President Obama is Wrong on Marijuana

It was the hottest topic at President Obama's "virtual town hall": Would the new administration consider decriminalizing marijuana? The arguments are fairly straightforward. Each year the United States spends hundreds of millions of dollars trying to stamp out a naturally growing substance. Criminalization has meant that drug lords traffic pot, reaping profits that guarantee Capone-like violence on our nation's. 800,000 citizens were arrested on pot-related charges last year, costing the government more millions, even though we know that smoking the plant is far less damaging to one's health than cigarettes or alcohol. In fact, thirteen states prescribe marijuana as medicine. In all, the Federal Government spends roughly $4 billion each year on "minor marijuana offenses."

Decriminalization and the regulation of pot could swiftly bring the states much needed revenues. California alone estimates annual revenues of $1.3 billion. There's little doubt that our last three presidents all experimented with pot. Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympic athlete in our nation's history has smoked the stuff, and still we pretend that legalizing pot represents a some sort of moral failing.

While the Obama administration's decision not to pursue prosecution of medical marijuana providers in states with laws that OK the practice means that more states will enact such laws, why don't we just go one better and decriminalize the stuff altogether? It was disappointing to hear Obama dismiss the subject (much the same way Glenn Beck did) when asked for the rationale to maintain the status quo. He should reconsider his decision.