Will next President ease war on cancer patients?

Since California became the first state since the start of the failed War on Drugs to allow medical marijuana, the drug warriors have only gotten more shrill. The federal government has repeatedly raided glaucoma and cancer patients who legally used marijuana in states that allow it.

The major presidential candidates though are taking a softer line than the Bush regime. That's not hard to do, because the current administration has been a bulldozer for federal tyranny and a foe of personal liberty and science.

Sure, the candidates flip-flop. So you don't really know what to expect if they win. But at least their statements are exposing the absurdity and malevolence of imprisoning cancer patients for using an herb in a legally prescribed manner.

Barack Obama says he wants to get the federal government out of the business of busting medical marijuana patients and leave the issue up to the states. Hillary Clinton has also expressed a desire to halt federal raids. Even John McCain hasn't consistently supported the raids: As on the misnamed FairTax, McCain changes his mind faster than most people change undergarments, sometimes supporting the current policy and at other times opposing it.

As long as the GOP/DLC synthesis remains in charge, I don't think the unlawful raids will end, of course. The major candidates' commitment to easing the drug war is weak, as even the best of the 3 has threatened to continue the Rockefeller drug law against cold medicine. (This pledge is conveniently omitted from campaign materials in areas where people are considered more likely to oppose the effort.)

The War on Drugs has become more and more invasive against basic liberty, even before Bush. No national political campaign should be taken seriously if it doesn't at least promise to remove the Patriot Act's provisions on cold medicine.

(Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/05/12/MNKK10FD53.DTL)