[420 Girl]

CNN reporter Anderson Cooper has been hosting an in depth look at the debate of legalizing marijuana all week on his AC 360 program, "America's High-the case for and against pot". On Monday night they showcased some of the benefits of medical marijuana to combat the pain and side effects of cancer treatment and other medical conditions. In California where there are state run dispensaries for medical marijuana, they showed the many choices available to users. Melissa Etheridge was interviewed and spoke of how pot was fundamental in her recovery from breast cancer a few years ago. It was quite compelling.

On the video shown last night, Rob Kampia, a representative from the Marijuana Policy Project who support the legalization of marijuana and David Evans, a special adviser the the Drug Free America Foundation who are against the legalization of marijuana held a lively discussion. While they debated the pros and cons of medical marijuana, Mr. Evans argued that there are drugs available on the market (Marinol) that negate the need for medical marijuana. Those against medical marijuana are fearful that it will be just the first step to gaining outright legalization of pot.

Mr. Kampia agreed with that and gave the three primary reasons his organization (along with hundreds of other pro marijuana organizations) are in favor of legalizing marijuana:

1. Prohibition does not work.

2. They would rather see a regulated industry with standards and guidelines rather than leaving it up to drug dealers and cartels as it is today.

3. With 40% of all arrests in this country related to marijuana, (over 870,000 users and growers) the police have much more important things to do.

Mr Evans, of course, disputed the statistics, claiming that most arrests involving marijuana were not the primary cause for the arrests and that marijuana was found after the arrest for other crimes. He went on to compare marijuana use with that of tobacco and alcohol in terms of social costs. That argument was disputed when Mr. Kampia pointed out

You could not compare marijuana to the other drugs because it is vastly safer, virtually impossible to overdose on and is not addictive.

Those against the legalization of marijuana choose to ignore the facts and statistics. No matter how many law enforcement officers, economists, scientists, etc. write papers and sign petitions they do not budge. It remains to be seen if they ever will. I urge anyone interested in the subject to stay tuned to the continuing story on CNN. Tonight they will explore whether the US can afford to make pot legal, or can they afford not to. Should be interesting.

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