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<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoTitle><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoTitle><span style='font-size:16.0pt'>The Noble Experiment<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.25in'>After observing decades of
alcohol-fueled moral decay, violence, and death, Congress amended the Constitution
in 1920 to include the Volstead Act. The new law made it a Federal crime to
manufacture and transport intoxicating liquors; however it did not authorize
the arrest of those who drank it.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>�</span>The
prohibition of alcohol at the Federal level was a gradual event that had its
beginnings at the state level more than eighty years earlier, in 1840. A difference
of opinion arose between the <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>pietistic
Protestants</b> who condemned saloons as places of political corruption and
sin, and their opponents, <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>liturgical
Protestants</b> <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>and Catholics</b> who
believed <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>the government should not
define morality.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent>The first successful attempt to get rid of alcohol
began when the state of <st1:State><st1:place>Maine</st1:place></st1:State>
banned the manufacture and sale of liquor in 1851. After that first success,
the movement slowed until 1880 when the <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Women's
Christian Temperance Union</b> and <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>The</b>
<b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Prohibition Party </b>stirred up
righteous anger against saloons. The feeling spread nationwide and by 1916, it
led to prohibition in 26 of the 48 states. In the final stages of the movement,
the Anti-Saloon League pushed Congress to pass the <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'>Volstead Act</b>.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.25in'>As Prohibitionists praised the new
Federal law, they failed to notice that <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>the
urge to drink did not go away. </b>Before long, bathtub and basement stills,
supply networks, and speakeasy bars sprang up to satisfy the nation's thirst.
The small, private stills soon gave way to larger operations run by gangsters
and thugs like Alfonse Capone who battled one another for a bigger share of the
market. Joseph P. Kennedy, the father of the late president, smuggled alcohol
from <st1:country-region><st1:place>Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>
into the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>
and built a sizable fortune both during and after Prohibition. Bootlegging
violence became commonplace because manufacturers and distributors had no legal
recourse to lawyers, courts, or insurance companies to help them to settle
their differences.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.25in'>Civil disobedience became common
among otherwise law-abiding citizens and soon the courts became clogged with
prohibition offenders. Most of the defendants demanded a jury trial because a
jury of their peers would feel more sympathy for their plight than would a
judge who was sworn to uphold the law.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.25in'>Throughout Prohibition,
distilleries in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Mexico</st1:place></st1:country-region>
and <st1:country-region><st1:place>Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>
remained open for business and provided visiting Americans with alcohol to
consume or smuggle back to the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'>The VCL<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent>In 1927, in response to the growing crisis, a group
of attorneys formed the VCL (<b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>The
Voluntary Committee of Lawyers</b>) to study the damage caused by the Federal Government�s
zero tolerance policy. They discovered that economic depression, crime,
corruption, and violence had exhausted Americans and their favorite stress
reliever was alcohol.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.25in'>In 1932, the stage was set for the
VCL to overturn the new law. FDR was running for president against Herbert
Hoover who defended prohibition. Early on in the campaign, FDR realized his
support lay with the people, and not with the government. He made a single
speech in which he endorsed repeal. Thanks largely in part to this decision, he
captured the election.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.25in'>After the election, the VCL had a
tough job ahead of them because traditionally, state legislatures ratified
constitutional amendments and the legislators were rural, religious
fundamentalists who defended prohibition as part of their biblical
responsibility to God. VCL solved the problem by going around the state
legislators and creating state conventions directly responsible to voters.
