Pubdate: Mon, 20 Jan 2014
Source: Las Vegas Sun (NV)
Copyright: 2014 Las Vegas Sun, Inc
Contact:  http://www.lasvegassun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/234
Author: James Witherspoon

WRONG APPROACH ON MARIJUANA

I don't want to start the new year by bashing President Barack Obama,
but as I see him and politicians from both parties criticizing
countries such as Cuba and China and advocating the release of
political prisoners, I can't help but wonder how they can do this with
a straight face.

China and Cuba may have hundreds of political prisoners, but in this
country we have hundreds of thousands of political prisoners. Our
political prisoners are not in jail for crimes against the government
such as treason, political coups or murder, though.

They've been rotting away in jail for years for smoking a joint. Yet
we consume alcohol like water, and it's killed millions and destroyed
more families than weed ever will.

There has not been one known overdose death from smoking a joint. Yet
these same politicians who fill our jails with these youngsters so
that they can appear hard on a victimless crime never even mention
these kids whose lives they are destroying.

I have to admire Rand Paul and his father, Ron Paul, for speaking out
against this injustice while Obama makes a feeble attempt at
compassion by pardoning eight people out of hundreds of thousands of
victims of our political justice system.

Once again, Obama is thinking small while his political enemies think
big. I rarely agree with anything Ron or Rand Paul say, but this time
they are right on the mark.

James Witherspoon, Las Vegas
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