Sarah Palin smoked marijuana but opposes legalization?

[Mind's High Mailinglist]

McCain's VP Pick Acknowledged Marijuana Use
http://www.mpp.org/news/in-the-news/mccains-vp-pick-acknowledged.html

August 29, 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Noting that his just-announced vice presidential
pick, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, has acknowledged having smoked
marijuana, reform advocates today urged Sen. John McCain to respect
states' rights to set their own marijuana policies if he is elected
president.

On Aug. 6, 2006, the Anchorage Daily News reported, "Palin said she
has smoked marijuana -- remember, it was legal under state law, she
said, even if illegal under U.S. law -- but says she didn't like it
and doesn't smoke it now.

"'I can't claim a Bill Clinton and say that I never inhaled.'" The
paper quoted Palin as saying she opposed legalization of marijuana
because of the "message" that would be sent to her children.

"Governor Palin is one of many millions of Americans who have used
marijuana and gone on to live productive, wildly successful lives,"
said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in
Washington, D.C. "That she used marijuana is no big deal, but what is
a big deal is that she thinks that the 100 million Americans who have
used marijuana, including herself, belong in jail. That wouldn't be
good for her kids.

"Perhaps most importantly, Alaska is one of 12 states that allow the
medical use of marijuana, and one in five Americans currently live in
those states. The heavy hand of the federal government has trampled
state authority and tried to interfere with the implementation of
these state-level medical marijuana laws. The GOP ticket should
embrace the time-honored Republican principle of local control by
promising to end the federal government's war on sensible medical
marijuana laws in both red and blue states."

Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New
Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington have medical
marijuana laws. New Mexico's is the latest, passed by the Legislature
last year. Montana's medical marijuana law appeared on the November
2004 ballot, receiving 62 percent of the vote, exceeding George W.
Bush's total of 59 percent.

With more than 25,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers
nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana
policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the
best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate
marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please
visit http://MarijuanaPolicy.org

from:
http://www.mpp.org/news/in-the-news/mccains-vp-pick-acknowledged.html