It has caused children to be raised fatherless, motherless, without the guidance, however imperfect, of people who truly care for them, and caused them to be raised by the State with drastically increased chances of being incarcerated themselves for the very same infractions. The war on drugs keeps criminals in control of one of the last vestiges of free enterprise left in this country available to common folk and introduces an element of violence that endangers our streets. It robs our government of taxes that would otherwise have been paid. It robs our nation of a resource that can ease pain, and be an energy source with the potential to eliminate our dependance on oil and nuclear power. In short, cannabis is a danger to the status quo.
Drugs are a means to temporary peace.
Temporary peace is a false peace, and there are many things used by humanity to give pain relief, whether physical, mental, or spiritual. Our nation's government does not have the power to give true relief, whether from fear, violence, pain, or spiritual anguish. Yet it makes it a crime to seek temporary relief from one of the most harmless drugs in the world, while condoning, even endorsing drugs that are major killers of large portions of our populace. No law has ever been able to rid society of drugs, regardless of the penalties. People will find peace at any cost.