Here is Ron Paul’s wonderful, inspiring answer on the issue of medical marijuana. Notice how wonderfully he incorporates history, constitutional arguments and the basic moral issues involved in his response. Boy does he nail it. It is clear he cares about this issue, like all issues of liberty, with every fiber of his being.

And of course, this has always been Ron’s position. He has never voted to put a human being in a cage for self-medication, or even peaceful, recreational use. Even before the Reaganite “Just Say No” propaganda campaign began hoodwinking Americans into excusing the explosion of prohibitionist police statism that has transpired since the Gipper took office, Ron was a rare voice for complete sanity and soundness on this issue. Here he is back in 1984, showing a full understanding of the issue, including the pharmacological questions involved in medical marijuana:

“We have seen cases where harmless elderly women, having committed no act of violence, are arrested for. . . raising marijuana in the yard to use for relief of severe arthritic pain . . .

“We have strict drug laws written by those who generously use the drug alcohol. Our laws drive up the price of drugs a thousandfold, to the delight of the dealers, the pushers, and terrorist nations around the world who all reap huge illegal profits. Crimes are committed to finance the outrageous prices, and drug usage never goes down. Enforcement costs soar, and its success remains ‘mysteriously’ elusive. The whole system creates an underground crime world worth billions of dollars; and addicts must then entice others to join, getting new customers to finance their habits – forever compounding a social problem epidemic in proportion. Any new suggestions for changing our drug laws that is, liberalizing them – is seen as political suicide by the hypocritical politicians and a society legally hooked on alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, aspirin and Valium.”

In 1988, running as a Libertarian presidential candidate, Ron was also completely committed to overturning prohibition, for he knew the issue at stake was liberty. Back in Congress, and in all his speaking engagements, as well as his wonderful book, he has taken the moral high ground on this issue.

Since his first stint in Congress, the drug war has only gotten worse, spilling over into Latin America and wrecking the lives of millions, because many politicians and others failed to listen to Ron Paul. On this issue alone — and of course there are many others of grand importance — Ron Paul has been a hero in every way. Let us hope all Americans who care about what the state’s many wars, at home and abroad, have done to destroy life, freedom, safety and civility in our country look to Ron is an exemplar of how to speak the truth, speak on principle and never waver when the enemy’s program is one of death, destruction and pure evil.