Are We Going to Pot?

Last week I sat down with Columbia County Prosecutor Rea Culwell to talk about mari- juana.

Or, to be more precise, we talked about the new law legalizing small amounts of marijuana in Washington, and how it affects her job. It does so in a number of ways, she told me - includ- ing some I wouldn't have thought of.

One of the effects I al- ready thought of was this: "I'm sure we'll see some in- crease in use among youth." Culwell said there was a slight uptick in youth mari- juana use after the medical marijuana law was passed in Washington in 1998, and she expects a similar effect this time.

One of the things I hadn't thought much about was how cops know if that little baggie they find on a suspect actually contains marijuana. "Well, it used to be," Cul- well began to explain, "that officers could identify mari- juana by sight and smell in testimony, based on training and experience." She said that in the past, courts would allow such testimony. But not anymore.

The new law defines mar- ijuana based on the level of the chemical THC that it contains. "We'll have to see how that plays out," she said, explaining that mari- juana taken from suspects will now have to be tested in a lab.

Culwell also pointed out that the new law has very strict DUI standards. She said that, even though mari- juana affects people much differently than alcohol does, field sobriety tests are much the same. However, proof of marijuana use, like proof of alcohol use, will require a blood test, which will have to be done quickly, since THC dissipates fairly rapidly from the bloodstream. I asked Culwell if the fact that marijuana possession is still a federal offense was a conflict in her job and she said no. "My job is to address state and local laws," she said. She told me that if people are found with marijuana on National For- est land by Fish and Game officers, they could be cited under federal law.

Culwell said she had no pending marijuana charges in her office when the law went into effect, and that possession of small amounts of pot was not something that was often prosecuted. People found with pot in our area are usually involved in other crimes, she said.

Culwell is president of the Coalition for Youth and Families in Columbia Coun- ty. Last year the group was awarded a $625,000 grant for a five-year project to help reduce substance abuse among youth. Their two ar- eas of emphasis are alcohol and marijuana.

I asked her if the new law would change the group's approach to communicating with young people about the risks of marijuana.

"Legalization definitely sends a different message to kids," she said. "And we may see increased use at first."

Culwell pointed out stud- ies that show that pot is par- ticularly harmful to young brains. "Young brains, par- ticularly for boys, are devel- oping up until they are 21," she said.

The grant project will involve presenting positive messages to young people about the advantages of liv- ing without drugs and alcohol. Culwell says she knows the approach the group is taking works.

"I wish we could snap our fingers and make the prob- lem go away," she said, "but we can't. She said it takes time, but other communi- ties have seen very positive results after five or ten years of these positive messages.

Could marijuana farming be a new growth industry for Columbia County and Southeast Washington? Af- ter all, I've heard we have a good climate for it.

When I brought that up, Culwell smiled and said, "There might be some security issues." She pointed out that modern marijuana production is usually done inside buildings, behind locked doors.

I guess we'll have to stick to wheat.