How long will it take for the Congress to figure out what the minority on the SCOTUS agree? Justice Stevens:
But just as prohibition in the 1920’s and early 1930’s was secretly questioned by thousands of otherwise law-abiding patrons of bootleggers and speakeasies, today the actions of literally millions of otherwise law-abiding users of marijuana,9 and of the majority of voters in each of the several States that tolerate medicinal uses of the product,10 lead me to wonder whether the fear of disapproval by those in the majority is silencing opponents of the war on drugs. Surely our national experience with alcohol should make us wary of dampening speech suggesting—however inarticulately—that it would be better to tax and regulate marijuana than to persevere in a futile effort to ban its use entirely.
more Justice Stevens:
In the national debate about a serious issue, it is the expression of the minority’s viewpoint that most demands the protection of the First Amendment . Whatever the better policy may be, a full and frank discussion of the costs and benefits of the attempt to prohibit the use of marijuana is far wiser than suppression of speech because it is unpopular.
But... How can we get from our screwed up bootlegging mentality to a harm reduction and regulation mentality? It won't be easy, but I think it could go like this:
Phase I: Reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to II. The twisted reality that has our government grow and supply people with marijuana for medical purposes, claim it has no medical use, deny its study, and persecute the ill and suffering in medical marijuana states cannot stand.
Phase II: Decriminalize. By allowing states to make up their own minds, this scary monster could be shown for the pussycat it would be. The people who want cannabis are finding it now, it is the largest cash crop in the country. Nevada came very close to taking the first step in '06.
Phase III: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Cannabis. I cannot believe the government has not tapped into the tax potential. Reversing the wasted spending on the hopeless criminal model makes fiscal sense the most conservative cannot ignore.
We just have to convince our elected officials that the foolish War on Drugs has gone on long enough. We have more reasonable things to worry about.