Pubdate: Wed, 09 Aug 2006
Source: East Texas Review (Longview, TX)
Copyright: 2006 East Texas Review Newspaper
Contact: http://www.easttexasreview.com/contact.htm
Website: http://www.easttexasreview.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3575
Author: Jim Hightower
Cited: Marijuana Policy Project http://www.mpp.org
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Marijuana+Policy+Project

THE GOVERNMENT'S SICK WAR ON MARIJUANA

Excuse me for a moment while I vent about the mind-boggling stupidity
of the autocratic, bureaucratic, right-wing, Neanderthal numbskulls
who keep pushing an insane, inane, and inhumane holy war against
marijuana -- which is after all, a weed.

The most embarrassing thing for these holy warriors is that the weed
is winning! They've been at this war since 1937, spending billions and
billions of our tax dollars, militarizing our borders, and stomping on
our Bill of Rights.  They've used phone taps, garbage searches,
jack-booted raids, and draconian prison terms to...  well, to do what?
To nab peaceful, mellow tokers who aren't bothering anyone, that's
what.

Despite 60 years of spending our money, they've failed: 85 percent of
Americans say marijuana is easy to obtain today, a third of our
population says they've tried it, nearly 15 million people partake of
it at least monthly -- and more high school students now smoke
marijuana than cigarettes.

Meanwhile, the holy warriors have become more fanatical and thuggish
than ever.  A marijuana arrest is made every 41 seconds in America --
nine out of 10 of them for mere possession.  In 2004, 772,000
Americans were arrested on marijuana charges -- more than for all
violent crimes combined.  And 40,000 Americans are in prison today for
this victimless crime -- more than the entire prison populations of
eight European countries.

Even sicker, the sanctimonious weed warriors have made it a crime for
thousands of seriously sick people to get the medical benefits of
using small amounts of doctor-prescribed marijuana.  Weirdly, our
doctors can prescribe cocaine for patients -- but not marijuana.
Worse, drug thugs from the Drug Enforcement Agency and FBI bust down
the doors of these patients, seize their dosages...  and haul them to
jail.

For information and action to stop this absurd war, call the
Marijuana Policy Project: 202-462-5747.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake