Actually, Mike Gravel who is running for president in 2008 as a republican has this to say:

"Sen. Gravel: We need to legalize the regulation of drugs. The drug problem is a public health problem. Itā??s not a criminal problem. We make it a criminal problem because we treat people like criminals. You take a drug addict, you throw him in jail, you leave him there, and he learns the criminal trade so that when he gets out you have recidivism."

he is republican, but atleast he knows what he is talking about, he also said:
"Sen. Gravel: It sure is true. When are we are going to learn. We went through the Depression and we realized how we created all the gangsters and the violence. When FDR came in he wiped out Prohibition. We need to wipe out this whole war on drugs. We spend $50 billion to $70 billion a year. We create criminals that arenā??t criminals. We destabilize foreign countries. With respect, to marijuana, Doug, Iā??ll tell you what: Go get yourself a fifth of scotch or a fifth of gin and chug-a-lug it down and youā??ll find you lose your senses a lot faster than you would smoking some marijuana."


Mike Gravel: Unfiltered | Gravel 2008