>> thank you for letting us be a part of your life. they are beautiful kids. congratulations. >> thank you, dr. drew. >> i want to thank larry for letting me sit in and his staff for making this a wonderful experience. larry, thank you personally. now it is time for "ac 360." anderson? good evening, tonight the amazing possibility that the racially charged politically explosive hotly argued story of a professor, police officer and the president of the united states might end over beers at the white house. that is not how it began. harvard's henry lewis gates j.r. arested after heated words with a white police sergeant that is not what it morphed into when president obama said cambridge police acted stupidly. police officers stood up in support of officer crowley then this afternoon president obama walked into the white house briefing room. >> i wanted to address you guys

drktly because over the last day yaf obviously there has been all sorts of controversy over the incident that happened with professor gates and the police department. i actually just had a conversation with sergeant jim crowley, the officer involved. and i have to tell you that, as i said yesterday, my impression of him was that he was an outstanding police officer and a good man. and that was confirmed in the phone conversation and i told him that. and because this has been ratcheting up and i obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up, i wanted to make clear that in my choice of words, i think i, unfortunately, gave an impression that i was malign in

the cambridge police department or sergeant crowley specifically and i could have worded that differently. i continue to believe based on what i have heard that there was an overreaction in pulling professor gates out of his home to the station. i also continue to believe based on what i heard that professor gates probably overreacted as well. my sense is you've got two good people in a circumstance in which neither of them were able to resolve the incident in the way that it should have been resolved and the way they would have liked it to be resolved. so to the extent my choice of words didn't illuminate was rather contributed to more media frenzy, i think that was

unfortunate. what i would like to do then is make sure everybody steps back for a moment, recognizes that these are two decent people, not extrapolate too much from the facts, but as i said at the press conference, be mindful of the fact that because of our history, because of the difficulties of the past, you know, african-americans are sensitive to these issues and even when you've got a police officer who has a fine track record on racial sensitivity, interactions between police officers and the african-american community can sometimes be fraught with misunderstanding. my hope is that as a consequence of this event this ends up being what is called a teachable moment. where all of us, instead of pumping up the volume, spend a

little more time listening to each other and try to focus on how we can generally improve relations between police officers and minority communities and instead of flinging accusations, we can all be a little more reflective in terms of what we can do to contribute to more unity. lord knows we need it right now because over the last two days as we've discussed this issue, i don't know if you've noticed, but nobody has been paying much attention to health care. one last point i guess i would make, there are some who would say as president i shouldn't have stepped into this at all because it is a local issue. i have to tell you that that part of it i disagree with. the fact that this has become such a big issue, i think, is indicative of the fact that race

is still a troubling aspect of our society, whether i were black or white i think that me commenting on this and hopefully contributing to constructive as opposed to negative understandings about the issue is part of my portfolio. >> late reaction from professor gates. the professor e-mailing cnn's don lemon. he writes i'm pleased the president called me and proposed that i meet with officer crowley. i'm eager for this to be used as a teaching moment to improve racial relations in america. sergeant crowley said he would come to the white house for a beer with the professor. in a few minutes we will talk one-on-one with an officer on the scene. an african-american officer.

then author of "what if george bush were a black man" and david gergen. what professor gates did not say is about what the president said gates orr reacted so did crowley overreact. >> an interesting point, anderson. i talked with charles ogletree, professor at the harvard law school representing skip gates. they said they applauded the president. they have been seeking for the last couple of days, calling cambridge officials to set up a peace summit. i must tell you from my perspective and i think i hear in between the lines perhaps from theirs, there is some disappointment that the -- and a surprise that in making this very generous and wise statement the president did make, he deserves credit in trying to defuse the situation, walking back his own statement, he did

create an equivalence between the police officer and skip gates as if they were both equally wrong. and, of course, if you are a black man in america who has been arrested like that, you sort of think you have been badly violated. i was surprised at that. as much as i applaud the president for trying to bring reconciliation, it still seems inappropriate that he was handcuffed and hauled off from his own house. >> the president not wanting to say i'm sorry. but wasn't it equivalent to an apologize? >> he made it perfectly clear in terms of reiterating his comments on the arrest. when he made the comment about stupidly arresting gates after proving he was the homeowner. critics of the president said he

called the cop stupid, he called crowley stupid. he never did. he said, look, you have to recognize we still have this issue of racial profiling. we have differences in terms of how we look at various things. crowley says i wasn't approaching this because of race. gates is saying i'm hearing something and experiencing something different, when the president says let's sit down and talk about it we do have to have that conference. >> professor watkins, if this is a teachable moment which just about everybody seems to say, in your opinion, what is the lesson? >> i think skip gates, i'm hopeful he understands the first step toward being a good professor is to know how to be a good student. we should all be students in this teachable moment that starts with st crowley, skip gates and the rest of the country. why did we decide racial profiling exists because it happened to a harvard professor?

allegedly. i don't believe this situation was necessarily just the violation of a black man's rights. if it was a violation of all. it was a violation of an american's rights. if you have a problem with the procedure you check to see if sergeant crowley followed procedure. if he did, you have to take it to the legislature. an officer is a soldier who executes the law. i'm not saying sergeant crowley didn't make a mistake or didn't overreact. the truth is we can all learn with this. we have to learn with humility. skip gates and st crowley to ask this question, which is tough for men with big egos, are you willing to apologize? >> anderson, i saw the police officer's news conference as well when they said the president owes all law enforcement an apology although he was speaking directly to the cambridge folks. police officers say it is a just

arrest but dropped the charges. where i come from, if you believe you were right, you move forward with it. why drop the charges? >> we are going to ask that question to one of the officers on the scene, an african-american officer. david gergen, roeland martin, boyce watt kin, stick around. the conversation continues. it continues online at ac360.com. join the live chat. you want to hear from our next guest, the african-american police officer who arrived on the scene after st crowley. his take on the arrest and if he thinks it would have had a different outcome if he had been the first officer on the scene. millions of dollars recovered for the jackson family who is giving back some big bucks tonight on "360."

