Throughout history human beings have used marijuana as a medicine, a fuel, for the production of textiles and paper, and yes for the high they get when the smoke it. Only in the past century has the use of marijuana been demonized and made illegal. With little evidence that marijuana is dangerous it is time to stop prohibition of such a useful and frankly enjoyable plant. While there are many reasons to legalize marijuana these are the ones that I feel are most important to consider. Please write to your congressman and representatives and encourage them to consider legalizing marijuana for the good of everyone. 10. Marijuana has the potential to be an alternative fuel. Actually hemp (a variation of the marijuana plant that contains very little or no mind altering substances but still remains illegal), can be used to create bio-fuels that are clean burning. Oil extracted from the seed of the help plant is a quite efficient and clean bio-fuel. The reason that hemp is such a good choice for bio-fuel production is it's ability to grow in most climates, it grows quickly, the oil extracted from hemp seed is ideal for bio fuel production, and the rest of the plant can be used to create rope, fabrics and other useful items. 9. Marijuana can rebuild the textile industry in America. Cotton hasn't been king in quite a few years and if cotton ever was king hemp was the grand exulted ruler above all. Hemp farming isn't a new concept. Before the civil war hemp farmers out numbered cotton farmers 3 to 1. Simple math is all it takes to figure out the logic, 1 acre of hemp produces the equivalent of 3 acres of cotton. Not only does one acre of hemp produce more fabric than cotton the fabrics, ropes, and other textiles created from hemp are more durable and easier to work with than those produced from cotton. 8. Marijuana is not as dangerous as alcohol or cigarettes. Marijuana use for recreational purposes is a practice that predates written history. Human beings have been getting high on marijuana since the first caveman figured out how to burn it and inhale the smoke. While the argument that marijuana smoke contains even more carcinogens (cancer causing agents) than cigarettes is absolutely true marijuana is not smoked in the quantities that tobacco is consumed. A responsible marijuana smoker that smokes even 2 marijuana cigarettes per day does not even come close to inhaling the amount of carcinogens the average smoker does in an afternoon. While alcohol can cause unpredictable results in the user marijuana has the exact opposite properties. Someone high on alcohol can be melancholy or violent, depressed or elated. Marijuana provides a mild sense of euphoria and a calming effect. There are no reported acts of violence attributed to marijuana use. 7. Marijuana is not a stepping stone drug. Contrary to propaganda designed to propel the war on drugs marijuana use does not lead to anything more than a desire to go to Taco Bell at 2:00 AM. There is no physical or psychological reason why marijuana use would lead to the use of cocaine, heroin, or any other drug. There is some evidence that some users may be persuaded to use heavier drugs because under the current laws obtaining marijuana requires dealing with criminals who are selling other drugs. Legalizing marijuana would eliminate this problem completely. Other countries that have legalized marijuana do not have a problem with increased use of narcotics. In fact most countries that have chosen to legalize marijuana report a decrease in the use of other drugs including opiates (heroin, opium etc...) and cocaine. 6. Marijuana can replace trees as our primary source of paper goods. Save the rain forests! We have been hearing this for years yet nobody wants to live without the products that trees provide. Millions of acres of trees are cut down every year just to produce paper products. One acre of hemp produces the equivalent of 4 acres of trees. The math just doesn't lie. In addition to using the fiber from the hemp plant for paper products as mentioned above the oil from the seeds can be used to fuel the machines that harvest the plants. Of course this oil can also be used to create plastics that are environmentally friendly. Even these plastic products can be used to reduce the need for wood in many applications, thus saving even more trees from the ax. 5. Marijuana for recreational use can be taxed and revenue doesn't stop there. Universal health care, welfare, social security, public housing, hospitals, schools, roads, food for the poor, and so many other critical needs are not being met. Everyone wants to take care of the hungry and the sick. Everyone wants to see the homeless get homes and our children go to school. We all want to drive on safe roads and be secure that in our old age we can live with dignity. The problem is how do we pay for it all. The simple answer is taxes. The more difficult answer is who and what do we tax. A tax on legalized marijuana would easily cover these any many other issues that need immediate fiscal attention. The taxes on recreational marijuana would only be the tip of the iceberg. Job creation, reduction of dependence on foreign energy, and exports would repair all our economic woes. 4. Marijuana legalization would create jobs. Jobs are a rare commodity today. Worse yet a lot of the jobs that are available now are an endangered species. Many industries that provide employment today will be unable to continue operations over the next few decades. There is no question that the automotive industry as we know it will no longer exist sooner than later. The oil industry including drilling, shipping, storing, refining, and all the other links in the oil chain will cease to exists, again sooner than later. Legalizing marijuana will create jobs from the farmers that grow it to the scientists that find new uses for the plant and the workers that ship, haul, store and process the plant. Marijuana jobs will be pl...

The corruption by the IRS is an offense to EVERY AMERICAN! Any President or powerbroker that can use the IRS to punish political opponents has the power to destroy our freedoms.

We are Americans from every political persuasion. We are united in our belief that no individual or organization in this country should ever be targeted by the Internal Revenue Service, or any other agency of government, solely because of their political views. We urge President Obama to order a complete and transparent investigation of the IRS and to take appropriate legal action against anyone involved in an attempt to selectively target organizations because of their political views. Please sign our petition below.

Don't stop looking for missing persons/ cold cases. Although there is that probability, they haven't survived; as Cleveland discovered, last week, there is a very real possibility these people are alive, somewhere {and possibly being subjected to unspeakable treatment/ abuse}... Therefore, we must not give up on these innocent victims, of abduction!!!

You hear about abuses committed by Correctional Officers in prisons, but we rarely if ever see video tape of it. There's a reason. Many of our Incarceration Facilities don't have cameras installed! They exist on the fences to monitor the perimeter, but inside the jails themselves? In the cell blocks? NONE. It's time to require the installation of security cameras run by third party security teams to properly monitor our prison facilities so EVERYONE can be protected from unjust abuse and mistreatment.

This is about making stiffer penalties against anyone that abuses a child in any form. No misdemeanor charge. Yes I have been affected by this and still am.

I have family members perfectly capable of working but are not because they once committed a nonviolent, 1st time drug offense which taints their background making it harder for them to obtain work.

My daughter, Holly Bobo, was abducted on 4-13-11. After two years the case is still unsolved. There are other families in West Tennessee that have experienced the same tragedy for longer. Now is the time to push for a new approach and fresh eyes to achieve resolution for all these families. Please sign this petition to support the creation of a special task force. The new team will be comprised of qualified professionals who can re-examine and investigate these open missing persons cases.

My sister was murdered by her boyfriend. It will be 10 years this August 16th, her birthdate. He had a record of abuse with at least one count of felony. If we had a roster of felony abusers to look up his name and warn my sister. She would still be here today

Peggy Miller, mother, grandmother, small business owner and medical herbalist in Montana, once learned of major Government Service Contract building contract corruption and public fund theft when working in Washington, D.C. It was $5 billion at that time in late 1970's, and based on GSA's growth since, she now estimates it at $20 billion annually. She was a girl in her 20's who was dating a young man who's father was Government Service Administration director. That GSA director discovered this corruption. The next thing she knew that GSA director was being asked to resign, and the hearings were called off. She forgot about it, feeling powerless to do anything. But one day in the late 1990’s she wrote it down in a notebook that was soon stolen from her home along with many other work and personal files, and her harassment began. It took her awhile to figure out that the break-ins and indication of surveillance in her home, and theft of her files, was probably related to that GSA corruption knowledge she had, and so she went to the FBI in 2002 and reported what she knew. She told the FBI that she knew the General Services Administration had been colluding with the mafia in allowing ballooning of GSA building and maintenance contracts and the siphoning off of half those funds. She told the FBI that the amount she had been told was being stolen from contracts in 1979 was $5 billion and the corruption existed in most states. The New Hampshire FBI agent she reported it to checked and verified the accuracy of her report, said others had reported the same thing, and it was still on-going. That FBI agent said her report was sent to Washington,D.C. for investigation. Then there was silence. Peggy Miller continued to be subjected to house break-ins, electronic and personal surveillance via person, computers and phone, and in her house. There was some food and water contamination, but that improved. She continued to report to the FBI and finally went to the U.S. Attorney's office in 2007 who said they needed the FBI, but even they were ignored by the FBI when sending them the complete file. In 2009 Peggy began to report it directly to the President, U.S. Cabinet, and Congressmen and many national organizations. She went to lawyers who said that it was a job for the U.S. Attorney's office, who keeps saying they need the FBI on board. But the FBI does nothing. It is time for a petition to the U.S. Senate to investigate the whole matter, including why the FBI has done nothing. Attorney General Eric Holder has said that the FBI can't deal with the hugeness of Wall Street boondoggles and the size of multinational corporations. Is GSA too large too? We must get a handle on these massive leaks to the public Treasury, or our economy will never recover.

Since 2008 not one banker has gone to jail for destroying the economy, stealing our homes, our wealth, and our secure future. After years of resisting evictions, marching on big banks, delivering hundreds of thousands of petition signatures and even a popular movement like Occupy Wall Street, thousands of people have gone to jail for demanding accountability. But not one banker. It’s time to go directly to DC and interrupt business as usual. Hundreds of homeowners, foreclosure victims and allies will converge on Washington DC from May 18-23 and engage in dramatic action at the Department of Justice, holding the Obama Administration accountable for not being willing to jail any bankers. They are planning a host of powerful events for the entire week including non-violent civil disobedience. The latest outrage was in April when some 4 million families whose homes were stolen by Wall Street criminals in 2009 and 2010 started getting a total of $3.6 billion in compensation. Most will receive less than $1000. For losing their homes. That doesn’t even count the $12.8 trillion [1] that the greed and recklessness of Wall Street criminals cost our economy since 2008 or the $3 trillion [2] we spent propping up big banks. If our system of justice worked, two things should have happened: (1) those responsible should have been prosecuted for their crimes, and (2) borrowers should have been compensated for these violations. Instead AG Holder and the DOJ have given the bankers get out of jail free cards and federal regulators have allowed them to pay pennies on the dollar to people who lost their homes. That's what happens with Too Big to Jail. So we’re taking things right to the doorsteps of the decision-makers in DC. Stand with those going to DC to risk arrest through peaceful civil disobedience by signing on to the petition. We can guarantee your signature will be delivered to the very heart of law enforcement in the United States. We can’t wait for justice any longer. We’re going to DC. And we’ve got Too Big to Jail in our sights. [1] http://bettermarkets.com/sites/default/files/Cost%20of%20the%20Crisis%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf [2] http://money.cnn.com/news/storysupplement/economy/bailouttracker/

I am Youth Counselor.. Treating teen offenders as Adults is wrong.