Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, implying that it has a high potential for abuse, no officially accepted medicinal uses, and no safe level of use under medical supervision. Heroin, LSD, and Peyote are other Schedule 1 drugs; cociane and PCP are listed in Schedule 2, allowing doctors to prescribe them. Under Federal law, it is illegal to posses any amount of pot anywhere in the United States. Penalties for a first marijuana offense range from probation to the death penalty. Moreover, it is illegal to use the U.S. Postal Service or other interstate shippers for the advertisement, import, or export of such marijuana paraphernalia as roach clips, water pipes, and, in some instances, cigarette papers- a crime that can lead to imprisonment and fines of up to 100,000.

Under civil forfeiture statues, real estate, vehicles, cash, securities, jewelry, and any other property connected to a marijuana offense are subject to immediate seizure. The federal government need not prove the property was bought with the proceeds of illegal drug sales, only that it was involved in the commission of a crime- that marijuana was grown on certain land or transported in a particular vehicle. A yacht can be siezed if a single joint is discovered on it. A house can be siezed if a single plant is found growing there. On top of fines, incarceration, and forfeiture, a convicted marijuana offender may face the revocation or denial of more than 460 federal benefits, including student loans, small- business loans, professional licenses, and farm subsidies. Americans convicted of a marijuana felony, even if they are disabled, may no longer receive federal welfare payments or food stamps. Convicted murderers, rapists, and child molesters, however, remain eligible for such benefits.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=307578004&blogID=345770837