--- ---  # The Conservative Case for Legalizing Marijuana  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Feb 26, 2015 7:31 PM UTC  William F. Buckley Jr., riding in airplane en route to Washington DC, in 1965 William F. Buckley Jr., riding in airplane en route to Washington DC, in 1965Truman Moore—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Feb 26, 2015 7:31 PM UTC The United States’ latest skirmish in the battle over marijuana laws is still ongoing and, for lawmakers, it hits close to home. On Thursday, possession of a limited amount of the drug became legal for adult residents of Washington, D.C. — but, thanks to the intervention of a group of Congressmen, there’s still no way to legally buy it or sell it there, which may lead to the development of a [“free weed economy.”](http://time.com/3722789/dc-marijuana-legalization-congress/) The legislative [action taken to stop the District](http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/house-republicans-warn-dc-mayor-not-to-legalize-pot/2015/02/25/2f784a10-bcb0-11e4-bdfa-b8e8f594e6ee%5Fstory.html) from developing a monetary economy for pot has broken down along party lines, with Republican lawmakers against the change in stance toward the drug and Democrats urging the city to go ahead. It may seem like a natural thing for conservatives to be, well, conservative about changing drug laws — [polls have shown](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/01/06/cnn-poll-support-for-legal-marijuana-soaring/) that Republicans are much less likely than Democrats to support legalization —but that wasn’t always the case. In fact, there was a time during the 1970s when the nation’s leading conservative voices spoke out on behalf of legalizing marijuana, for many of the same reasons that advocates of legalization cite today. At that time, in late 1972, a large study from the nonpartisan Consumers Union had just come out, urging legalization, as well as government-supported treatment for addictions to other substances. The report found that it was too late for law enforcement to keep pot from becoming part of American culture — and, surprisingly, its authors weren’t the only ones to think so, as TIME reported that December: --- > “” --- The attitude was a shift for Buckley, who in 1971 testified against loosening penalties but wrote in 1972 that he agreed with Cowan. “It seems, in fact, that Buckley has smoked grass himself—but only on his sailboat, outside the three-mile limit,” TIME noted. “His verdict: ‘To tell the truth, marijuana didn’t do a thing for me.'” **_See the full story, here in the TIME Vault:_** [Concerning Pot and Man at The _National Review_](http://time.com/vault/issue/1972-12-11/page/32/) ### 7 Dizzying GIFs of Spinning Cannabis Strains  Hawgs Breath Type: Indica Lineage: Hindu Kush x Afghani Smell/Taste: Fruity, Earthy, Citrus Effect: Euphoric, Relaxed, Uplifted, Sleepiness, Pain Relief, Stress/Anxiety Relief Nugshots  Ed Rosenthal Super Bud Type:Hybrid Lineage: Afghani Indica x Hindu Kush x Mexican Sativa x Thai Sativa x African Hybrid Smell/Taste: Mint, Earthy, Citrus, Effect: Uplifted, Relaxing, Active, Pain/Stress Relief Nugshots  Grape Ape Type: Indica Hybrid Lineage: Afghani x Skunk #1 Smell/Taste: Sweet, Grape, Berry, Effect: Relaxing, Pain Relief, Sleepiness Nugshots  Bubba Kush Type: Indica Lindage: Bubble Gum x OG Kush Smell/Taste: Sweet, Earthy, Citrus, Perfume Effect: Calming, Body Relaxation Nugshots  Black Poison No known reliable data. Nugshots  Platinum Bubba Kush Type: Indica Lineage: Platinum OG Kush x Bubba Kush Smell/Taste: Floral, Sweet, Fruity, Earthy Effect: Body Relaxation, Pain Relief, Appetite Stimulation, Sleepiness Nugshots  Mango Haze Type: Hybrid Lineage: Northern Lights #5 x Skunk #1 x Haze Smell/Taste: Mango, Pine, Citrus, Tropical, Mint Effect: Uplifting, Cerebral, Euphoric Nugshots  Platinum OG Kush Type: Indica Hybrid Lineage: Master Kush x OG Kush Smell/Taste: Earthy, Sweet, Pungent, Pine Effect: Sedation, Calming, Anxiety Relief, Appetite Stimulation Nugshots  Hindu Kush Type: Indica Lineage: Unknown Smell/Taste: Earthy, Sweet, Piney, Effect: Relaxing, Pain Relief, Body Sensation, Sleepiness Nugshots Marijuana and Conservatives in Washington DC: Now and Then ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3724131/conservatives-marijuana-buckley/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3724131/conservatives-marijuana-buckley/"},"headline":"The Conservative Case for Legalizing Marijuana","datePublished":"2015-02-26T19:31:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:05:22.097Z","description":"American conservatives haven't always opposed legalizing pot","url":"https://time.com/3724131/conservatives-marijuana-buckley/","keywords":["politics","Marijuana","Drugs","Washington"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt133fc1edb9a3c7f8/6987813ae20a87c503a85508/buckley.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt133fc1edb9a3c7f8/6987813ae20a87c503a85508/buckley.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"William F. 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