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there are two versions of what happened inside henry lewis gates' home. unless tapes of the officer's radio are released we may not know what happens. sergeant crowley was not the only police officer on the screen. take a look at the snapshot of professor gates being led out in handcuffs. sergeant leon lashly. he stands by officer crowley 100% but told me things might have ended differently if he had been there first. we spoke earlier. sergeant, thanks for being with us. you heard what president obama said this afternoon. what was your reaction? >> i was relieved he came up and

hopefully with that statement from president obama we can put an end to this. >> as far as you're concerned, it's time to move on? >> yes. definitely. i also agree with the president that we do have to continue to fight the fight of ending racism and the discrimination that goes on in this country when it's there. >> but in your opinion this is not a case where it is there? >> this is definitely not a case where it is involving racism. >> i understand you spoke with sergeant crowley after he spoke with the president. you may have been there while he was speaking to the president. what was sergeant crowley's reaction to the president's call? >> he was -- he said that the president is a class guy. he felt that he was -- he supported him in the beginning. he supported him during it. even after his statements he

still suggested president obama. he was relieved. >> take us through that day. what happened when you got the call to professor gates' house? you came after other officers had arrived? >> yes. yes, i did. i arrived on the scene. sergeant crowley and officer figueroa were inside the building or inside the house. i stepped on the sidewalk where the caller was on scene and she was giving an interview with officer rosa, who was speaking to her. i sent another couple officers inside to see what was going on. i stayed out with officer rosa. >> so you could hear a conversation inside the house, though. what did you hear? >> i heard some conversation inside the house and all of a sudden it got a little bit louder. i heard the comments of this is how a black man in america is treated.

and i'm being placed under arrest in my own home because a white woman called the police. >> you know, one of the questions a lot of people would have on this is why arrest professor gates? i mean, if he's just talking back to plits and president obama says overreacting, perhaps, why not just let him do that in his own home and leave the scene? >> well, once he came out of his own home it became something different. he was in the public view and he was causing much of a -- it was just getting out of control after he came outside. >> but he was on his front porch, right? >> he's outside. >> so you have absolutely no qualms at all that he should have been arrested? that he should have been taken in? >> i have no qualms with that. one of the things we want to --

would it have been different if i had shown up first? i think it probably would have been different. >> because? >> because of the black man to black man, it probably would have been different. had he continued to do -- ended up -- if it didn't go the way i would assumed if i had been there first, i, too, would have placed him under arrest if it got too much further out of control. i believe sergeant crowley was within his rights to make that arrest at that time. >> sergeant lashly, i know you are busy, appreciate your time. appreciate what you do. >> thank you. >> at the end of the conversation there was discussion about -- my conversation with sergeant crowley, there was discussion about he and i and professor

gates having a beer here in the white house. we don't know if that is scheduled yetd. but we may put that together. he also did say he wanted to find out if there is a way of getting the press off his lawn. i informed him that i can't get the press off my lawn. >> back now digging deep with professor boyce watkins and rowland martin. does it make sense to have these two get together? >> look, the president extends the invitation. what makes sense is they get together. >> it does seem as if from the police officer's standpoint, according to the fellow officer, he is ready to move on. it seems as if professor gates or his representative is kind of moving back a little bit from the stronger rhetoric we heard early on. >> no. actually, they are not moving

back. skip gates said when soledad o'brien interviewed him, he is leaving all his options over. if the officer did apologize as a christian he would accept that. >> his attorney is not saying it is not about a race incident. >> i have talked to professor charles ogletree, that is not what we talked about. so i can only go on what i've heard from charles ogletree who is skip gates' attorney. they said their options are open as to how they want to move forward. i still believe a conversation is important. because here is the other piece. the officer said he was within his rights. they dropped the charges. if you believe he was wrong and should have been arrested why drop them? >> that was edited out of our interview. the other officer said it was a misdemeanor and probably would have been adjudicated away.

>> when charges are dropped, the public perception is you didn't have anything to sustain the arrest knowing full well he likely wouldn't have been convicted. >> professor watkins, do you believe this is an issue about race or do you think two people with big egos or clashing egos? >> i think the answer is that we don't know. that is the problem we were making bandwagon assumptions based on things we didn't know. look, either sergeant crowley violate prod -- procedure. this could have happened to someone of another ethnicity, particularly when you look through sergeant crowley's record. i assume he wouldn't be teaching classes on racial sensitivity if he has a record of arresting black men for no reason. i'm not saying anybody is a liar. what i'm saying is we can't use

this case as a poster child for racial profiling issues across america because there is real racial profiling that goes on other than harvard university. skip gates knows he is skip gates. being a black professor at harvard with all the money skip has, i guarantee he probably has more privilege than most white americans. >> race is involved because, look, when you step back and say, here you have an african-american professor in his home. the black officer said i think it may have been differently if it was an african-american cop with this black male here. what we have to learn here is what is going through a black man's mind when this kind of thing is happening? people say it eneeds to be overt. people perceive things differently. what is implied. what is inferred. he is saying this is how i am interpreting this. we cannot dismiss that and say that is not relevant. it is relevant because it happens every day. people make assumptions.

women make assumptions based on is this happening to me because i am a woman? is this happening because i am hispanic? >> some assumptions are correct and some are not. >> absolutely. >> was race a role? it could have been a role. we have to examine it. that is why the conversation is so important. to understand the give and take and what people experience and what perception is. >> we have to understand that racial healing is going to require patience. let's assume dr. gates is right about this. what would martin luther king do? would he say he should beg me for my forgiveness and i might give him. or should he say i forgive you. the diseases of racism affects all of us. >> i agree. >> you may or may not do something wrong, you have to approach that situation with strength and understanding. >> final thought, roland. >> he may have to see how

malcolm x looks at it. skip gates is not dr. king. he is skip gates. he has to look at it from his perspective. >> good discussion as always. a lot more to see online at ac360.com. a new blog posting from professor watkins. a good read. a complete copy of the arrest report. breaking news in the michael jackson case. authorities searching a clinic in beverly hills. randy kay has that. a new money angle, to the tune of millions of dollars. the evangelist charged with having sex with minors, some as young as 9 years old. he maintains his innocent. we'll see what a jury had to say. ????????

still ahead, breaking news involving the estate of michael jackson. randy kay is breaking that story. first erica hill has a "360"

bulletin. horror for a minneapolis family online. jamal found their son on the internet in a photo showing the young man shot in the head. he died thousands of miles away in somalia. the fbi says his death is part of an investigation of a recruiting effort in the united states by somali terrorist groups. a jury found him guilty of taking five girls as young as 9 years old across state lines for sex. lawmakers may not be able to vote on a health care bill next week. that doesn't mean they will get the planned summer vacation. steny hoyer suggesting lawmakers may stay in washington past the august break to continue on the overhaul. the so-called octo mom,

nadya suleman signed agreements for her children to star in a reality tv show. they will collectively earn $250,000 over the next three years. >> not a surprise. >> not so much. new information about michael jackson's estate and investigators looking into the pop star's death search for clues at yet another medical clinic. a chilling portrait of a taliban commander once paid by the cia who may be holding an american soldier hostage in afghanistan.

tonight breaking news involving the state of michael jackson. millions of dollars surfaced as

well as personal property belonging to the singer. randy kay has the details. there is an estate hearing in august? >> august 3rd. the executors of his estate are hard at work. they have not wasted any time getting down to business. they have been formally in charge of this estate for a week. they have recovered $5.5 million from one of jackson's former advisers. they won't say who he is, but 5.5 million bucks. court documents say they recovered "substantial amounts of personal property." no amount given there. the documents say "the special administrators are negotiating numerous business for the estate." this will likely pay the monthly support payments to go to katherine jackson and his three children for at least for now she has custody of.

