LEGALIZE HEMP, END THE HYPOCRISY

More than any other time in our nation's history, now is the time to make
changes, -- to burn bridges, make new starts and, above all, put an end to
some of our governments more closed-minded and hypocritical laws.

A good place to start perhaps would be the legalization of drugs. In the
Midwest, farmers grow marijuana (illegally mind you) to keep themselves
afloat and have been doing so for many years already.

Farmers must grow marijuana to make up the money they lose due to various
natural disasters over the years and the lack of federal help in recouping
their losses. Farmers turn to marijuana because it is easy to grow and is
obviously very profitable.

As for the government's involvement, they can allow the growing of
marijuana and use the hemp for various things such fuel, rope and natural
gas. These things would not only be more economically viable than what we
are currently using, but are also more environmentally safe.

The government could tax the sale of marijuana much the way they tax
cigarettes already, and use that money to possibly help decrease our
countrys deficit. Plus, let's face it, cigarettes are just plain more
addictive than marijuana and that's a proven fact.

While all this is going on, we then should start a clean needles program,
which would allow drug addicts to exchange their dirty needles for clean
ones, therefore alleviating their chances of contracting AIDS, hepatitis or
any other dangerous disease that racks the addict community.

Contrary to popular belief, the clean needles program is not about
condoning or supporting drug abuse. What the program really does is condone
cleanliness for those who have made the decision or are in the situation of
being junkies. You could almost liken it to sex education or the handing
out of condoms in schools, -- nobody is condoning it, but if you're going
to do it, then at least be safe about it.

By taking these beginning steps, the government could alleviate the
hypocritical stance it has taken to this point and become, for a change, a
progressive thinking country. This progressive thought would put us on the
level of countries like Holland where drugs are legal and England, where it
was recently announced they would no longer make the possession of
marijuana an arrestable offense.

The war on drugs is simply a political stance, for politicians who have an
agenda they are not willing to be completely honest about. It's easy to say
we're fighting drugs, but it's been documented that we are losing this
fight, -- or are we even really fighting?

Let's not forget that California voters passed the use of medical
marijuana, so it is obvious that the uses are not all that bad. Cigarettes
are just as bad if not worse for you and yet they are still completely
legal in the United States.

We are not saying legalize marijuana so we can smoke it in peace, what we
are saying is legalize marijuana to end the hypocrisy and fight the real
problems that exist in this country.