A Stoner's Guide to the U.S. Republican Primary

   If we ever hope to make any headway in the fight for full legalization of marijuana we're going to have to elect a president who has a common sense approach to drugs. With that in mind, The Chronicle is proud to present our guide to the 2012 U.S. Republican Primary Election. We'll be covering all of the major candidates and providing their stance on marijuana legalization, medical or otherwise.

THE GOOD:

RON PAUL

   Ron Paul takes more of a common sense approach to drug use in American than any other major candidate in the race and he therefore receives The Chronicle's official endorsement.

   Ron is a constitutional libertarian and vigorously defends the right of states to set their own drug regulations and also supports the medicinal use of marijuana.

   "The federal government takes over and overrules states where state laws permit medicinal marijuana for people dying of cancer. The federal government goes in and arrests these people, puts them in prison with mandatory sentences. This war on drugs is totally out of control. If you want to regulate cigarettes and alcohol and drugs, it should be at the state level. That’s where I stand on it. The federal government has no prerogatives on this," Paul says.

   Paul takes a common sense approach not only to marijuana and drugs, but also to fiscal responsibility, foreign policy and many other important issues and we think he is the best choice for our next president.

   Find out more about Paul's stance on drugs by watching the video below:

GARY JOHNSON

    With a new poll showing that a record 50 percent of Americans support the legalization of marijuana, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson says he's surprised that more of our political leaders refuse to support legalization.

   "Where is the political leadership that should be reflecting that common sense belief?" said the former New Mexico governor in a statement this Tuesday. "This may be the only issue on the national scene where half the American people support something, but zero percent, statistically speaking, of elected officials and politicians will publicly agree with them," he added. "Yet, for the most part, there are no politicians who will speak that truth, much less act upon it. With 50% of Americans open to the idea of legalization, why won't the ruling class at least let us have the conversation?"

   Johnson admits that he used marijuana in his youth and in 2007-08 after a skiing accident left him in severe pain and fought hard for legalization when he was the governor of New Mexico.

   Johnson would make a great president, but so far his campaign has failed to gain steam and he's way off the radar of most voters. 

RICK PERRY

   Although Perry seems like a George W. clone (and in many ways he is) and The Chronicle doesn't support his stance on most issues, he surprisingly supports state's rights to regulate drugs themselves. 

   "When the federal government oversteps its authority, states should tell Washington they will not be complicit in enforcing laws with which they do not agree," he writes. "Again, the best example is an issue I don't even agree with - the partial legalization of marijuana. Californians clearly want some level of legalized marijuana, be it for medicinal use or otherwise. The federal government is telling them they cannot. But states are not bound to enforce federal law, and the federal government cannot commandeer state resources and require them to enforce it. If you don't support the death penalty and citizens packing a pistol, don't come to Texas. If you don't like medicinal marijuana and gay marriage, don't move to California."

   It should be noted however that Perry opposes legalization on the federal level and is personally against the use of marijuana. 

THE BAD:

RICK SANTORUM

   Santorum is the worst kind of politician: The kind that admits to smoking weed in the past (and therefore knows how harmless it is) but still supports current drug laws that put tons of peace-loving potheads behind bars every day. 

   “Well, yeah, I admitted you know, back when I was running for the Senate, that when I was in college that I smoked pot and that was something that I did when I was in college,” Santorum said. “It was something that I’m not proud of, but I did. And said it was something that I wish I hadn’t done. But I did and I admitted it. I would encourage people not to do so. It was not all it’s made up to be.”

   Not only is Santorum fiercely against marijuana legalization, he even attacked Rick Perry for supporting state's right to choose their own marijuana laws. What a douchebag. 

MITT ROMNEY

 From a stoner's perspective Mitt Romney is among the worst candidates running for president. He doesn't support legalization or the medical use of marijuana. When asked about his stance on marijuana during his 2008 presidential campaign, Romney replied simply:

   "I don't want marijuana to be used in our country. I'm not going to legalize marijuana."

   Well Mitt, we don't always get what we want and the fact is that most Americans now disagree with your statement. 

   Romney also strongly opposes the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, saying that people should instead use synthetic forms of the drug. 

   "I don't want to encourage more involvement in or allow more people to get involved in the marijuana and the drug culture."

   Well I don't want to encourage more involvement in or allow more people to get involved in the Mormon culture, but like I said, we don't always get what we want, do we Mitt?

NEWT GINGRICH

   Even worse than Mitt Romney is good old boy Newt Gingrich. Gingrich is not only against marijuana legalization, he also advocated for a death penalty for anyone caught smuggling 2 ounces or more of marijuana into the country. He says possession should be punished by community service two days a week and if the person misses a day they would go to prison for five years. It's a good thing this nutcase will never be president.

HERMAN CAIN:

   So far up and coming political star Herman Cain has failed to make his stance on marijuana clear. You can find out just how actively he avoids the question by watching the video below. Cain actually physically runs away from someone who's trying to ask him about his stance on medical marijuana:

THE UGLY:

MICHELE BACHMANN

   Tea Party darling Michele Bachmann has also failed to address the issue of marijuana making no direct statements on the issue, but given her conservative stance on most social issues we can assume that she has no love for the herb. So why does Bachmann belong in the 'Ugly' category? Because SHE UGLY.