the cash flow should be enough to cover that. >> we know about the medical facility, dr. murray's office being raided. you learned of another facility? >> the spalding pain medical clinic. the clinic was searched on monday from investigators from the coroner's office in connection with the michael jackson investigation. my source could not say what led them to the clinic or what they took t. receptionist told me "we've been told to say no comment." no surprise there. here is what is interesting. this is the birth certificate for paris jackson, michael jackson's daughter, she is 11 years old now. look at the place of birth, it says spalding pain medical clinic. coincidence? michael jackson's daughter was born here? we don't know.

but it is curious, anderson, since from what we can tell this is not your typical setting for a baby delivery. it is a pain clinic. >> that is an odd coincidence. you talked about the items taken by authorities from dr. murray's office. one of those items sort of caught your eye tonight. >> it did. i'm going to use the word coincidence because it is strange. detectives earlier this week raided jackson's doctor's clinic and the storage facility he was renting. here is what caught my eye, among the items seized were two yahoo! account e-mails and a piece from the storage facility. the e-mails and correspondence seems to be with the same person. we are not naming that person. we are working to find out who this person is. there have been so many false names used in connection with michael jackson, false prescriptions that were maybe written in somebody else's name. we want to know who this person

is and where they might be. >> some of these questions will be answered when the toxicology report comes out. there are a lot of conflicting reports. >> there are so many reports. a report out today there is a draft report of the final toxicology report. that would make sense since we are days away from the toxicology report being made public. i was told we don't have a draft report. we don't put anything down on paper until all the toxicology is complete. when that is done the doctor assigned to the case will amend the death certificate which now reads deferred. we reported earlier this week the search of primary doctor's clinic was to find evidence relating to manslaughter. this is an ongoing investigation. another source with knowledge of the autopsy told me it seems to be on track.

we can expect the results to be released by the end of next week. we've heard that before. >> yeah. randy, thanks a lot. we want to show you the home michael jackson wanted to call his own. it is in las vegas. just like neverland it is a pretty unusual place, full of surprises and secret tunnels. an exclusive look inside. here is drew griffin. >> reporter: the home michael jackson wanted but at the time he couldn't afford. according to his las vegas real tor. this ten acre walled estate was to be michael jackson's vegas wonderland. >> this is the only house i showed michael out of a ten or a dozen where he came outside. he came outside with no umbrella, no mask on, came outside with the kids to see the grounds. through this gate we have an apartment, the kids wanted to make that into a play room and michael loved that idea.

>> instead he placed michael and his family in this leased home. he was trying to build back his wealth. entertaining casino owners who were offering jackson deal after deal to make him stay. >> i know michael liked the idea of being able to perform in one location night after night. he met with celine deon after seeing her show on the strip. talked about the pros and cons and talked about how people came to him. he loved the fact that the kids could have a place to call home and not move around since they are always going everywhere with him. that was an idea that appealed to him. >> reporter: the estate is filled with quirky appeals, secret tunnels leading to a gun range jackson wanted to turn into a music studio, a barber chair in the master bath, a full gym, theater room and a 20-car garage where he and his family

could load into and out of cars out of view. what was he most interested in. >> michael was most concerned with the safety of his children. there is no hoa so you can raise your wall, you can have cameras installed in addition to what is already here. >> reporter: at the time back from his self-exile in bahrain and ireland, jackson couldn't afford the $22 million to $25 million price tag. his real tor said the concert tour would have been michael jackson's pathway back to this house, a permanent show in las vegas and a new retreat he would have called wonderland. drew griffin, cnn, las vegas. >> what might have been, i suppose. you can join the live chat at ac360.com. he was once funded by the cia. now he may be holding a u.s. soldier hostage.

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we learn for the first time since taking office president obama is awarding the medal of honor to staff sergeant jared semonte, killed in action in 2006 sacrificing his own life to save a comrade. there are thousands of u.s. troops fighting in afghanistan. there is one soldier in the hands of the enemy. it appears a taliban commander once paid by the cia may be behind it. who is he? michael ware reports. >> reporter: u.s. soldier private first class bowe bergdahl disappeared from his unit more than three weeks ago.

the taliban quickly claimed credit and this proof of life appeared soon after. it came from men who take orders from this man, jeladine hakani. for the u.s. this is a bitter role reversal. this warrior spent almost a decade fighting on behalf of the cia. >> it is very unnerving to be prisoner. >> reporter: as for this video, this is the nightmare scenario for the parents and commanders of any u.s. soldier in afghanistan. 23-year-old bergdahl had been fighting in this area of afghanistan. hakani has been fighting here for almost 30 years. back then they were funded by the cia. hakani was fighting for america in a secret war, with cia money, training and weapons like stinger missiles, he and his men

killed more soviet soldiers than any other. famed texas congressman charlie wilson described hakani as goodness personified. the war in afghanistan is often called charlie wilson's war. when wilson secretly visited afghanistan during the cold war, he did so as the guest of hakan. with the soviets driven out the u.s. turned its back on afghanistan. hakani and his men were adrift until they joined forces with the taliban. now years later they have turned their guns on american troops. this is a classic that was then and this is now story. but there is one more player to add. pakistan's intelligence agency the isi. back in the soviet era, washington and the cia used the pakistanis to coordinate with hakani and the other afghan

fighters now today pakistan army spokesman says the isi could again be the go-between with hakani. >> the contact doesn't mean the states as the policy, as a policy is providing them the physical support or the funding or the training but having said that, more intelligence organization in the world shuts its last door on any other organization. >> reporter: if it wants to bring home private first class bowe bergdahl, there is no doubt the u.s. will have to talk again with the taliban war lord hakani. >> michael ware joins us. this fit into a larger picture. >> for the obama administration. the plight of this soldier illustrates much of the problem with the afghan war. hakani takes sanctuary in pakistan. that is almost certainly where this soldier is being held.

>> inside pakistan? >> almost without a doubt. that is where hakani's bases are. obama is going to need a political solution to this war. the pakistanis have named four key commanders they can bring to the table. the americans have named four key commanders they are prepared to talk to. those names match and one is hakani. up next, a major drug bust, more than $1 billion worth of pot seized in a state where it is not too hard to get it legally. are doctors and patients taking advantage of medical marijuana laws. governor sarah palin's picnics. the final farewell before she leaves office and the poll numbers she may not want to hear.

major drug bust with ties to the war next door. state, local and federal authorities seized $1 billion of

marijuana plants in fresno, california. fresno county is about the size of connecticut with sparse population and terrain that is well suited to spot growing. more than a dozen states have laws that legalize marijuana for medical use. patients need a doctor's recommendation. when it comes to getting that recommendation are doctors and patients taking advantage of the situation? dan simon is "keeping them honest." >> so it is pain, anxiety? >> and depression. >> reporter: dr. allen frankel is a so-called pot doc. on a typical day he will see 13 patients at his marina del ray office and recommend they use marijuana. >> i'm not trying to get patients stoned. i'm trying to get patients to feel normal. >> reporter: instead of a prescription to obtain medical marijuana a patient needs a doctor's formal recommendation, a letter, it is how you get in a

dispensary. you need to be 18. minors can get it if their guardian approves. dr. frankel started his practice three years ago after 25 years working as a regular internist. >> i think it is the greatest medication i have worked with. >> reporter: for those who want it, getting access to medical marijuana is relatively easy. chris perez is a typical new patient complaining of insomnia and depression. how does marijuana help you? >> it calms me down. it eliminates the confusion and congestion out there. >> reporter: after a 45-minute appointment including a briefing of types of marijuana, dr. frank el gives him the recommendation. >> i'm legal. >> reporter: finding a pot doc in l.a. is like finding a plastic surgeon in beverly hills, they are ever where.

