A Conservative Inquiry

It's funny how history repeats itself. In 1971 Nixon appointed republican Raymond Schafer to chair of The National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse, and 9 of the total 13 members. Their report was cast aside, at least it gave me a name for this blog. Almost 40 years later The O'Leary report, a conservative publication, teamed with Zogby to conduct a public opinion poll . The revelation is just as historic, I can only hope it plays a more significant role in impacting todays society. Here is what 3,919 Americans were asked to respond to.

Scarce law enforcement and prison resources, a desire to neutralize drug cartels and the need for new sources of revenue have resurrected the topic of legalizing marijuana. Proponents say it makes sense to tax and regulate the drug while opponents say that legalization would lead marijuana users to use other illegal drugs. Would you favor or oppose the government's effort to legalize marijuana?

A small majority of the Americans, %52 favored legalizing marijuana compared to the %37 who opposed it. This British headline and recent poll was music to my ears. It is remarkable that the government has spent countless amounts of money trying to convince the public the exact opposite.

Ben Morris from MPP called it "The Marijuana Tipping Point". The "tipping point" phrase was popularized by Malcolm Gladwell's best selling book of the same title. A must read for anyone who enjoys the hobby. While I credit the Michael Phelps bong photo impact in an information age of society; that is still very new, I believe there have been many micro victories that will lead to an eventual unlikely victor in the "war on drugs". The Phelps incident gave America something to talk about besides the financial crisis we are in.

The silly situation was blown out of epic proportion and some Americans realized there was a larger problem that was being overlooked. President Obama was quoted saying "the drug was has been a complete and utter failure" back in 2004. The problem only grown since then. Below is one of my favorite quotes, from Ralph Waldo Emerson.

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.