Conservatives convene and comment on cannabis at CPAC

Yet another notable sign of the modern marijuana times could be observed this week as leading lights from the GOP got together at the Conservative Political Action Conference. The first day of CPAC included a break-out panel debating marijuana reform, and these article highlight that a number of notable GOP voices have been making headline-making comments on the topic:  

• "Rand Paul calls out Jeb Bush on marijuana"

• "Gary Johnson decries marijuana prohibition at CPAC"

• "Ted Cruz Voices Support For States' Right To Legalize Marijuana"

UPDATE:  This new CNN piece, headlined "What's the conservative pot position?," highlights some parts of the marijuana debate session at CPAC. It includes this notable quote from Gary Johnson:

In an interview offstage, Johnson joked that the sparring session didn't qualify as a debate. "I mean having a debate on legalizing marijuana really is like having a debate on whether the sun's gonna come up tomorrow," the former New Mexico governor said. "It's coming up tomorrow."...

But Johnson suggested that Republicans will need to stake out a realistic position on marijuana. The Republican Party -- whose leadership largely opposes marijuana legalization -- will be ushered "right out of existence" if it doesn't change its stance, Johnson said, noting the groundswell of support for pot legalization among younger voters. "It should be [a conservative issue]," Johnson said. "This is your life and don't you have the freedom to do what you want to do with your life. But you also have the responsibility that your actions don't mess with my life. Isn't that kind of fundamentally conservatism, period?"