Careful with the ax, Eugene...

As many of you that know me and listen to The Opium Den, I'm no fan of medical marijuana being the proper strategy for moving the drug debate forward. In fact, it's no secret that I believe such a strategy could very well retard efforts to fully repeal all drug prohibitions. Of course I'm all for medical marijuana, and consider it a heartless government that denies its citizens a medicine of proven efficacy, like marijuana. But it seems that there are those inside drug policy reform circles that take my rejection of medical marijuana as a strategy for a repudiation of medical marijuana as a cause. Please...

Our opponents, the lunatic prohibitionists, have long accused drug policy reform leaders of using medical marijuana as a Trojan Horse for legalizing all drugs. And many drug policy reform leaders have long denied it, at least publicly. They believe that the American public is just not ready to have a national discussion on full repeal, despite a recent Zogby poll finding that 76% of adults - including President Obama - believe the drug war has failed. Not failing; failed. So why the reticence on the part of reform leaders to make the case publicly? Yes, many fine drug policy blogs and drug policy reform web sites address the issue but they are speaking mainly to the converted.

Over at StopTheDrugWar.org, Scott Morgan, a very nice and bright fellow, posted a piece stating that it was the drug war, and not medical marijuana, that was the Trojan Horse. I posted my 2 cents worth, and then David Borden, StopTheDrugWar's Executive Director, chimed in. I suggest everyone read Scott's post and all the comments. (My 4 comments begin with the heading "A horse is a horse, of course...") I'll be discussing it all tonight with Brian Bennett, another very nice and bright fellow. Should be interesting.

Stay healthy and high when it helps