Why Are Sick People Who Use Medical Marijuana Put In Prison?

{Editor's Note: This is the 1st installment of a series of articles attempting to address the 32 questions posed by Ron Paul in his recent farewell speech given in front of Congress}Marijuana has effectively been illegal in the United States since the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act of 1937.  While technically this Act merely taxed the sale and possession of Marijuana, the regulatory body created to carry out the Act refused to actually issue licenses, effectively making everyone engaged in the commerce or possession of marijuana in violation of federal law.  Since then, millions of people have gone to jail for mere possession of a plant that has many known and proven health benefits. The prohibition of marijuana, much like alcohol prohibition before it, has only served to create more criminals by sending otherwise non-violent people to jail and effectively sentencing them to a life of crime from there on out.  At the same time, prohibition inspires the formation n of violent drug cartels that seek the vast profit opportunities created by sending the product underground.Luckily, the attitude of the country is currently changing towards marijuana as the medical benefits become more known.  18 states including Washington D.C. have now legalized marijuana for medical use, while Colorado and Washington State recently went as far as to legalize the herb completely for adults.   The Federal Government, however, still considers marijuana a Schedule I illegal substance, and doesn't seem to care much for States who disagree.Take the example of Chris Williams from Montana. Williams opened up a marijuana grow house shortly after medical marijuana was made legal in the State. Despite Montana law, Williams was arrested by Federal agents and, thanks to completely irrational mandatory minimum sentencing laws, is now facing up to 80 years in a cage. And Williams won't be the only victim here; his teenage son will also be without his father, all because of a plant that has been documented to help sick people and is far less harmful than alcohol, which of course is perfectly legal for adults. So why do sick people who use or grow marijuana get put in prison?As with every crazy government law, we have to ask ourselves: Who benefits?In this case it's the black market drug cartels, some of which the Federal Government has openly armed and funded such as the Sinoloa cartel in Mexico.  Another beneficiary is the burgeoning prison-industrial complex, which reaps millions of tax payer dollars per year jailing marijuana offenders.  According to NORML, in California alone the annual cost of marijuana prohibition is estimated at $156 million.  And plenty of sheriffs, judges, prison guards and wardens are collecting all along the way.  Then we have the extremely powerful lobbying groups connected to the pharmaceutical industry which would likely prefer that the victims of Cancer, AIDS, Crohn's and many other diseases use their government subsidized drugs than have them turn to a cheap and natural alternative like marijuana.These converging special interests all have lobbyists filtering in and out of the various levels of government helping to ensure that the issue of marijuana is kept out of the national debate all together.  But as we've seen with the recent legalization movement in many states, there is hope.  The Federal government can only neglect the will of the people for so long.  And as the legalization movement continues to gain steam at the State level, more and more people are becoming educated on the beneficial effects of marijuana and rejecting the propaganda that has kept it illegal for so long.  What will the response from the Federal Government be when 30, 40, or all 50 states legalize marijuana?One of the few benefits of the depressed economy is that the States are both looking to cut cost and find ways to increase revenues.  Legalizing and regulating marijuana accomplishes both.  Take a shift in public opinion and add a dash of political incentive, and you just might see real change on the issue in the coming years.  We can only hope that not only will marijuana become legal in all 50 states, but that this will lead to a wider reassessment of the War on Drugs as a whole.  And when even Pat Robertson is going on TV advocating marijuana legalization, you know the times are a 'changin'.Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!