Dana Rohrabacher: The Colossal Failure of Marijuana Prohibition Dana Rohrabacher - Orange County Register
go to original May 14, 2013

I have spent most of my years in public service supporting the federal government's decades-long prohibition of marijuana. Watching it up-close in President Ronald Reagan's administration as well as in Congress, I have come to the conclusion these policies are neither an effective nor efficient way of investing scarce tax dollars. The herculean effort undertaken by the federal government to prevent the American people from smoking marijuana has undeniably been a colossal failure.

A willingness to recognize this failure is not tantamount to putting a stamp of approval on marijuana or to say that, if used recreationally, it has no negative consequences. When I was in my early 20s, I smoked marijuana until I realized it was making me unmotivated and clearly having a negative impact on my life. It was that realization – not the government's prohibition – that led me to quit immediately. For millions of users today, current federal policies have been largely ineffective at decreasing marijuana use. Despite ample law enforcement and harsh penalties, marijuana is extremely easy to acquire through the illegal market.

Indeed, marijuana prohibition has been the most favored policy of organized crime, reminiscent of alcohol prohibition during the 1920s and early 1930s. The inability of legitimate businesses to sell marijuana legally has not made marijuana disappear.

Instead, it has put the business in the hands of murderous cartels and gangs. In fact, some studies suggest over 50 percent of the money made by Mexican drug cartels comes from the sale of marijuana. Unfortunately, we continue to pour billions of dollars into policies that ultimately benefit these thugs at the expense of others.

Read the rest at Orange County Register

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, represents California's 48th Congressional District

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!