raided before and producers will be raided again. This never-ending cycle is costing U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars annually. And the truth is that we never get closer to ending the war on marijuana. Until we regulate and control the production and sale of marijuana, raids like this will be carried out by law enforcement in perpetuity.

"It is time for a new approach. We are hopeful that today's raids will result in thousands of additional Colorado residents joining the growing majority of this state's citizens who support our initiative to regulate marijuana like alcohol. The only alternative, as these raids demonstrate, is to pour millions and millions of taxpayer dollars down a black hole with the irrational hope of eliminating marijuana use from our society.

"The unfortunate truth is that too many members of the law enforcement community want the unregulated market to remain in place. They want marijuana to be produced underground, and they want to spend taxpayer money going after it, despite the fact that it is a far less harmful substance than alcohol. This campaign is advocating for a new approach. We believe marijuana should be taxed and regulated like alcohol. You don't see law enforcement carrying out widespread alcohol raids in our neighborhoods because the production and sale of alcohol is regulated and controlled. It is time to do the same for marijuana."