as a right moderate with libertarian tendencies - i tend to vote repub. anyways, national review, the conservative flagship magazing, has been historically relatively libertarian vis a vis marijuana (has been prodecrim for DECADES). as a sentient being, i think MJ is a dumb drug, and i would not use it myself, but i think it is more dumb to criminalize it, regardless. recently, this is not just a libertarian issue, but a states rights issue. iow, regardless of what one thinks about the medical and moral justification for medical mj, clearly in states that pass such laws - it is their RIGHT AS A STATE. and clearly an overreaching supreme court, justifying their intrusion via an absurd extension of the commerce clause (how does the commerce clause apply to a weed one grow in one's own backyard for legalized medical use). clearly, it does not. i am (which is rare) ashamed of scalia's absurd reasoning. the PEOPLE of the state of california (and WA, etc.) via initiative have legalized MJ for medical use. that should be respected by the federal govt, who should concentrate on "hard drugs", not to mention protecting our BORDERS (from drugs and illegals) vs. harassing medical mj patients and clinics. i've stated my opinion here's a National Review Blurb from today on this subject. i agree "In January, Rhode Island became the eleventh state to legalize medical marijuana, and its first resident to apply for a drug permit was a 43-year-old lady suffering from multiple sclerosis. She expects her application to be granted, but legal hurdles remain. Lawmakers in Washington maintain their hard line in the war on drugs, refusing to give states discretion in the regulation of dope. Possession of marijuana is considered a federal crime, even when state governments have authorized it for medical use. So if a chronically sick woman uses a drug to ease her suffering without harming anyone else, federal law demands her incarceration. Such absurdity does violence not only to basic principles of federalism, but also to common sense."
The Fed's are wrong. A state legislature should have the right to prohibit abortion, define pornography, set gambling standards and if it wants, allow people a toke. Power to the People via the States!
The Fed is way overreaching. The subsidies they give to the state's schools are unconstitutional but rarely does a school refuse the money or anybody complain. The Fed uses that money to set the educational standards and curriculum and what not. Completely bogus, money talks louder than freedom loving people.