The real issue is putting a stop to the 700,000+ arrests for marijuana charges annually, and the incarceration of citizens who have committed the "crime" of marijuana possession or trafficking. No human being should ever be subjected to PRISON RAPE for an "offense" that stems the possession or sale of a plant that grows naturally and had been for centuries (until August 1937) part of the generally accepted physicians' pharmacopiea.
The real issue is RE-LEGALIZATION - ending the 66-year old social experiment in marijuana prohibition started by one jack-booted thug named Harry Anslinger. If we have to get there using the incremental approach of "medical marijuana", so be it.
Don't you mean, "No human being should ever be subjected to PRISON RAPE for any offense?
Why do you single out marijuana? Are there some offenses where PRISON RAPE is OK?
Alright! A "jack-booted thug" blast. Very nice.