Focus DEA resources in such a way as to respect state laws. Allow the states to serve as laboratories for public policy.

The DEA should concentrate its resources in states where the laws are in line with federal laws. States in conflict with the federal government should be allowed to serve as laboratories for policy, rather than becoming battlegrounds where neither state nor federal laws can be enforced fairly and consistently. As far as marijuana is concerned, the administration's response deals thoroughly with the personal effects of marijuana, but does not consider the possible societal effects of permissive policy, and does not consistently apply the same criteria to other substances, including tobacco and alcohol. Allowing state laws to dictate the allocation of DEA resources (perhaps by allowing for a finite reprieve from federal enforcement), will allow us to examine the societal effects of new laws.