A true "Conservative Republican" Would Favor the Legalization and/or Decriminalization of Marijuana

Let me begin by saying I am NOT debating whether or not marijuana should be legalized. That can be a whole other debate, if need-be. What I AM stating is that right now, a typical Republican would say "Marijuana should not, and most likely never will be made legal." This defeats the principles of conservativism. Conservatives desire as little government control as possible. This is why they are for gun-rights, against raising taxes, against national health care, etc. Why, then, should the government dictate what you are (tobacco) and are not (marijuana) allowed to smoke in the privacy of your own home? ALSO Republicans/Conservatives typically do not favor raising taxes, but DO appreciate taxes on things like cigarettes. IF marijuana is LEGALIZED, there would be ENORMOUS revenue. CNN did a study and determined that if made legal, California would have $105.4 million, New York would have $65.5 million, and Florida would have $48.2 million projected revenue. These are only the top-3. See this website for each state's individual projected revenue: http://money.cnn.com... In other words, the profits made off of marijuana could go toward education, health care, "the war" (I personally oppose, but my argument is that a Republican/Conservative would support, and this money would be useful if staying in the war is desired), and other areas where money is needed, as we are in such a deficit right now. ALSO, keep in mind that people smoke marijuana whether it is legal or not. As of right now, there is a horrible black market and people are getting killed, and violence occurs based on "drug deals gone bad" but if there were a store, just as there are liquor stores, it would eliminate at least the marijuana drug scene on the streets. The National Academy of Sciences performed research and concluded that, "In sum, there is little evidence that decriminalization of marijuana use necessarily leads to a substantial increase in marijuana use." - National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine (IOM). 1999. Therefore, it is only a theory in people's minds that if it is legal, use wil increase. The "Gateway Drug" Theory is SCIENTIFICALLY disproven as well when you look at the Netherlands. Harder drugs, like cocaine and heroin, had signifcantly LESS use after the decriminalization of marijuana. In other words, the "gateway" theory that some Conservatives might buy into is once again, proven wrong. In fact, it could be argued that alcohol is the gateway drug. For every 104 Americans that have tried marijuana, only 1 uses cocaine, and LESS than that (statistically) use heroin. However, of people who smoke marijuana, 61.3% started off using alcohol as the "drug of choice," 19.4% used tobacco first as "drug of choice," and 19.4% (same percentage as tobacco) tried marijuana prior to drinking or smoking. In other words, a TRUE Conservative who is not brain-washed by disproven theories, knows that marijuana is not a gateway drug. Finally, the National Insitute of Health (NIH) stands by the fact that marijuana has less harmful short-term AND long-term effects than both alcohol and cigarettes. This is a point that I think both Democrats and Republicans can agree on. In conclusion, my argument, once again, is NOT that marijuana SHOULD BE LEGAL. It is that I feel as though "conservatives" are not standing by their party's views when they laugh at the notion of the decriminalization of marijuana. Whoever decides to contend in this debate, please do not turn this into whether or not pot SHOULD be legal. That is not my intent. I will not participate in a debate that goes that direction. This debate is over conservative principles. I am looking for someone who considers themself as a "TRUE CONSERVATIVE" and DOES NOT want marijuana to be legalized. I am curious as to how they can stand by conservative principles and still have this notion. Thanks, and happy debating!!!