经济学人348:合法使用大麻变成空话(1)

 　　OAKSTERDAM university, a self-proclaimed “cannabis college” in Oakland, California, has been called everything from “the Princeton of Pot” to “the Harvard of Hemp”. Its founder¹, Richard Lee, has become the public face of the movement to legitimise marijuana. A paraplegic, he uses the drug for medical purposes, which is legal in California and 15 other states and in the District of Columbia. He also runs a dispensary for medical marijuana and sponsored a 2010 ballot² measure in California to legalise marijuana completely in small amounts, whether medicinal or recreational. That measure failed narrowly, but the idea of legalization continues to win converts.

　　奥克斯特丹大学自称是加利福尼亚州奥克兰市的“大麻学院”，也先后被人称为“大麻罐的普林斯顿大学”和“大麻的哈佛大学”。它的创始人理查德?李在大麻合法化运动中已经是公众最耳熟能详的人。他是个截瘫患者，需要用大麻来治疗，这在加利福尼亚和其余15州，以及哥伦比亚特区是合法的。他同时也经营着一所药用大麻的药店，2010年在加利福尼亚州还发起了小剂量使用大麻合法化的投票统计运动，不管是用于医学还是娱乐活动。这次统计几乎失败，但大麻合法化的观念却继续赢得支持，人们纷纷改变立场。

　　Now, however, Mr Lee is busted³, harassed⁴ and in danger of federal prosecution⁵. This month, armed federal agents stormed into his house and offices to confiscate⁶ plants and documents. Mr Lee now says that, indicted⁷ or not, he plans to get out of his marijuana-related businesses.

　　然而现在理查德?李被逮捕了，还遭受了袭击，更面临着被联邦起诉的危险。就在这个月全副武装的联邦特工闯入他的房子和办公室，封掉了工厂，收缴了文件。不论是否会起诉自己，李说现在他都打算不再从事与大麻相关的生意。

　　The raids on his properties are only the most telegenic instances of a much wider federal crackdown that has taken states and counties by surprise. Dispensaries and even landlords of dispensary-operators, all over California, Colorado and Montana have been getting menacing letters. Many have closed shop. Growers and users are by turns livid and scared. Some have protested. Others have ducked back into the black market, as in the old days before medical marijuana was allowed.

　　查封理查德?李德财产是联邦政府日益扩大的禁麻行动中最引人注目的做法，各州和市对这样的行动感到奇怪。遍布于加利福尼亚、科罗伦多和蒙太纳诸州的药店，甚至是药房的房东都收到了恐吓信。很多药店主关掉了药店。大麻种植者和使用者怒气冲冲后变得恐惧起来。有一些人抗议，而另一些人则转向大麻的地下市场，如同回到了药用大麻未被允许合法使用的岁月。

　　The question is why the federal government is doing this. On the one hand there is a federal law, the Controlled Substances Act, which recognises no exception for medical marijuana and thus considers all use and trade of it criminal. But on the other hand the Obama administration originally signalled that it would not deliberately⁸ clash with the states about weed. In the so-called Ogden memo⁹ of 2009, the Justice Department advised its lawyers to leave small-beer marijuana enforcement to the states and focus on graver crimes.

　　为什么联邦政府会采取这样的行动？一方面，联邦法律《药物控制条例》将药用大麻列为监管项目，进而认定所有使用和买卖大麻行为违法。但另一方面奥巴马政府原先表示不会有意在大麻问题上与各州不合。在2009年所谓的奥格登备忘录中，司法部建议其法官们专注于更严重的犯罪，而将微不足道的大麻执法交与各州去执行。

1 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

2 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

3 busted   

adj. 破产了的，失败了的，被降级的，被逮捕的，被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You are so busted! 你被当场逮住了！
• It was money troubles that busted up their marriage. 是金钱纠纷使他们的婚姻破裂了。

4 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

5 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

6 confiscate   

v.没收(私人财产)，把…充公

参考例句：

• The police have the right to confiscate any forbidden objects they find.如发现违禁货物，警方有权查扣。
• Did the teacher confiscate your toy?老师没收你的玩具了吗？

7 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

8 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

9 memo   

n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章

参考例句：

• Do you want me to send the memo out?您要我把这份备忘录分发出去吗？
• Can you type a memo for me?您能帮我打一份备忘录吗？