dr. frank el charges his new patients $200. by law the recommendation can only be good for up to a year. patients have to go back to get a renewal. it is a system being fueled by the explosive growth of dispensaries. there are more than 600 in los angeles alone. to put that number in perspective there are more dispensaries than starbucks, 7-11s and mcdonalds. that is not what this pastor envisioned. he said they are dope dealers. >> that was not the intention of prop 15. it was get people off the black market not institutionalize the black market. >> reporter: dr. frank el estimates half those buying medical marijuana are doing so just to get stoned. he says they harm the industry and make it hard for marijuana to be viewed as legitimate

medication. there is little doctors do to combat the use. >> will people lie? they will lie to get anything. i am not that concerned. they are just getting cannabis. >> reporter: getting cannabis. at its worse california created a system with plain old drug abusers hiding under state law, at its best, medication to help people manage their pain. a lot more on this at the top of the hour. america's high the case for and against pot. a "360" special starts in ten minutes. sarah palin is saying goodbye. her new poll numbers are anything but hot right now. the ousted president of honduras makes another attempt to reclaim his office. we'll show you what happened this time. ... to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long.

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>> still ahead, stump the anchor. erica hill tests my harry potter

knowledge. first it looks like one step forward, one step back for jose manuel zelaya walking into the country. then walking back. he is taking heat from secretary of state clinton who is urging all sides to avoid any provocative action that may escalate the power struggle. murder charges in a gay service man who was shot and set on fire at camp pendleton last month, the suspect jonathan cam pos will not face hate crimes charges. starting today you can trade in the old jalopy gas guzzler and get cash back from uncle sam. as much as $4,500. there are one or two catches. find the rules at cars.gov.

sarah palin is throwing a picnic in wasilla. the grill heating up, recent polling showing her national approval numbers are cooling down. another reminder of governor palin's time is almost up. a moving truck seen at the governor's mansion earlier this week, anderson. can we afford to make pot legal? can we afford not to? america's high, the case for and if against pot at the top of the hour. first, the case for potter, harry potter. we thought we would play tribute with tonight's shot, name that media mogul, next. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long.

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all right. i will take "the shot" from here, anderson cooper, don't you worry. i know you may not be a huge harry potter fan. >> how old are those kids now? >> they are like 35. >> are they still dressing up as children? >> and having a mid-life crisis about it. we don't have time for that. we have time for a quiz for you in honor of "harry potter and the half blood prince." i'm going to show you the harry potter character. you tell me the media muggle who looks the person. there is our man, ron weezly, harry's bff. do you see a resemblance. >> bill gates. >> try late night. >> conan o'brien? >> yes. >> because he had red hair? >> yes. >> that is ridiculous. >> all right. i'm not done. professor of the dark arts, here he comes.

who does he look like? >> lou dobbs. >> sadly, no. >> i'm kidding. have you ever seen lou late at night. >> chris matthews. there you go. >> the evil lucious malvoy. >> i'm going to get e-mails. >> lou dobbs just e-mailed you. >> doesn't have to be a tv personality. >> i don't know. >> carter from vanity fair. >> who has been smoking pot? you are literally i see your lips moving. i don't know what you are saying. >> should we try one more or go to the money shot? we are going to the money shot. >> okay. how many of these books have you read erica hill? >> i read all of them. i own them all. fleur delacour. >> i don't know.

>> head of the silver fox anderson cooper. >> what? >> here is why. that silvery hair the bewitching eyes. how could you not be transfixed. this is what they have in common. yes, they are accomplished. she competed -- >> i don't understand a word you are saying. >> i'm telling you why they think you look alike. a cornerstone of our primetime but really they say you are both pretty. >> are we done? i'm completely mystified. i don't know what just happened. >> magic can do that to you. >> i think i was insulted somehow. >> no, you weren't. >> i'm going to play the tape. >> i think i'm done. >> we are so done. >> a "360" special report, america's high, compelling stories from both sides. have a great weekend.

welcome to a threes special,

america's high, the case for and against pot. marijuana is the most commonly used narcotic in the country, 100 millions have tried it. it is a multibillion dollar business with deep ties to mexican drug cartels, turning parts of america's national parks into marijuana gardens. my interview with melissa etheridge who credits marijuana with helping her battle breast cancer. >> you don't take medicinal marijuana to get high. it is not a high. it is normal. i could get out of bed. i could go see my kid. it was amazing. >> 13 states allow marijuana to be used for medical purposes. the only requirement is a doctor's recommendation. patients have access to dispensaries where cannabis is legally sold. the options run from marijuana laced cookies to drink. take a look. >>. >> joanna la force has been a

pharmacist for 30 years. in 2007 she co-founded the pharmacy, a dennis pensry that sells medical marijuana. >> we are careful how we verify our patients. they need a california i.d. or driver's license and their doctor's recommendation. >> the state law was enacted in 2003 legalizing the service. under the bush administration they were constant targets of raids by the federal government. president obama vowed to end those raids. la force and their staff will

show clients a menu of cannabis for sell. >> this medical marijuana dispensary, they have about 30 varieties of cannabis available on any given day. here is one called air force one. this is an organic blend of cannabis used to treat stress and pain. see what it smells like. oh. i don't think air force one has ever quite smelled like this. it has a strong, pungent odor. la force and her staff will show clients a menu of cannabis for sale used to treat symptoms. >> there is bubba joe. mendo purple, princess third eye. air force one. >> exactly. people are familiar with these varieties or the names, they have a feeling for how it is going to work for them. >> despite the varieties available, la force says all of them fall into one of two basic types. sativa and indica. >> sativa has a higher

percentage of thc. it is more of a stimulating, works really well for depression, excellent for stimulating the appetite and other type of psychological ailments. indica is a sedating, full body, good for inflammation, arthritis, neurological types of diseases. >> for customers who feel uneasy about lighting up, la force has products for them, too. this pharmacy introduced a line of what they call edibles. lollipops that have cannabis. brownies, cookies, biscotti. chocolate and chocolate bars. this pharmacy has their own line of green, mint green tea, enhance cannabis is inside of this. ed this could have the same impact of smoking. people are going to say this is basically a fancy way of getting people stoned. >> every day we have people come

