[transparentaura]

Yep, our drug policy is a tragic, expensive joke. One problem is that waging it has long been a very profitable industry for a lot of very powerful corporations who have a vested interest in keeping it going. Then too, you have a whole segment of the law enforcement community whose careers and positions would cease to exist, or at the least be greatly diminished by a cease fire in this war on our fellow citizens, and their desperation to defend their fiefdoms shows. Really, does anybody believe the grossly exaggerated claims of the danger of marijauna that some of these crusaders spout? I doubt they even do, and it weakens their credibility. We've reached a point in the evolution of our country where few adults, not even our latest Presidents can honestly profess to never having smoked it.Smoking weed as a young man is not even a deal breaker for a presidential nomination for christs sake, nor should it be.However, if you are unfortunate enough to be prosecuted for it, not only will you never be president, you will have a lot of doors closed to you, not the least of which is possibly a cell door. Where is the justice in that? How many people can honestly say they support our marijauna laws without being a total fucking hypocrite. My favorite argument used by the neo-temperence types is when they point to a promising young scholar, athlete, astronaut, synchronised swimmer or whatever who was on their way to fame and fortune until they were busted for pot and were thrown in jail, disgraced,ruined forever and barred from pursuing their dream. This, they say is evidence that drugs will ruin your life, when the flaw in that argument is obvious to all but the most gullible DARE program alumnus. Meanwhile,just like with the Volstead act, organized crime, big business and law enforcement all profit from marijauna prohibition,almost nobody considers pot a real crime,everybody breaks the law and only the powerless are punished. Just like Prohibition. This is hardly an original argument. But it is just so fucking obvious.