Gnob - well said.
The money wasted fighting this "crime" is outstanding. Cannabis is easier for kids to get then alcohol. Drug dealers do not ID kids. Cannabis is one of the most researched and understood substances known to man. It is also one of the safest and most therapeutic. This has no effect on employment. Medical or recreational does not give you protection in the work place. I, as an employer, can fire you for coming to work drunk on legal booze, just like I would be able to fire you for coming to work stoned on legal weed.
Like many, I am worried about young people getting into trouble with marijuana and other drugs. The best solution, however, is honest and effective drug education. One survey after another indicates that teenagers have better access than most adults to marijuana—and often other drugs as well—and find it easier to buy marijuana than alcohol. Legalizing marijuana may make it easier for adults to buy marijuana, but it can hardly make it any more accessible to young people. I'd much rather invest in effective education than ineffective arrest and incarceration.
We need to allow research. Cannabis has not only palliative properties but curative as well. We need to follow this up. We need to study this plant. Harvard has published studies linking it to reducing/stopping tumor growth. Why are we not following this up? We have recently discovered neuroprotective properties in this plant (U.S. Gov has a patent on this). Studies have shown teens who binge drink AND smoke suffer less brain damage then teens who only drink. The cannabinoids found within the plant play many roles inside the body. Did you know you have a endocannabinoid system? This is what the cannabis cannabinoids bind to, and help regulate. Cannabis use is related to lower rates in ALS, Cancer, and many other diseases. I can't even begin to describe all the medicinal uses the cannabis plant offers.
This plant truly has tons of benefits. It's outstanding. Prohibition has failed. More people smoke cannabis now, then before. It's more readily available then before. It's better then before. We understand the plant better then before. Arresting 700,000 people for simple possession needs to stop. The war on drugs is a sham.
Even if we acknowledge that stopping drug use is a justifiable social goal, how does the financial cost of our war on drugs appear in light of the other challenges we face?
