The RP: The Moral Case for Legalizing Marijuana

The RP has written his most provocative piece yet — He argues in favor of legalizing marijuana.  Check out an excerpt from his Huffington Post column published this morning:

While a recent Gallup poll revealed that a majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana, and Ron Paul — a proponent — has run well in the early GOP presidential primaries, most mainstream politicians still refuse to touch the subject, and many journalists continue to refer to legalization as a “radical” position.

It’s no wonder. The loudest voices for reform usually come from the political margins: the “hippie” Far Left and the libertarian Far Right. And while emanating from different directions, the two extremes share a similar credo: An out-of-control government has no business telling me what I can ingest.

A politically-influential cross-section of Americans, however, disagree.  Many associate pot advocacy with the “anything goes” counter-culture of the 1970s that they blame for the decline of personal responsibility. Others worry that the logical extension of the philosophy could lead to legalizing “harder” drugs, prostitution, even polygamy.  All of them — liberals, moderates, and conservatives — believe that there must be some moral standards established to guide public policy.

I’m part of that moral majority. But unlike Jerry Falwell’s version, my values system is based on the multi-religious mandate to “love your neighbor as yourself.”  I’ve even written a book, The Compassionate Community, which applies Bible lessons and other religions’ texts to advocate for progressive policies that promote the common good.

And I’ve recently concluded that these same enduring moral values compel me to support legalizing marijuana.

Click here to read the full piece, “The Moral Case for Legalizing Marijuana”

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