Why is pot illegal? Let me briefly (ha!) summerize: 1. Social control. Pot smokers were initially assumed to be black or Hispanic, that was enough to make it illegal. Now pot smokers are assumed to be liberals or radicals (do they have those on the left anymore?), so that's enough to keep it that way. 2. The criminal "justice" industry. Prison guards unions and treatment industry lobbyists are the loudest voices for heavier penalties and mandatory drug treatment (court driven, of course). 3. Buisness interests that have for seventy years seem Hemp as the prime competitor to their virtual monopolies. Companies like DuPont, Weyerhouser, Hearst and dozens of others would either not exist or would have had their prime competitors in the Hemp industry. 4. Federal inertia. Entire agencies would have their mandates changed or be eliminated overnight. These agencies know that. The ONDCP (drug czar)has in their charter a mandate to resist legalization or re-classification of any schedualed drug. So if you were wondering why Kerlikowski stood up and claimed pot has no medicinal value, it's because his job description tells him he must. What to do with the thousands of prisoners? they are loathe to let them out...How about the tens of thousands whose pot convictions have shadowed them and curtailed their lives all these years? I don't want to rain on anybody's parade, but the Witch Trials lasted over 600 years....