As someone who writes daily about marijuana legalization, sometimes it seems like the points are getting somewhat redundant, especially since the major reasons for marijuana legalization can be stated clearly in less than 90 seconds.

-Prohibition has not brought down use

-Marijuana is safer than alcohol and tobacco, you cannot overdose

-Money currently going to drug gangs could be going to taxes and fueling economic growth in a legal market

-Governments will save money and resources not enforcing useless and destructive marijuana laws

-It will make marijuana harder for teens to get, drug dealers don’t check I.D.

There are more of course, but if those 5 reasons don’t sway someone, the other reasons probably won’t either. But the ease with which marijuana legalization can be supported is the very reason legalization is inevitable. That is how it is with bad policies.

Back in the 1850′s it was very easy for people to explain why they were against slavery: “A human being shouldn’t own another human being.” Of course some people disagreed with that notion, but the more anti-slavery people enunciated their feelings, the more the walls of slavery crumbled.

My point is bad policy needs to be pointed out as bad policy as often as possible. Good policy will survive people talking against it more times than not, but bad policy will always collapse under the weight of its critics.

So it is with marijuana. Yes, I write on this site everyday about why marijuana should be legal, and I will continue to do so because talking about it will make it happen, in this case.

People often ask me what they can do to be active in the marijuana law reform movement. Besides the obvious – voting – you can spread the word about marijuana legalization. You don’t have to be a sign-waiver or petition signature-getter if that is not your thing; something as simple as talking to a family member about legalization or sharing a story like this with your social network is a great start. It all adds up to legalization.

- Joe Klare

- make sure you check out our brand new Forums and our “Stop The Ban in L.A.” Facebook page!