Candidates for the new conventions had to declare themselves for or against
prohibition and the voters could choose the candidates. The newly elected delegates
became the tools to draft the bills to present to Congress.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.25in'>The VCL lined up expert witnesses
to testify in legislative hearings in all 48 states against Prohibition and
answer all legal questions pertaining to the Constitution.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.25in'>When Congress reconvened, it
responded to the mandate for repeal and passed it on <st1:date Year="1933"
Day="20" Month="2">February 20, 1933</st1:date>. It is said that a national
cheer could be heard at the moment of passage.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.25in'><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'>�</span>After 1933, organized crime lost nearly all of
its profits to liquor stores and in 1966, <st1:State><st1:place>Mississippi</st1:place></st1:State>
was the last state to repeal Prohibition.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.25in'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.25in'>The VCL succeeded in repealing the
Volstead Act because:</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.75in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;
tab-stops:list .75in'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol;
mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol'><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>�<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></span></span><![endif]>Federal Prohibition encroaches upon the powers
properly reserved to the states and the people.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.75in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;
tab-stops:list .75in'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol;
mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol'><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>�<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></span></span><![endif]>It created disrespect for law and law
enforcement officers.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.75in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;
tab-stops:list .75in'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol;
mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol'><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>�<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></span></span><![endif]>It corrupted law enforcement officers and public
officials through bribery.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.75in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;
tab-stops:list .75in'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol;
mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol'><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>�<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></span></span><![endif]>It led to injustice in the legal process and
overcrowded jails and courts.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.75in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;
tab-stops:list .75in'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol;
mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol'><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>�<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></span></span><![endif]>It encouraged improper and illegal acts by
police to obtain evidence for a bust.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.75in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;
tab-stops:list .75in'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol;
mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol'><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>�<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></span></span><![endif]>It infringed on constitutional guarantees
against illegal search and seizure.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.75in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;
tab-stops:list .75in'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol;
mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol'><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>�<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></span></span><![endif]>It wasted taxpayer dollars and destroyed lives.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'>Alcohol consumption actually <b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>increased</b> during this period, although
the depression itself may have been a factor.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-left:.25in;text-align:center'><b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<h1>The New Prohibition</h1>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-left:.25in;text-align:center'><b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>Soon after
American voters forced fundamentalist lawmakers to rethink zero tolerance,
Congress again passed prohibition against another intoxicating substance -
cannabis. Cannabis is a unique plant with a history of medicinal and
recreational use that has served humanity for thousands of years. Within a few
years the same pattern of civil disobedience, violence, and corruption created
by alcohol prohibition began to re-appear with cannabis. </p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>The
Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 is difficult to understand because its promoter,
Narcotics Bureau Chief, Henry J. Anslinger had no plan to license or collect a
tax on cannabis; instead, he used the authority of Congress and taxpayer
dollars to arrest and imprison millions of Mexican immigrants, African
Americans, and jazz musicians, whom he despised.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>When
marijuana first crossed our southern border in the pockets of Mexican and South
American farm workers, medicinal extracts of cannabis had been in common use
across <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region>
for half a century. Thanks to Anslinger and his agency, this popular patent
medicine soon became front-page news as a source of crime, violence, and human
degeneracy. More than any other government bureaucrat, Anslinger successfully
transformed cannabis into the "devil's weed" � the forbidden fruit
from which one puff could lead to addiction and death.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>Anslinger's
twenty-five year crusade of hysterical propaganda was so successful, it created
a huge bureaucracy of self-serving lawmakers who took turns railing against
cannabis and easily passed tough new laws, one after another. The new laws
authorized increasing numbers of police and narcotics agents to wield
unprecedented power over an ignorant and frightened population of Americans. By
manufacturing popular agreement, the hard-line fundamentalists made sure this
new Prohibition remained in place. </p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>The
curious thing about Anslinger was his initial lack of interest in marijuana. He
knew virtually nothing about it as an alcohol prohibition agent and when he
discovered its widespread use in medicine and industry, he felt the
impossibility of the task before him. Discouraged, but not defeated, Harry
overcome his doubts and launched the extremely effective "Reefer
Madness" campaign. He cut out and collected violent crime stories from the
Hearst newspapers - crimes that often involved the presence of narcotics (sleep
inducing drugs). Those cases that mentioned marijuana caught his attention
right away as a possible link between the drug and violent crime. As he
collected more and more of these articles, he became convinced that <b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>marijuana <i style='mso-bidi-font-style:
normal'>caused</i> violent crime</b>. In order to make his theory work, Harry
decided to ignore the fact that the vast majority of pot smokers lived
ordinary, peaceful, lives.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>Anslinger
eventually wrote and published his own crime articles <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'>and used them in his testimony before Congress</b>. Congress, in turn,
responded to Anslinger's dire warnings with more treasury money to expand his
