Mandatory minimum sentencing laws cause longer jail terms for non-violent offenders than for murderers. Politicians seem to believe that kids will be spared marijuana's harms by exaggerating its risks and enforcing strict penalties. To show how ludicrous this is, imagine reversing the situation. Picture a world where marijuana manufacturers are allowed the power to negotiate regulation, even as they receive subsidies from the federal government, and where pot is available at every gas station and grocery store. Imagine citizens who risk forfeiting their liberty and property for possessing the smallest amount of tobacco.
Tobacco addicts millions and causes hundred of thousands of premature deaths each year.
No one believes tobacco has medicinal value. Marijuana, on the other hand, has been recommended by doctors for centuries. Today, it helps patients suffering from AIDS, the side effects of chemotherapy, and a variety of spastic muscle disorders. It is not physically addicting, and unlike cigarettes or booze, not one case of human death due to its use has been documented. Marijuana has been used as a medicine in China, India, the Middle East and South America.