Rick and Mary Jane

To me, Rick Steves seems like a very nice and personable guy. I've watched his show on PBS for years and love seeing how he travels through Europe on a budget. Rick Steves does not smoke pot.

Ok, we've all known about the argument for and against legalizing marijuana. Personally, I am for it. Always have been. I've never quite understood how the federal government can allow alcohol and cigarettes to be legal, yet present marijuana as a dangerous drug. The CDC reports that in 2001, 75,000 deaths were attributed to excessive alcohol abuse. They also report that an estimated 438,000 people die each year from tobacco use. In fact, cigarettes kill more people yearly than HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol abuse, automobiles, suicides, and murders combined.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy refers to marijuana as one would alcohol or cigarettes. If that's the case, then why turn those who smoke it into criminals, while those who have a cigarette or a cocktail are seen as law abiding citizens?

The ONDCP's website states that there were 1,889,810 arrests for drug violations in 2006. Of those arrests, 39.1% were for marijuana possession. In other words, almost half of those arrested on drug charges in this country simply had some pot on them. Am I the only one who sees the ridiculousness of this?

Marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 substance. Which, by the DEA's own admission, means -

(A) The drug or other substance has high potential for abuse.
(B) The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
(C) There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.

Other drugs in this category -

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB)
Heroin
methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Ecstasy)

On the other hand, cocaine is classified as a Schedule 2 drug, because the DEA claims "medical use". Schedule 2 is defined as -

(A) The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse.
(B) The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States or a currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions.
(C) Abuse of the drug or other substances may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.

Others -

Opium
Oxycodone
Methamphetamine
Phencyclidine (PCP)

So, in the DEA's eyes, marijuana is more dangerous than PCP and has less medicinal value.

I know that to be false from personal experience. My aunt, who died from cancer, had a better quality of life, during chemo, due to marijuana. It stopped her nausea and pain and increased her appetite.

Marijuana helps AIDS patients deal with the same symptoms. European studies have shown that one ingredient in marijuana has been shown to inhibit the growth of cancerous cells in animals. It aids those with glaucoma, chronic pain, and even multiple sclerosis. Tourette's syndrome, anorexia, epilepsy, and Alzheimer's are other areas where marijuana has shown promise as a treatment.

Rick Steves, the travel guru from PBS, now sits on the board of NORML. He has spoken out about the farce of the "war" that the feds wage against marijuana. Even many ( a lot more than you would think) in the law enforcement community advocate a change. So why the resistance from our federal government?

IMHO, dollars. Pure and simple. The US government will not allow any federal dollars to be spent on marijuana studies. Possibly because studies might show it actually has value. Monies obtained from marijuana busts fund the DEA machine. If the DEA is to fight the scourge of pot, they need cars, trucks, planes, boats, night vision, weapons, etc. It seems to me it is nothing more than a vicious cycle.

I think it's time that marijuana prohibition went the way of the original prohibition.