in with that same attitude and very skeptical. the more people are exposed to it and more people who have family members or friends that have benefited from cannabis, the more the idea of exactly what we are doing is changing. >> that change hasn't come without a fight. despite recent signs the obama administration might be hands off when it comes to medical marijuana, until federal law changes, the fight is far from over. pot and bis kotti, chocolate bars, that dispensary has an extensive marijuana menu. all it takes is a doctor's recommendation. it is that easy in california. for many that is a big part of the problem. dan simon reports. >> so it is pain, angt? >> and depression. >> reporter: dr. allen frankel is a so-called pot doc. he will see 13 patients a day

and recommend they use marijuana for their various aches and pains. >> i'm not trying to get patients stoned. >> reporter: instead of a prescription to obtain medical marijuana a patient needs a doctor's formal recommendation, a letter, it is how you get inside one of the state's dennis pensries. you need to be 18. minors can get it if their guardian approves. he started his practice after 25 years working as an internist. >> i think it is the greatest medication i have ever worked with. >> reporter: for those who want it, getting access to medical marijuana in california is relatively easy. chris perez is a typical new patient, complaining of on some that and depression. how does marijuana help you? >> it calms me down. it eliminates the confusion and congestion out there. >> reporter: after a 45-minute

appointment, dr. frankel gives him the recommendation. >> i'm legal. i can legally do this now in the state of california. >> reporter: finding a pot doc in l.a. is like trying to find a plastic surgeon in beverly hills. they are everywhere. dr. frankel charges his new patients $200. by law the recommendation is only good for a year. there are more than 600 dennis pensries in los angeles alone. there are more dispensaries here than starbucks, 7-11s and even mcdonald's. >> that not what the architects of the medical marijuana law had in mind. this man says the dispensaries are dope dealers with store fronts. >> that wasn't the intention.

it was to get people off the black market not institutionalize the black market. >> reporter: even dr. frankel says half of those buying medical marijuana are doing it to get stoned. they are harming the industry and making it hard for marijuana to be viewed as legitimate medication. >> it's true. will people lie? yes. they'll lie to get anything. i'm not that concerned about that because what they're just getting is cannabis. >> reporter: getting cannabis, at its worse, california has created a system with plain old drug abusers hiding under the cover of state law, at its best, helping people manage their pain. dan simon, cnn, los angeles. >> next, award winning singer, songwriter and medicinal marijuana user, melissa etheridge. she is a cancer survivor and said medical marijuana helped her get back on her feet.

>> it instantly, within a minute, relieved the nausea, relieved the pain and all of a sudden i was normal. another woman says using medical marijuana nearly destroyed her life. the man they call king bong. matching people with doctors who say yes to marijuana. a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways.

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we're back with the "360" special, america's high, the case for and against pot. some who want it to be legalized have studies that show health benefits. the national drug control policy says marp is a dangerous drug that has no recognized medical value. to the hundreds of thousands who use it for medical purposes it does have a value. like melissa etheridge. she turned to marijuana after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. she said it eased her pain and restored her health. >> i'm grateful for my cancer diagnosis. >> grateful because it changed your life? >> changed my life. woke me up. >> melissa etheridge's wakeup call came in 2004 when she was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. she underwent two surgeries to remove the tumors and limp nodes

and began what she calls the most painful experience at all, chemotherapy. what was the pain like? >> it is a general pain, of your body dying, all your cells dying. your appetite is gone and you're nauseous. your hair falling out. your skin -- it's like death. and the only thing i could do is lay there. it hurt to -- light hurt. sound hurt. i couldn't read anything. i just laid there. >> needing something to ease the pain she didn't want to use vicodin or prescription pills that could be addictive or come with side effects. >> all of these things have side effects. the steroids and the pain relief they give you the first day you go to chemotherapy causes constipation. here is a pill for the constipation which will give you diarrhea. you get huge side effects from all of this. >> etheridge decided to combat the pain of chemotherapy with

medicinal marijuana. the first time you did it, it made a big difference? >> instantly, within a minute relieved the nausea, relieved the pain. all of a sudden i was normal. you don't take medicinal marijuana to get high. >> you weren't getting high? >> no. it is not a high. it's a normal. all of a sudden i could get out of bed. i could go see my kid. it was amazing. >> often too sick from the chemotherapy to smoke, etheridge's wife tammy lynn michaels would mix the marijuana into butter and spread it on melissa's food or she would inhale it through a vaporizer. medicinal marijuana worked so well etheridge said she used it every four hours daily in chemotherapy. did you worry about becoming addicted? this is a gateway drug? >> no. it's not. not at all. if you were on that side you would understand what i mean. it is almost laughable to think

you could be addicted. >> you mention you still have a prescription. do you still use marijuana? >> yeah, i do. the effects of my -- on my gastrointestinal system, acid reflux is a constant problem. i don't want to take the pills they give you with all the side effects to help with that and i do use it -- i'm one of the users that would like in a stressful situation or maybe when i've eaten that cheese pizza with my kids that i will do that and it settles all that. >> most people eat the cheese pizza after the marijuana. >> that is true. >> you've got it backwards. >> it's not like that. i know. ♪ i run for hope i run to feel i run for the truth for all that

is real ♪ >> today at 48 melissa etheridge has been cancer free for four years. she can't imagine having gone through the battle of her life without medicinal marijuana. she is now pushing for its legalization. 200,000 people are registered in california to receive medicinal marijuana. do you believe all those people have legitimate reasons to be getting marijuana? >> yes. who are we to say what a legitimate reason is? if it helps somebody at the end of the day instead of drinking a couple of glasses of wine, to have a few tokes, who are we to say? why must we in this country be so judgmental about this? these people are not hurting anybody. they are not hurting themselves. >> etheridge is a strong supporter of medical marijuana. you are about to meet another woman who is not a supporter.

she says it nearly drove her to suicide. her story raises questions, not only about the effectiveness of the drug but the wide discretion doctors have in giving it. randy kaye reports. >> reporter: when this california schoolteacher was diagnosed with bipolar disorder nine years ago, she decided to medicate with marijuana. she asked us not to identify her so we'll call her lisa. lisa found a doctor online to recommend medical marijuana. she showed me how easy it was. >> you type in finding medical marijuana doctor. a list of websites will pop up. >> reporter: before she started using medical marijuana, lisa says depression would keep her in bed for weeks. she also had thoughts of suicide. medical marijuana was supposed to make life better for her. but remember, once she got the paperwork lisa could buy as much marijuana as she wanted at the california dispensary and it was all legal. >> here is a free gram for coming. you can try this blend or this blend.

