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Over the last couple of years whenever I'm in public advocating changing the marijuana laws. It never fails that some ill informed person say's, "nobody goes to jail for marijuana anymore". This is the third most common remark behind, yeah "legalize it!", which is the number one response and "no way, what about the kids" which I consider a lamb answer, because half of these kids they talk about will eventually try marijuana as I did and a good percentage of them will enjoy it, like I do.

Many of these will at some point be arrested by the police who enforce these stupid laws as blindly as World War II era German troops followed laws that marched Jews into ovens.

Just because it's the law doesn't make it right! The Salem witch laws of the 1600's were wrong, the German "Aryan Laws" of the 30's were wrong. This countries Slave laws and subsequent Jim Crow discrimination laws were just as wrong, as South Africa's Apartheid system laws where. Yet hypocritical Americans seem to not to notice what our countries Drug laws and it's forced policies towards other countries has done. The Drug laws cause more harm than drugs would ever cause.

American the free has become a leading country in incarcerating it's citizens. There are close to two million citizens in prison (POW camps) in this country, second only to Russia's gulag system. I hear American's complaining about China's prison system, calling them slave camps. That is exactly what our prison are, I can't talk for all prison's but look at BAYSIDE STATE prison in South Jersey. I've read newspaper stories recently about how the inmates at Bayside are being "employed" to make useful things for the NJ prison system, and approved of private venture's, and how these inmate's enjoy working.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nearly 60,000 marijuana offenders are incarcerated in the United States at any given time, according to a study published today in the Federation of American Scientists' (FAS's) "Drug Policy Analysis Bulletin." More than a quarter of marijuana offenders are incarcerated for personal possession, with no other drugs involved in the offense.

The total cost to taxpayers of marijuana-related incarceration exceeds $1.2 billion per year, according to the study. "The latest figures cast serious doubt on the argument that marijuana incarceration costs are low enough to be ignored," the study concluded.

The study, "Marijuana Arrests and Incarceration in the United States," was undertaken by MPP Director of Communications Chuck Thomas for the FAS journal. Based on raw data recently obtained from the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, the estimated number of incarcerated marijuana offenders is probably the most precise figure ever calculated.

"It is a travesty of justice that more than 15,000 marijuana users -- not dealers or crack smokers, but marijuana users -- are presently locked in cages with violent criminals," said Thomas. "And many of the other 45,000 marijuana offenders currently incarcerated are serving time simply for growing a few plants for personal use or selling a small amount of marijuana to a friend."

The study also found that there were more than 700,000 marijuana arrests in the United States in 1997, according to the most recent data available from the FBI. Shockingly, 87% of those were for personal possession of marijuana, rather than sale or manufacture.

"Think of all the money that is wasted hunting down marijuana users that could have been better spent building schools or apprehending violent criminals," said Thomas.

• At any one time, 59,300 prisoners charged with or convicted of violating marijuana laws are behind bars. (Because many serve less than a year, the total number who pass through the prison system each year, while difficult to estimate, is even greater.)

• Of the people incarcerated in federal and state prisons and in local jails, 37,500 were charged with marijuana offenses only, and an additional 21,800 were charged with both marijuana offenses and other controlled substances offenses.

• Of the marijuana-only offenders, 15,400 are incarcerated for possession, not trafficking.

"Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey and other drug warriors argue that people do not really get arrested or incarcerated for minor marijuana offenses,"Thomas said. "This study proves them wrong. The drug war is very much about sending small-time, non-violent marijuana offenders to jail."

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GEN. McCaffery is an idiot - As are his Democratic and republican co-conspirators in this unconstitutional "WAR" against american's who freely choose to ingest marijuana into their own bodies. No-where in the constitution does it give congress the authority to regulate a individual citizens body. Millions of us choose to use marijuana. { The marijuana laws are a unsuccessful attempt by the government to regulate our bodies}. Imprisoning us for it is unconstitutionally, wrong! ----

P.S.- I as a combatant in this "WAR" being waged against us, I have assumed the rank of first Sgt. of the (LMP-Freedom Fighters Force )

Marijuana isn't right or wrong. My goodness, it's just a plant. It is a God-given resource for living. It was put here on earth to use just like all other plants.

Genesis 1:29 speaks thusly of hemp/cannabis/marijuana and other plants: "Behold I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food."

According to the 1998 Monitoring The Future study, an annual federally funded student self-reporting drug survey done through the University of Michigan by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, 90% of 12th graders considered marijuana to be fairly easy or very easy to get. 90%!!!

After thirty years of marijuana prohibition, millions arrested and ruined by the law 90% of high school seniors say it's "EASY" to score pot. As an adult who understands the black market, and has participated in it I agree with their analysis. I submit that our drug control problems can't get any worse than they are today.

I don't know about the rest of you folks, but I am sick and tired of wasting tens of billions of dollars every year for a drug policy that simply doesn't work; a drug policy that puts our children at greater risk than no policy at all.

After a 30 year long civil war against 70 million marijuana users and their families, over 13 million arrests for marijuana crimes, an eight fold increase in prison inmates, after the expenditure of a trillion dollars on marijuana prohibition, what do we have to show for our hard earned tax money???

Nothing except millions of people ruined by the law, not marijuana! Drugs are cheaper, more available and stronger than ever before, and school children with $20 can buy marijuana or any other drug, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, anyplace in the USA. Mainly because it is illegal, if it were legal it would be sold in store's where the sale's would be regulated. As it is now any kid who wants a joint will just go to a street corner and get it. No-one asks for ID's on the street. The demand for marijuana is to great for any law to stop it. It doesn't stop me. The law is wrong. I like millions of others adults choose to use marijuana.

It sounds more like a drug non control policy. What kind of fools are we to tolerate government stupidity of this magnitude? I personally use marijuana daily and resent being forced to buy marijuana off the streets from thugs. The street crimes the politicians talk about is on the street because that is what their policies have created.

The democrats and republicans have had their heads up their ass's for so long when it comes to the drug policies of this country, I'm amazed there hasn't been a wider revolt across the county. But it's coming, citizens in six state's have legalized marijuana (Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington state, Nevada, and Alaska).

Jesse Ventura was elected Gov. of Minn. one of the issue's that encouraged voter's to vote him in ahead of the DEMO-PUBLICANS was his idea to change the drug policies, namely by legalizing marijuana. And citizens in 5 more state's are set to vote for legalization in the year 2000.

It's long past time for a change in drug policy. What the democrats and the republicans have been doing simply doesn't work. Our responsibility to our children, and the citizenry at large demands we find a better way. The current war on drugs, is ass backward. It doesn't work and never will work!

On Dec. 1st, 2000

ED "NJweedman" FORCHION

was imprisoned, he now is a:
"Political-Prisoner"
Click link to read his story