Marijuana Legislation: Taxation w/o Representation

"Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against the possession of marijuana in private for personal use." -President Jimmy Carter

The prohibition of marijuana, arbitrarily adopted as a means by which to opress the migrant workers of the 1930's, has served to do little except prescribe a course of action and select for a mindset that advocates the relinquishing of civil liberties. Awareness of this fact is key. Re-evaluation of facts regarding marijuana use is the proverbial door. What lay on the other side is truth and a certain degree of absolution from prejudices.

The perpetuation of rational thought is expressly the reasoning for the construction of this petition. Responsible adults ought to have a say on which agents they explore as a means of recreation, so long as this process does not infringe upon the rights of others.

The War on Drugs, as it pertains to the prosecution of the act of marijuana consumption by private citizens, is a misapropriation of taxpayer dollars. It establishes otherwise law-abiding citizens as criminals and leads consumers of marijuana to oppress themselves via their own hard-earned tax-dollars, which could be better spent elsewhere.

The conception that marijuana is in of itself a pejorative element is flawed, as this is a product of the fact that it is illegal. It is not sufficient to say that something is bad because it violates what an institution dictates, when the origins of its status is unsound.

The decriminalization of marijuana for private use is a logical conclusion and therefore is sought.

It is not the position of this petition to extrapolate upon the ramifications of the failure to protect one's civil liberties, however it is intended to serve as something of an admonition.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.