San Fran pot clubs vow to keep smokin'

Well isn't this interesting. It seems some of those pot-smoking San Francisco hippies have found an overreaching federal court ruling they don't like:

About 40 marijuana clubs in the city, which operate without interference from local police, are likely to continue in the wake of the Supreme Court decision that federal drug laws ban use of medical pot.

"I am disappointed with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision today,'' said City Attorney Dennis Herrera. "My office remains committed to working with our clients throughout city government to determine if and to what extent there is any room left for local regulation to facilitate the compassionate use of medical marijuana in accordance with the law approved by California voters.'' Across the bay from San Francisco, Alameda County supervisors are scheduled to consider a proposal today to license marijuana clubs to protect them from prosecution.

At the nonprofit Compassion and Care Center, patients can relax on couches or sit at café tables as they munch on free fruit and other food. To visit the center, located in a storefront building about four blocks from San Francisco City Hall, patients are required to show city-issued medical marijuana identification card and a driver's license before being buzzed in.

I'm not sure where I come down on the legalization of marijuana. I've heard good arguments for and against legalization. But I firmly believe it's not a federal issue. The Constitution (yeah, remember that?) details a laundry list of federal powers: building post offices, raising an army, punishing piracy, things like that. Everything else is up to the states.