Some thoughts on marijuana prompted by today's Supreme Court decision

Today the Supreme Court affirmed that the Feds can arrest and prosecute people who are using marijuana for medical purposes. This is nuts! I'm not criticizing the Supremes: all they can do is interpret the law as it is. I'm criticizing the other two branches of government for propounding laws that are virtually a blow job for the tobacco industry at a devastating cost to people suffering from various illnesses.

We all know (including our representatives in Washington, D.C.) that marijuana is a relatively harmless drug. Totally harmless, no, but certainly if everyone who currently smokes tobacco were to switch to marijuana overnight, the country would be far better off. A habit of frequent marijuana smoking is certainly less harmful than being addicted to tobacco or alcohol or McDonald's cheeseburgers, for that matter.

The argument that it's a "gateway drug" leading to cocaine, heroin, et al doesn't even pass the snicker test. The gateway drugs are alcohol and tobacco, not marijuana.

People possessing relatively small amounts of marijuana can receive mandatory sentences much higher than those commonly meted out to murderers and rapists.

Does this make sense?

Laws against marijuana fly in the face of the common practices of an entire generation of young people. Sure, this same group (as well as older people) may commonly flout speed limit laws as well, and this is no argument for not having speed limits. But laws against excessive speed make much more sense and the penalties generally fall into the misdemeanor area, and are not felonies with mandatory long-term sentences.

Does this make sense?

No, none of it makes sense and it's time the public rose up and demanded a logical and ethically supportable drug policy.