in fact, we have plants over here if you would like to buy some clones to grow your own. we're going to throw in some edibles for you, some cookies, some brownies for being such a good customer. >> reporter: lisa smoked marijuana before for fun. she never imagined she could get addicted but this was so easy to buy and the better it made her feel the more she wanted to smoke. lisa became hooked. spending as much as $1,000 a month on the drug. what does that translate into? >> seven, eight joints a day. >> reporter: eight joints. you were smoking? >> bong rips. i would wake up in morning have a nice bong rip. on the way to work i would smoke, i would leave during my break and smoke, i would smoke on the way home, i would smoke all night long. >> reporter: psychiatrist denise green didn't treat lisa. in fact, she says lisa should have never been approved for medical marijuana. >> long-term side effects of chronic marijuana use

psychologically are depression and anxiety. so anyone who has underlying psychiatric illnesses should not be using marijuana on top of that. >> reporter: adding to the problem, dr. green says, medical marijuana isn't dispensed or controls the way other medications are. there are no limits and no fine print for how to take the drug. >> it is not a standard prescription. it is not like smoke one joint every eight hours for pain and the prescription says you can get 12 joints. >> reporter: lisa hit rock bottom two years ago. the marijuana had started to affect her negatively. her mood swings became more extreme. in june, 2007, she found herself on the verge of suicide. her parents called police, had her rushed to the hospital. that was the last time lisa ever touched the stuff. >> it saved my life for a long time and then it stopped saving my life and it started killing my life. >> reporter: today lisa has been

clean two years. she goes to marijuana anonymous and takes lithium daily. a much more controlled way of managing her moods instead of smoking marijuana whenever she felt like getting high. randy kay, cnn, van nuys, california. she still believes medical marijuana should be legal. the man who believes the drug has plenty of benefits. he groce his own pot and smokes it. he is a marijuana matchmaker and it is perfectly legal. the reach of mexico's drug cartel, they are planting marijuana in america's national parks. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways.

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i'm erica hill, america's high, the case for and against pot continues in a moment. first a "360" bulletin. president obama, a phone conversation with the white police officer in the center of the controversy over the arrest of a black harvard professor. mr. obama is not apologizing for saying cambridge police acted stupidly but calling his comment an unfortunate choice of words. >> i, unfortunately, gave an impression that i was maligning the cambridge police department or sergeant crowley specifically. i could have calibrated those words differently. the executors of michael jackson's estate are not wasting

time. they have recovered $5.5 million from one of jackson's former advisers. investigators searched a beverly hills medical clinic. tony alambo is planning to appeal his conviction. a jury finding him guilty of taking five girls as young as 9 years old across state lines for sex. steny hoyer of maryland says house leadership may keep lawmakers in washington past the scheduled august break. those are your headlines. stay tuned for more, right here.

you're watching a "360" special "america's high, a case

for and against pot." there is a man who made millions in his pursuit of legalize marijuana. he believes it is a healthy alternative to tobacco and alcohol. joe johns takes us to meet in polarizing figure. >> reporter: if marijuana has a legitimate future, paul is a pot pioneer. >> i feel relaxed. >> reporter: call it his oregon trail. for 25 years he pushed to legalize marijuana. in fact, for the last decade he hosted a cable show on it. he founded what he says was the first medical marijuana consultation and referral service in oregon. the company has amassed files on 64,000 patients in eight states where medical marijuana is legal, matching people who want it to doctors who can provide

it. stanford says it is a $3 million a year business. these plants are stanfords. he is licensed by the state to grow medical marp. he gives it away in closed door meetings like this. the next frontier? >> we need to take this market out of the hands of the kids and substance abusers and put it in the hands of the state where age limit is enforced and we can get tax revenue. >> reporter: he is trying to get it on the ballot. he has failed in past efforts to legalize it. it doesn't cost much to raise these plants. if this were scaled out so that marijuana was being sold all over the country and it were legalized, some people say the cost to society would be much greater than the benefits. it is a guessing game, but a moderate estimate says if

marijuana were decriminalized it would save $13 billion. if pot were taxed like alcohol and cigarettes it would b mean $7 billion, a net gain for government of $20 billion. that is not a complete picture. comparing alcohol to pot, alcohol taxes cover 10% of alcohol-related costs like drunk driving and tobacco costs cover 20% of tobacco-related medical costs. what about marijuana? if legalized would we see more accidents olower worker productivity? higher insurance rates? in paul stanford's garden it is all blue sky. >> that is assuming that marijuana is like alcohol and tobacco. it isn't. marijuana is a healthy alternative and much safer than alcohol and tobacco. >> what about the cartels and brutal international drug trade? those who support legalization say it will stem the violence.

critics say the cartels will slash their prices or ramp up trade in cocaine or methamphetamine. stanford says there is no proof that would happen and he remains confident in the mantra of legalization. >> marijuana is a lot safer than alcohol. it has a lot of medicinal benefit. if we look at the science, we're going to win. >> reporter: given the national experience with legalized recreation a.m. drugs who knows where this oregon trail will lead. joe johns, cnn, portland. paul stanford says medical science is on the side of pot. it is an argument that rob camp yeah endorses. he is a director of the medical marijuana policy act. i also spoke to a man who opposes making pot legal. why is it necessary? dea says there is a prescription drug marinol, relieves side

effects associated with chemotherapy and assists with loss of eighth appetite. >> marinol, the prescription pill doesn't work for everyone. it is 100% thc. it is the ingredient that gets you high. marijuana is a number of ingredients, one of which is thc. >> david, do you buy it? >> we have a debate. this needs to be settled by the food and drug administration. we have had a drug approval process. let the fda sort it all out. rob doesn't want it to go to the fda. he wants it to go to state legislatures because he can influence it there using political and emotional arguments. >> that is not true. we would love to move marijuana through the fda approval

process. unfortunately, the federal government has a monopoly on the supply of marijuana. advocates have tried to produce their own dea approved supply of marijuana and the dea keeps blocking that private production facility so as a result we have been able to do some research to show marijuana has medical value for aids, cancer, ms pain, but not enough studies to move it through the fda approval process. >> david, i talked to people at this dispensary who say, institutional medicine doesn't want research in this because they are not going to be able to make money off of cannabis if it is sold in smoking form. >> that is completely false argument. there are already two fda approved cannabanoid drugs approved. a lot of studies have been done on marijuana plus and minus in

terms of its effect on the human body. there's a lot of them. i can show anybody who wants them hundreds of studies. >> rob, you say there are studies that support your position. in terms of legalization of marijuana, a lot of people who are against medical marijuana say that basically what you want is legalization and this is just the first step in that. >> we want to end marijuana prohibition. three good reasons, one, prohibition hasn't prevented people from using marijuana since it was enacted 72 years ago. two, it is better to have regulated establishments growing and selling marijuana and paying taxes rather than drug dealers and cartels doing it and not paying taxes. third the police have better things to spend their time on than arrested 872,000 marijuana users and growers a year. >> 40% of a lot of police arrests are for marijuana. is that really --