bureau. With increased funding, Harry stepped up the pace of his propaganda
campaign. In response to this kind of encouragement, a church group financed a
short drug film called, <i style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Tell Your
Children,</i> which notorious filmmaker, Dwain Esper, re-worked into the popular
classic, <i style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Reefer Madness.</i></p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>Anslinger's
sensational scare campaign thrust marijuana into the limelight as a
"forbidden fruit" worthy of investigation by millions of curious and
rebellious teenagers - teenagers who would, one day, face arrest and
imprisonment.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 align=center style='margin-left:0in;text-align:
center;text-indent:.25in'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Timetable of
Zero Tolerance <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>A steady
stream of punitive legislation designed to stamp out cannabis passed through
Congress over the next seventy years escalating in1951, with the <b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><i style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Boggs</i></b><i
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'> <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Act</b>
</i>which dramatically increases penalties for trafficking and possession based
on the belief that marijuana caused insanity, criminality, and death.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>In 1956,
the <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><i style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Daniel
Act</i></b> increased penalties by a factor of eight over the <i
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Boggs Act</i> based on the idea that
marijuana use leads to heroin (the gateway theory).</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>In 1961,
the <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><i style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>UN
Treaty 406 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs</i></b> outlaws cannabis use and
cultivation worldwide. The resolution sought to eradicate cannabis from the
earth within thirty years � with Anslinger aggressively pushing for <st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region>
drug policy to become global.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>In 1969,
Richard Nixon launches his historic <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>War
on Drugs</b> with the <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><i
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Controlled Substances Act</i></b> and begins
to build the largest prison complex in history.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>In 1973,
the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) replaces the Bureau of Narcotics and
Dangerous Drugs</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>In 1976,
Gerald Ford illegally bans medical research on cannabis.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>In 1983,
the Federal Government illegally orders American universities to destroy all
1966-76 research papers on cannabis.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>In 1986,
Congress passes mandatory minimum sentencing laws, which forces federal judges
to deliver fixed sentences to individuals convicted of possession or sale of
marijuana. The accused may receive a reduced sentence <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'>only if he or she provides information that leads to the arrest of
other offenders.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>In 1988,
the UN passes the<b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><i style='mso-bidi-font-style:
normal'> Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances</i></b> which increases the penalties for recreational use of
cannabis. </p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>In 1989,
Presidents Reagan and Bush SR. declare an all out war on cannabis that includes
urine-testing, seizure of assets and private property, and sentencing of
convicted pot smokers to prison camps. The crackdown<b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'> increases the value of cannabis per ounce beyond that of gold</b>, and
organized crime moves in to take control of the world market. At the same time,
Ronald Reagan declares victory in the war on drugs.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>In 1990,
Jack Herer publishes "The Emperor Wears No Clothes," the definitive
history of cannabis and the conspiracy by American prohibitionists to eradicate
the ancient cannabis plant from the earth. </p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>In 1992,
Bill Clinton admits he smoked marijuana but did not inhale. We call this type
of drug crime, mouth smoking. </p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in'>The <st1:City><st1:place>Clinton</st1:place></st1:City>
administration oversees the arrest of one and a half million Americans, mostly
for simple possession. </p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>In 1996,
the FBI threatens doctors with prosecution if they prescribe cannabis for
seriously ill patients.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>In 1997,
the Drug Czar, Barry McCaffrey, who has no medical degree or license, threatens
to prosecute licensed doctors in <st1:State><st1:place>California</st1:place></st1:State>
and <st1:State><st1:place>Arizona</st1:place></st1:State> who prescribe or
supply cannabis.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>In 1998, <st1:City><st1:place>Oakland</st1:place></st1:City>
disobeys federal law by swearing in medical marijuana suppliers as deputies, to
protect them from arrest by state and local police. </p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>In 2003,
the DEA arrests deputized medical marijuana provider, Ed Rosenthal. At the
trial, jurors find him guilty because the judge failed to inform them that <st1:City><st1:place>Oakland</st1:place></st1:City>
authorities had deputized Rosenthal. Ed receives one day in jail, as a
punishment but in 2006, the DEA re-prosecutes Ed on the same charges with
another stalemate in <st1:date Year="2007" Day="31" Month="5">May 31, 2007</st1:date>.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'>�</span>In 2006, FDA officials announce,
"Marijuana is the equivalent of heroin and cocaine," and denies that marijuana
has any medical benefit whatsoever.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'>�</span>In 2006, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Mexico</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s
Congress tries to legalize small amounts of cannabis for personal use to reduce
drug violence but abandons the effort under pressure from the <st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
The violence that follows results in over 7,000 deaths, on both sides of the
border. Government statistics reveal that cannabis is <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s
biggest cash crop.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>In 2011, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Mexico</st1:place></st1:country-region>�s
<st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> sponsored
drug war pushed the death toll beyond 40,000. U.S. President Barack Obama and
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder promise not to raid marijuana dispensaries
operating within state guidelines. Obama, himself a former drug user reverses
his position and allows Federal raids on dispensaries to continue. <span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'>�</span>The number of drug arrests of individuals
nationwide continues to climb. By May of 2011 the total of marijuana arrests
hits 380,000 and total drug arrests reaches 737,000. A disproportionate number
of those arrested are Blacks and Latinos. (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition)</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 align=center style='margin-left:0in;text-align:
center;text-indent:.25in'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Quotes and
Comments<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>"Prohibition...
goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control man's appetite
through legislation and makes a crime of things that are not even crimes� a
prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our
governments was founded." Abraham Lincoln, Dec. 1840.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>"The
ever-changing marijuana laws are nothing more than arguments and opinions that
provide political or religious comfort to those who make them. There is no
doubt they violate the freedoms and rights given to us by our founding fathers.
The Supreme Court and the Presidents find these guaranteed rights politically
troublesome." James Wiley, Feb. 2007</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>�Insanity
is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.�
Albert Einstein</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>The
Government receives it's authority from the people. Without that support, the
government has no authority. Thomas Jefferson began the Declaration of
Independence with the words, "We the people," not "We the
Government." James Wiley, Feb. 2007 </p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>Libertarian
philosopher Paul Hager argues that a nationwide prohibition against marijuana
should require a public debate and become a constitutional amendment to become
law - same as alcohol prohibition.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>Retired
Supreme Court Justice Sandra O'Connor says that the power to prohibit marijuana
belongs to the states and that the Treasury Department should not abuse its
control over interstate commerce to persecute pot smokers.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>Richard
Davenport-Hines reports that law enforcement intercepts less than 30% of
smuggled marijuana, which means that more than 70% of smuggled pot reaches its
destination. Other sources say 90%.This obscene profit margin attracts a steady
stream of traffickers who replace those nabbed by the police. </p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>The only
way to stop illegal marijuana trafficking is to direct the cash flow away from
the dealers and back to a legal market, and the only way to stop the demand for
marijuana is to turn off the brain's cannabinoid receptors.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>Thanks to
the persistent and illegal enforcement of pot laws, the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region> now has the largest prison population
per capita in the world. By sentencing pot smokers to tent prisons run by
private industry, the Federal Government has created a new underclass of
jobseekers hobbled by felony convictions which will dog them the rest of their
lives.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>If the
gateway theory were true, re-legalizing cannabis would separate it from heroin
and cocaine sold by street dealers. </p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>As the
failure of drug eradication becomes plain to everyone, drug warriors redefine
their goal as a <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>containment effort</b>
that must continue indefinitely. They believe that without an ongoing deterrent
called �mowing the lawn�, the damage to society by cannabis would increase. The
legalizers argue that pot smoking would increase initially but would diminish
once the �forbidden fruit syndrome� and profit motive disappeared. Prohibitionists
argue that the marijuana smoker risks not only one's own health but also the
health of others. The pot smoker is a corrupting influence on society, they
say, especially the young and the weak - but this is also true of tobacco smoke
and alcohol, which we lawfully tax and regulate. Sending a pot smoker, grower
or dealer to an overcrowded prison full of violent offenders cost us $40,000 a
year. The cost benefit analysis suggests that interdiction and incarceration
causes more damage to society than the drug itself. </p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>James
Wiley, Feb. 2007</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>Updated
May 2011</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'>�</span></p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'>� </span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.25in'><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'>�</span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><o:p> </o:p></p>
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