Once upon a Leaf

Once upon a time,
There stood a noble, old man,
  Who--by standing on his soapbox,
Inspired a nation
Against a harsh, cruel substance.
                So cruel that;
                          No one died from it.
                So harsh that;
                          It caused no violence.
                So addictive that;
                          You could stop anytime.
But it was a mean and nasty plant,
This leaf so green and easily grown,
Grown by mean and nasty people,
        such as cancer patients...and university students.
And this noble politician, whom was held in such high regard,
        Created a stigma where none had been before,
        Created a jail sentence to Avenge! ...no one
                                To Protect!  "the abuser"
                                To Rehabilitate! The unaddicted
He cried out against this drug,
    But when asked one time,
    By an intelligent, scholarly man,
    "Why, oh Why is this so bad?
Why create a new crime, a new fate,"
    Well boys and girls,
Our noble politician lied.