from alternet.org: Last year, over 850,000 people in America were arrested for marijuana-related crimes. Despite public opinion, the medical community, and human rights experts all moving in favor of relaxing marijuana prohibition laws, little has changed in terms of policy. There have been many great books and articles detailing the history of the drug war. Part of America’s fixation with keeping the leafy green plant illegal is rooted in cultural and political clashes from the past… [But] it’s worth showing that there are entrenched interest groups that are spending large sums of money to keep our broken drug laws on the books: 1. Police Unions, 2. Private Prisons Corporations, 3. Alcohol and Beer Companies, 4. Pharmaceutical Corporations, and 5. Prison Guard Unions