GOP candidate Herman Cain says states, not feds, should decide marijuana policy

I am pleased to hear pot policy being discussed on the campaign trail, and I am especially pleased to learn that GOP candidate Herman Cain is articulating a small federal government theme here as reported in this MSNBC report.  The piece is headlined "Up in smoke? Cain says medical pot's a state issue," and here are excerpts:

GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain said he supports the ability of states to make medical marijuana available as a treatment for patients. "If states want to legalize medical marijuana, I think that's a state's right," Cain said while campaigning in Iowa. "Because one of my overriding approaches to looking at all of these issues -- most of them belong at the state, because when you do something federally ... you try to force one-size-fits-all."

That sentiment wouldn't necessarily make Cain the only Republican candidate who's sympathetic to marijuana rights. Texas Rep. Ron Paul supports the availability of medical marijuana, and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson supports the drug's overall legalization.

When it comes to medical pot, an April 2010 poll by the Pew Research Center found that 61 percent of Republicans favored legalization, while 37 percent of Republicans opposed that. Self-described conservatives even split in favor of legalizing medical marijuana, 54-44 percent.