Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Legalize Pot?

It was interesting to hear Governor Schwarzenegger call for talks on legalizing pot in California. Not something I expected to hear from a Republican's mouth. And a poll makes it seem like the majority of voters agree with this, so maybe it will come true.

Truthfully, the medical marijuana system that is in place is a mess. And I blame the Republicans for this. They have for years insisted that there is no medical benefit to marijuana. But this insistence has also meant they have suppressed or stopped medical studies on the drug.

The population in California has not believed the Republican stance - it was plainly obvious to them that it is a drug that does have an impact on the body. So they have voted in place medical marijuana rules allowing its use. But because it is a kluged together system, it isn't as strongly enforced as drugs purchased from pharmacies. And I think most expect that many are getting pot from the medical marijuana sites for recreational purposes.

If Republicans didn't try the "just say no" response to marijuana, perhaps it would be classified and controlled as a real medical drug, rather than the system we have now.

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