(By the way, marijuana does not kill brain cells, and if I have to join the ranks of brain-dead marijuana users like the late astrophysicist Carl Sagan, just tell me where to form the line.)

Does a government that still continues to stretch malign tentacles into every non-capitalist country (witness our current destabilization of Bolivia) need to have a good leash on its own dissidents? Is that leash marijuana prohibition? At the risk of being considered a conspiracy theorist, in this era of Total Information Awareness, is it possible the government has a list of almost all marijuana consumers? — It must be nice for the thugs who hijacked our government to know they can arrest half the population if the rabble begin to stand up against the oppression and imperialism.

Hopefully, President Obama is about dismantling the oppression, and not just putting a new face on it. He has been very careful in his wording putting off marijuana reform. Is he stringing us along, or does he have freeing us on his agenda at some future date?

A Chinese curse goes, “May you live in interesting times.”

A “conviction” of marijuana possession strips so many rights and avenues of progress from honorable Americans, they will forever be prisoners grudgingly allowed to walk among the “clean” population.

The Scarlet Letter of “marijuana criminal” has destroyed millions of promising careers, denied government assistance to students, locked away many social services (such as housing, food programs, health care and financial assistance) destroyed the efforts of reformed criminals trying to rebuild their lives (by causing their paroles to be “violated,” and even stripped children away from their parents.

Further, these persecutions and denial of rights of full citizenship have had huge ripple effects, tearing families apart, while devastating them economically.

Yes, let’s remember the Prisoners of the War On Marijuana Consumers. But let’s remember ALL of them. Most are not behind bars.