WHAT DO MEDICAL MARIJUANA AND SAME-SEX MARRIAGE HAVE IN COMMON?

Have you ever heard any opponent of either one explain how they could cause harm?

The anti-marriage crowd has never--NEVER--stated how same-sex marriage will negatively impact society or the institution of marriage. All they ever do, even when repeatedly asked in plain language even their bent cortexes can understand, is repeat the conclusion. I have heard and read enough of their rants to make me puke, and I have never seen or heard that question answered. Why? Duh!

We can give really sick or terminally ill patients the most powerful drugs on the planet, many of which are derived from Afghani poppies, like morphine, and no one tries to state that this will lead to addiction, or harm the patient, or by extension harm society. In fact, no one blinks at this.

But try to give them a cheap, relatively benign drug with proven efficacy for the problem indicated, and, well, you might as well be trying to restrict marriage to same-sex only.

We'll help doctors who prescribe morphine to the terminally ill get rich, but we'll help friends who provide medical marijuana to them get busted.

Why? What vested interests are being threatened in each case?

Well, in the latter, it's easy: Big Pharma. Like solar energy, medical marijuana is cheap, easy to get, and hard to control or restrict like most prescription drugs. Pharma came up with Marinol, a synthetic derived from the psychoactive ingredient in pot, THC. But it's weak--generally regarded as far less effective than a plain old joint--and costs more. But Pharma makes it, controls it and profits from it. They know it's unlikely that could ever happen with real weed.

And since Pharma controls federal drug policy, we aren't likely to see a change in the near future on the federal level, even though a few states have seen the insanity and evil of the federal approach and have legalized medical usage. The feds, in their infinite wisdom, have busted those who are complying with state law. Conservatives who favor states rights over federal hegemony, where are you now, you lousy hypocrites?

And about that harm to or addiction by the patient--we are talking terminally ill here. After they tell me how same-sex marriage will destroy heterosexual marriage, will they please tell me why a joint will be dangerous to these poor folks, and why morphine won't be. I am not holding my breath.

As for the vested interests in preventing same-sex marriage, it's not as clear.

Organized religious institutions that have made a living off condemning homosexuality of course do not want to see their fragile straw foundations shaken, since that would diminish their power and their hold on the sheep that follow them.

I think there is no vested interest per se in the world of those secular groups and individuals that condemn same sex marriage. Then the thing reverts back to the same old demons progressive humanity has fought against forever: ignorance, bigotry, hatred, fear, and the willingness of those who possess or are predisposed to possessing those characteristics to follow demagogues who espouse them.

There's no end to the calumny of those demagogues in the top levels of the political and religious hierarchies, especially now that they have become empowered by and given a platform by a government stolen by their leadership.

And there clearly is no end to the callousness of their followers.

That the political and religious institutions that oppose these measures even refer to compassion as part of their policies is enough to condemn them to the 7th level of Hell. Would that it could be soon. The suffering they needlessly cause is intolerable, unconscionable, and for their victims often unbearable.

So what to do?

Think Canada. I will start counting how many of my posts end up with a serious consideration of moving to Canada, where in the near future for the whole country if not for most of it now these two issues will be generally non-issues.

Let them have America. They've grifted most of it already. Let's all move to Canada and start over.

They have good beer there, too.