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<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoTitle>Why Prohibition Fails in a Democracy</p>
<p class=MsoTitle><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoTitle>The Noble Experiment</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
fuelled violence, degeneracy, 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 pietistic Protestants who condemned
saloons as places of political corruption and sin, and their opponents,
liturgical Protestants and Catholics who believed the government should not
define morality.</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 the urge to drink did not go away.
Before long, bathtub and basement stills, supply networks, and speakeasy bars
sprang up to satisfy the nation's continuing thirst. The small, private stills
soon gave way to larger operations run by gangsters and thugs 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 new 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 his party's position to enforce 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 Month="2"
Day="20" Year="1933">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. 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 police and public officials.</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.</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 Next 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 Anslinger had no plan to license or collect a tax
on cannabis; instead, he used the authority of Congress and tax 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.
This time, 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 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 marijuana <i style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>caused</i>
violent crime. 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
sensational 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 examination 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 War on Drugs 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 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 only if he or she
provides information that leads to the arrest of other offenders.</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 increases the value of
cannabis per ounce beyond that of gold, 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
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. In spite of the
President�s evasive reply, the active ingredient, THC, did pass through the
lining of his mouth and into his body. We call this method of absorption, 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, threatens to
prosecute 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>
bypasses 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 Month="5" Day="31" Year="2007">May 31, 2007</st1:date>.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'>�</span>In 2006, the FDA announces, "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 America's biggest cash
crop.</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
- rights that Congress, the Supreme Court and the Presidents find politically
troublesome." James Wiley, Feb. 2007</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>To repeat
the same action repeatedly and expect a different result is a failure of common
sense. James Wiley, Feb. 2007</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>You can
have Prohibition or you can have Democracy - you cannot have both. James Wiley,
Feb. 2007</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 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, which lie outside
the reach of Congress.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>LEAP, (Law
Enforcement Against Prohibition,) believes that <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'>decriminalization</b> allows drug traffickers to flourish, whereas <b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>legalization</b> diverts money back into
the legal economy and puts traffickers out of business. </p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>Thanks to
the persistent and illegal enforcement of the Marijuana Tax Act, 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.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>If the
gateway theory were true, the separation of cannabis as a store bought drug and
heroin as a drug obtained in a clinic; we could reduce the incidence of heroin
addiction and overdose.</p>
<p class=MsoBodyTextIndent2 style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:.25in'>As the
failure of the drug war becomes plain to everyone, prohibition supporters argue
it is not a war we can win but a <b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>containment
effort</b> that will continue indefinitely. They believe that without an
ongoing deterrent, the damage to society by cannabis would increase. The
legalizers argue that pot smoking would increase initially but would drop once
the �forbidden fruit syndrome� was removed. The Government 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 tolerate. What we have discovered the hard way, is that
use of violence to drive out of existence a substance that people want, will always
result in more damage to society than the substance 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 2009</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>
<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='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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