Should Marijuana be Legalized? Yes.

California may be the first state in the United States to legalize and tax marijuana, however, it would still remain a schedule 1 illegal drug for the federal government. The feds argue that marijuana has no medicinal use, which is obviously false. There is a synthetic form of THC, which the federal government approves of, called Marinol. The federal government is claiming that a synthetic form of marijuana is safer than a natural herb; do they really think that the American public is dumb enough to believe this? Why should the American public continue to pay taxes to continue the prohibition of marijuana? Billions of dollars are wasted each year combating the growth, sale, and use of marijuana. That is money gone to waste.

The persecution of minor marijuana law offenders is a financial strain for many states throughout the nation. Take California for example, who has been releasing non-violent drug offenders from prison, since its current financial situation is forcing them too. One third of the non-violent drug offenders were sent to prison due to marijuana offenses; it is likely that over the next few years this number will increase, unless marijuana is legalized. The demand for marijuana in the United States is too high to be able to ever eliminate it. If marijuana is legalized in California, the Federal government should exempt California from any federal marijuana laws, and treat the California laws as an experiment; if California is successful in properly regulating the drug, the federal government should decriminalize it.

The prohibition of marijuana is not only about the drug itself and the billions of dollars that go to waste, but it is also about our personal freedoms. Millions of Americans favor the legalization of marijuana; in California, over half of the population does so. A minority should not impose its will on a majority, as is the case in California. A majority should not impose its will on a sizable minority (over 1/3 of the rest of the nation favor the legalization of marijuana), its time to change the laws, its time for people to regain their personal freedom.

Here is a video from the CBS news website; http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504544_162-20002409-504544.html

Please note how Brian Darling's arguments against the legalization of marijuana have all been proven false. Marijuana is not an addictive drug, a person can not become dependent on it; Marijuana is no more a gateway drug than alcohol; Marijuana will not cause a person to get ill and require hospitalization.

If you have any doubts if marijuana should be legalized, or if it is harmful or not, I strongly recommend that you watch The Union. The Union is a documentary that sheds some light on the lies of those that oppose the legalization of marijuana.

Non-winnable Wars

Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's president, is the prime example of why the United States should not continue with the war in Afghanistan, or any other war. The Karzai administration has been accused of corruption ever since it came into power in Afghanistan. There is much evidence to support this, and Karzai has even stated that he is going to join the Taliban. If Karzai has been involved in corruption for so many years, then why does the United States support this man? Why is there no end in sight for the war in Afghanistan? One reason my not be terrorism at all, but oil. The United States is very interested in having a pipeline built through Afghanistan, one that would not pass through Russia or Iran. This may be the reason why the Obama administration continues to support the corrupt government of Hamid Karzai; however, the war in Afghanistan is not the only war in which taxpayer money is going to waste.

Over the weekend, Secretary of State Clinton, along with Secretary of Defense Gates, appeared on Face the Nation. Bob Schieffer asked them if Karzai was still welcomed in the United States, in which Clinton responded, “Absolutely. And we're looking forward to his visit.” Karzai is still welcomed in the United States, despite the fact that he is likely helping his brother with the heroin drug trade; the continued support of the United States towards Karzai protects the Afghan opium trade. This may be seen as the price to pay to combat terrorism, but the fact of the matter is, Al-Qaeda is no longer operating within Afghanistan.

The United States is at war in Afghanistan, despite the fact that Hamid Karzai is a corrupt official; despite the fact that our presence in Afghanistan protects Karzai's brother's opium trade; despite the fact that Al-Qaeda is no longer in Afghanistan. These facts lead to the conclusion that our government, during the Bush years, or Obama years, is full of hypocrisy. We the people, as law abiding citizens and taxpayers, are witnesses as to how our government wastes money in unnecessary wars. The war in Afghanistan, in order to build the unbuildable Afghan pipeline; the war in Iraq; the non-winnable war on drugs.

Are any of these wars necessary?