>> i have been a criminal defense attorney for 34 years. usually when somebody gets busted for pot they are busted for some other offense and when they search them they find pot on them. it is not true people with small amounts of pot are going to prison. >> what about tax something. >> look at the model of alcohol and tobacco. look at the cost to our society in terms of health care costs, crime, trauma, accidents, work place losses, those costs don't come close to the amount of money we would get in taxes. >> you are saying even though we are getting more none taxes there would be other side effects. >> marijuana use would go up, madison avenue will push it to kids like alcohol and tobacco. social costs will go up and we will have a lot of trouble paying for that. >> the big difference between marijuana and tobacco and alcohol, marijuana is vastly safer. it is impossible to overdose on it and is not physically

addictive. when we are talking about regulating a product, marijuana should be first in line. >> we have to leave it there. rob, we appreciate your perspective, dave as well. they have their opinion, what does a doctor think? we will get facts of benefits and dangers of marijuana from dr. sanjay gupta. dr. sanjay gupta. we continue this "360" special "america's high, the case for and against pot." reathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid.

we're back with america's high. is it safe? is it effective? one doctor said pot is the best medication he ever worked with. other doctors say it is a potent, addictive gateway drug with no health benefits who is right? i spoke with "360" m.d. dr. sanjay gupta. sanjay, let's get at it. are there benefits to medical marijuana t. patients we talk to swear by it. >> the answer is yes. there are medical benefits to marijuana. this is more than anecdotal evidence. there are studies to back that up. we know there are receptors in the brain, cannabinoid receptors that control pain levels, hunger levels, therein lies possible benefits of marijuana. for example, someone who having

terrible mall nourishment or nausea as a result of chemotherapy or being infected with hiv/aids can be helped with marijuana. the nurl pain that is caused by trauma or injury or surgery, sometimes it can be refractory to pain medications. marijuana can help there as well. multiple sclerosis, that is something that can cause significant tremors. marijuana can help. the caveat is other medications which we know more about may be better alternatives. >> is there medical evidence it can be dangerous? what do doctors say? >> most of the studies really look at some of the shorter term effects of marijuana. it is hard to make the statement about the longer term dangers of marijuana. the medical community as a whole, the american medical association is against the smoking of marijuana. that is a stance they take as an

organization. several areas in the brain that marijuana effects. the hippocampus, responsible for memory. short term memory. the developing brain, does marijuana have a greater impact on the developing brain? there are studies that are not conclusive. there is a real concern. you talk about thc there are 300 other compounds or so as well. what exactly do they do? finally the issue you raised about addiction. is it adiblgt idicaddictive? you are going to find confli conflicting studies. take a look as compared to other substances, you can see the numbers there. cannabis at the bottom 9% there is that risk as well. >> to melissa etheridge i asked

her about the addictive question and she laughed. other people say psychologically. does one make a difference between possible psychological addiction and physical addiction? >> that is a great question. with addiction from a physical stant, you are talking about a physical addiction. it may be mood related but you may have physical manifestations of the withdrawal. >> we have a text question. matthew from new mexico asks can we not obtain the medical benefits of marijuana without smoking it. there is a federally approved medicine on the market, marinol. is it not a decent substitute? >> it is a synthetic form of thc. you get rid of the compounds we don't know a lot about. one of the disadvantages is it is a pill. one thing about using marijuana, smoking it or vaporizing it, you

can tie trait it more easily and get the appropriate dose. with the pill you may take too much or too little. >> interesting information, good facts. up next, how marijuana gets into the u.s., across the borders from coast-to-coast. we'll map it out. florida, a drug trafficker's paradise. buying cheap homes and growing pot farms in those homes. it could be happening in your neighborhood. marijuana is grown in national parks and forests by mexican drug cartels aimed with ak-47s. randy kay went on a raid. >> it is easy to take a pot garden down. once these guys come across the plants they just yank them right out of the ground. it is that simple. and feel better fast.

ceit keeps my airways open... to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid.

so how popular is pot? 6,000 people in america will use pot for the first time every day. it is grown in every state in america. it is a big money maker. marijuana is the biggest cash crop in california with an estimated value of $14 billion. profits are big, it is spreading to towns and cities everywhere. >> reporter: these have been the principle roots by which mexican marijuana have been coming into the united states over the years but they are changing. the federal government's 2009 national drug threat assessment said as enforcement tightened up on both sides of the bofrder, the mexican car tls moved their pot farms to the u.s. to shut their shipping costs and the risk of interception.

crossing the border works like this, if the pot is in a car or boat or truck or plane or by hand, they wait for something to distract the border guard, unusually heavy traffic on a holiday or something as benign as a big storm that might draw upon law enforcement and then they send the smuggler akros. once over, the load is very quickly spread out into some big city like houston or perhaps into colorado, denver, to los angeles. there it is cut into smaller loads, moved to the street level distributors and on to the customers. however the dea says the growing risk of border arrests have the cartels expand iing their operations within the united states. for years they operated these huge farms on public land in the west. they are moving more of that to the east and more indoors where higher quality pot can be grown away from prying eyes.

in addition, it is worth considering that canadian pot, which was once pretty much confined to out here in the west, has now been moving more over here toward the east and carried more into the country by asian gangs over here. all along the way operatives of the cartels keep an eye on the product and collect the money. those jobs are split up among many players and law enforcement doesn't know the whole chain of supply. if one shipment is busted, another one will get rerouted around to cover the market. anderson. >> for law enforcement the key to ending the demand is cutting off the supply. last year 8 million marijuana plants were seized and destroyed in america. 61% of the marijuana in america is harvested on public land, national parks and forests. now mexican drug cartels have turned parts of america's most treasured lands into their own

pot gardens. there it is. a marijuana garden smack in the middle of los padres national fos. last year in california 5.2 million plants were seized. 70% of them on public land. estimated value, $15.6 billion. with captain derek west as our guide, we start our journey deep into the forest. we smell the plants before we see them. the plants are young, no buds yet, that's the part people smoke. they won't have to be burned. it is easy to take a pot garden down. once these guys come across the plants they yank them right out of the ground. it is that simple. we are heading to the camp where

the growers lived. the growers, we're told, are illegal immigrants from mexico who repay debt to the drug cartels by tending their marijuana garden. so who do you think is financing this? >> we believe it is the cartels from mexico. we find receipts, we find sometimes books. we've made arrested in some of the grows. >> why here? it is tough to get drugs across the border and the can pi of trees in yosemite and sequoia provides good cover. there have been shootouts between the growers and law enforcement but no tourists have been hurt, still, deputies say hikers and campers have reason to be concerned. so do you feel like you are making any headway in the forest against these guys. >> absolutely. for every plant we take we are taking money away from the cartels. >> still, too often, gardens are

replanted. today alone our group thinks they destroyed about 7,000 plants. the street value they estimate at $3.5 million. along the way we find an empty bag of fertilizer, and pipes used to divert water to irrigate the marijuana. a real environmental concern. we reached the camp but the growers are gone. here at this camp our team found beebes. you can see them in this plastic jar. the growers will use these to kill rodents which they live on while they are camped out in the forest. they are expected to find weapons in 80% of the cases. we are talking military assault rifles, ak-47s. the growers use those to protect the pot gardens from anyone trying to take them down. the raid complete we make our way back leaving behind a marijuana garden that now looks

