Second in a series

Re “Marijuana Watch: Police Aren’t Relaxing”

While the Police Dept. insists it is not relaxing in its longtime watchdog role regarding illegal marijuana use, the world changed a few months ago.

When California voters approved legalizing marijuana, law enforcement was forced to adjust, too.

Culver City’s Marijuana Task Force holds its second community meeting on Saturday morning at 10 in Council Chambers.

Sometime this summer, the Task Force is due to make rules recommendations to the City Council.

In view of the complexity of coming regulations, the Police Dept. necessarily will be more reactive than pro-active in its approach to suspected lawbreakers, Lt. Manny Cid said recently.

That prompted an obvious question:

Does this mean the public can relax around marijuana?

“I don’t want this to be misconstrued,” Lt. Cid said. “A large portion of our dealings with marijuana will be reactive because it will come from a complaint-generated situations.”

Deftly, he shifted the onus.

“As for whether sellers or users can relax, that is a better question for them,” he said.

“The simple fact is that something once illegal now is legal.”

Here is a conundrum that may tickle the chins of both sides into the distant future.

(To be continued)