When Matthew R. Davies was growing and selling medical marijuana in California, the 34-year-old father of two "hired accountants, compliance lawyers, managers, a staff of 75 and a payroll firm. He paid California sales tax and filed for state and local business permits," the New York Times reports. Unfortunately for him, federal agents raided his business, and "the United States attorney for the Eastern District of California, Benjamin B. Wagner, a 2009 Obama appointee, wants Mr. Davies to agree to a plea that includes a mandatory minimum of five years in prison." Let's set the legal questions aside and think through the costs of this course:

*The opportunity cost of focusing on other crimes
*$235,000 in incarceration costs
*Two young girls with an absent father
*Substantial lost tax revenue from his operation
*Other marijuana sellers going underground
*Less savory drug dealers, including violent cartels, getting more business
*More of a hassle for sick medical marijuana patients to get their prescription filled

Doesn't that seem awfully "expensive" when the only real benefit is sending the message that you can't get away with openly flouting federal drug laws? If that's the biggest benefit you can plausibly claim, isn't that a sign that the law should change? After all, it isn't as if anyone believes that sending Davies to jail is going to make victory in the drug war any more plausible. Or appreciably decrease the number of people smoking marijuana. Or even significantly diminish the supply, since there's always another person growing on the black market...

Oh and yeah, that would be nice to change the laws, but at the federal level, we have no voice, no referendum system. We have to rely on Congress, the most useless government body the world has ever known (the House), and it's ugly sister (the senate). So what pray tell can we do to change such laws when much of the country has their head so far up their ass on so many issues? You're still gonna have morons, who understand nothing about cannabis, voting based on ignorant knee-jerk reactions. Plus, lobbyists know, drug companies can't patent pot, so they are gonna buy off whoever we elect.

Well sure kid, but what I'm saying, is that now, with a medical card, a few dollars in supplies, I can supply something for myself (should I need it) that would allow me to forgo using drug company products. While I'm sure not all drug companies are lobbying against legalization, many are.

As long as it's federally illegal I have no problem with the operation.

I don't understand how you can say the court system is corrupt in this case?

Change the laws.

Perhaps you should familiarize yourself with the 10th Amendment. You know, that silly law in our Constitution which says that the states have the rights to regulate these things for themselves.

It becomes a Federal issue when criminals traffic it across state lines.

Another relic from a bygone era.

Another morally broken individual who wants to foist his dystopian ideals on 330 million people because he can't understand why anyone could possibly see things different.

...Well, that's great, when it involves a case of criminals trafficking it across state lines. In this case, it was a guy who was growing it as medicine, to be consumed in a state which recognizes it as medicine. If you think it's ok for the federal government to come in and bust the guy despite being in compliance with his state's regulations, then you're a morally broken individual.

Another morally broken individual who wants to foist his dystopian ideals on 330 million people because he can't understand why anyone could possibly see things different.