more like a graveyard. randy kay, cnn, in the los padres national forest. >> who knows how many others are being planted right now? next from national parks to the suburbs, see how pot may be growing in a home near you. ster. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. anno hp bl y ng an's eroid.anunceee my rwen elp meheetralday . anits t a stnoity ayopen meheet allo.ot stoinoun kpsy rwayst anitnosteroid. announee my ays opto help mehe . ance my rways ... i's noa eranunitee my rwen.. helreheet anits t stoi annoceee maiays en elp mehe bteall da. annoceee maiays en d 's t stoi tome breetopen.. aldalo. an's t std.nounitpsy airway.. hp merehe br it kps my ays entoelme bhe . aldang.and s noa oid. d i't ster unce k my ais en..toelme batett. d i't ster noceitps mairway... i'nosterd. to helreheetteen..toelme batett. nounceeey ais en.. anits noa d. p merehe bet aly . d its t sterteen..toelme batett. to h bhe betrp.... dalos noa d. d'not eroi unit kpsairws .. to hmereat br allo. unit kpsairws .. 's not oid. anit kps maiayen. elmereheetrall y . d 't eroi

elmeatheetrl y lo. d 's t std. anunitpsy airway...to hp reheetr elmeatheetrl y lo. l dang.anits t std.ance kpsn top brehe betall y .d it't stoi anceit kpsy aiop.. elp breatetr dalong an's t sterd.iop.. anun keeairwayen unceee mairws ...to hp rehee l day .d its not oid.nounee. allo.sterd.annoitps mairwopr anits noa oi annoceee mais en.. toel bre betr day lo d it't eroi hme breettes ... day lo anitnot sterd. noit kpsais op... top mereheet hme breettes ... alday . d its t a oid.annoceee my s op.. elp breathe better all day long. er ceeeps mrws help reatr l day d a and it's not a st. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. i'm erica hill, america's high, the case for and against pot, continues in a moment. but first, this 360 bulletin. one step forward, one step back for the ousted president of

honduras. zelaya walking into the country from nicaragua and meeting resistance and pulling back. a month after the military forced him from office. taking heat from secretary of state clinton urging all sides to avoid provocative actions that might escalate the power struggle. 360 follow-up tonight. murder charges in the killing of a gay serviceman who was shot and set on fire at camp pendleton last month. the suspect will not face hate-crime charges. the killing they say was simply part of a larger crime spree. starting today, trade in your own gas guzzler for a fuel-efficient ride and get money back from uncle sam. $4,500. there are some rules, though. log on to cars.gov. with two days left in her tenure, sarah palin is throwing a picnic in wasilla. her popularity is slipping. 53% of those questioned by "washington post" and abc news

view her negatively. those are your headlines at this hour. the 360 special, "america's high: the case for and against pot" continues. vo: well yeah, because when you save money on simple things, vo: it adds up to some pretty amazing things. vo: walmart saves the average family $3,100 a year no matter where you shop. vo: what will you do with your savings? vo: save money. live better. walmart.

reatall day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. in a town hall meeting in march, president obama said a number one question asked online is whether legalizing marijuana could help bring the country out of a deep recession. it's happening in florida, where the collapse of the housing market has turned homes into pot

factories. here's drew griffin. >> reporter: it's 7:15 tuesday morning. this is a convoy of dea agents about to hit a drug house. think you can stop marijuana trafficking? watch this. >> seven footers, i'm guessing off the bat right now, to 60, 65 plants. >> reporter: a flee-bedroom ranch, a cut lawn, a family of three and a $500,000 a year illegal business in just one room. this is what could only be described as a pot factory in a garage on a suburban street in miami. look at just the water system that brings the water to every individual plant that's in one of these pots. these plants, seven feet tall, just all in a garage you would not notice from the street. the growers, cubans here illegally. agents say most likely just

minor players in a criminal network connected sometimes to as many as two dozen other homes all growing pot just like this. >> this is not mom and pop. with the amount of lights in here, the air-conditioning setup, the plumbing setup down here, they're not doing this on their own. >> reporter: dea special agent, a former prosecutor, has watched florida's casual indoor grower turned into sophisticated networks of organized criminals. in two days we watch agents acting on tips and leads raid home after home, arresting this man suspected of setting up houses. they found in his home growing equipment, guns, $9,000 cash in a bag and several bags of dope. >> you could spend all day. there are so many grow houses down here, so many leads bringing us to grow houses. this could be a task force doing grow houses all day, seven days a week. >> reporter: it arrives smuggled in by the ton on boats and

trucks. the dea says more and more marijuana is coming from just down the street. if you street has foreclosed houses, all the better. >> sophisticated. the pot grows year round. potentially four crops a year from one house. >> that's right. >> reporter: the availability of houses? >> with the depressing real estate around the country, particularly in florida, it's a trafficker's paradise to come here to buy multiple houses for depressed rates. >> got consent to search this premises. it is a marijuana grow house. >> reporter: case in point, this house in west florida. take a look at this evidence tape inside a million-dollar operation. >> second room -- >> reporter: florida law enforcement is trying to stay ahead of the game, but the more law enforcement pressure here, the further north the grow houses spread. >> the whole house still reeks of marijuana.

>> reporter: this house raided in suburban atlanta just this month. neighbors didn't have a clue. >> just really mad because i always thought it was a safe neighborhood. >> reporter: back in miami, agents will spend the next few hours breaking down this indoor farm, processing paperwork to make arrests. in the end, these dea agents say a mom, dad and son will most likely be sentenced to probation. the task force will move on and the problem of home-grown marijuana keeps growing. drew griffin, cnn, miami. >> thanks for watching this 360 special "america's high: the case for and against pot." there's a lot more to read and watch online at ac360.com. i'm anderson cooper. see you next time. ter all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long.

and it's not a steroid. help reattereps my aiayen.. anit'not oid. anun keeps mays en elp mehe b all ng anit'not a stnounceps mairwopen. tome b betterday an'a ster noun keepsrwayopeno hp reate aldalo.and's noerd. hp meatheettealdang.and it't a. p mereatette day anun keepsrways . a's noeroi helreatheet aldang. and'not a d.nouneeps my s op.. anun keepsrways . a's noeroi hp mehe bettel da. d 's t a stoianceiteey ais en.. toel breatteraly lo. noun keey rwayen.a. a's t eroi helmeathe b allong. and 'not a d.anunceitps my s op. noun keey rwayen.a. a's t eroi p mere bettel dalod it's a t and as a progressive customer, you get to use any of our -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com nters. so i can just drop off my car and you'll take care of everything? yep, even the rental. what if i'm stuck at the office? if you can't come to us, we'll come to you in one of our immediate response vehicles! what if mother won't let me drive? then you probably wouldn't have had an accident in the first place. and we're walkin'! and we're walkin'... making it all a bit easier -- now that's progressive! call or click today. i think i'll go with the basic package. good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke.