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If illegal inmmigrants can get support for changing laws so that their presence is no longer illegal by holding large public protests, why can't potheads take to the streets with "I smoke marijuana and I vote" signs, American flags, and white t-shirts to show that they are peaceful and have no criminal intent? Illegal immigrants from Mexico might even decide to join the pro-pot protests, because legalizing marijuana in the U.S. would allow many of them to go home and earn decent incomes raising marijuana -- legally -- instead of skulking in the shadows of American society.

I'm not a dope-sucker myself. Even when I was in my teens and twenties and many of my friends thought a day without reefer was like a day without sunshine, I was the sort of person who might take a casual puff if someone passed a joint to me at a party, but I never bought marijuana or kept it around. I preferred wine or beer or perhaps a mixed drink or two. And I still do.

But I am an ecumenical sort of person, and if you would rather smoke a joint than pour a beer -- or if you would rather use no intoxicants at all -- that's fine with me. I don't feel I have any right to push my personal sexual, religious or mind-alteration preferences on others.

One thing I do resent is seeing my tax money wasted enforcing marijuana laws. Driving while intoxicated should still be a crime, no matter what the intoxicant, as should all personal behaviors that affect others in a negative way. But this doesn't mean we should criminalize marijuana smokers, most of whom hold jobs, raise families and live quiet middle-class lives, just like the majority of illegal immigrants.

Imagine all the pot smokers waving flags

By some estimates, more than 25 million Americans currently use marijuana.

The most commonly-quoted number of illegal aliens in the U.S. is 11 million.

Obviously, marijuana users should be able to hold street rallies at least twice as large as those held by illegal aliens.

Elected officials (and major media outlets) are paying plenty of attention to illegal aliens' protests, and none of the protestors are geting busted even though every single illegal immigrant out waving a flag is breaking the law merely by being in this country.

Imagine huge rallies held by marijuana smokers and their sympathizers, all peaceful, all proclaiming their loyalty to the U.S. and talking about how they just want to lead normal, non-criminal lives.

Politicians would have no choice but to listen. And if police anywhere took any action against the marijuana advocates, they'd open themselves up to even more criticism than they already get for ignoring illegal immigrants. Once you let one group of law-breakers protest the law, it's hard to keep another group of law-breakers from doing the same thing, right?

Legalized marijuana as a cure to the illegal immigration problem

Mexico has traditionally been our main source of marijuana. Growing it is illegal in Mexico because of U.S. pressure, but somehow plenty of the Evil Weed seems to get grown there -- and to come through the same porous border that fails to keep illegal immigrants on their side of it.

Imagine legalized, taxed marijuana. It would be a huge boon to the Mexican economy, to the point where many Mexican illegals currently in the U.S. would go home and become middle-class marijuana farmers, packagers, and exporters. And tax revenue from marijuana would certainly help the chronically-broke Mexican government.

On this side of the border, marijuana taxes would be just as welcome as in Mexico. Perhaps some of that money could even be used to prevent the use of more pernicious and addictive drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and nicotine. And legal marijuana in the U.S. would radically cut law enforcement and prison expenses, which would certainly help conservative Republican budget-cutters jump on the legalization bandwagon.

Someone needs to start the ball rolling

I'm sure there are plenty of marijuana-smoking political organizers out there. Among 25 million users, there must be -- not to mention that (just like illegal immigrants) marijuana users have wives, husbands, children, uncles, aunts, cousins, friends and coworkers who support their cause.

So come on, Hemp People! Take to the streets and show America that you're at least as necessary to the U.S. as illegal immigrants, and that you're a much stronger social and political force than a bunch of wetbacks who don't even speak English!

Originally published at Roblimo.com