Marijuana grow photo courtesy of DEA. "It is not just a battle against marijuana; it is a battle for the minds of our children."—Dr. Bertha Madras, Harvard Medical School

Every thoughtful American should recognize that Mexico's entire national system has been corrupted. The remaining uncompromised institutions courageously battle to save the government and restore the culture to health, but Mexico's corrupting cancer could be fatal.

Less recognized is the fact that this country is not immune to this illness. In fact, the U.S. has manifested many of the symptoms of this lethal nation-destroying cancer. After years of exposure to the infectious carrier of Mexico's cancer, marijuana, our own nation's vital systems have been compromised.

Earlier this month, I attended the Marijuana Policy and Strategy Conference in southern California. The conference had many cosponsors including the Coalition for a Drug Free California and the California Narcotic Officers' Association.

Pro-pot advocates demonstrated at the venue to tell us that marijuana is natural medicine and should be legalized. The conference even made the pages of High Times Magazine. Inside the conference, knowledgeable experts countered these media-reinforced myths with scientific facts. Marijuana use is toxic, not only physically, but also to the mental and moral health of our nation. It is especially toxic to our youth.

Like tobacco, marijuana is a carcinogen. Both cause cancer. Like the poison DDT, cannabis' THC persists in the fat tissues of the body. Like alcohol, pot is an intoxicant that interferes with the ability to drive a car. Any purported medical benefit that might be derived from pot can also be obtained from safer pharmaceuticals.

Think about it. Who would drink scotch or bourbon if the intoxicating alcohol was removed? Exactly! In truth, the great majority of the pro-pot people want pot over the equivalent pharmaceuticals because they actually want the intoxicating affects of the cannabis plant rather than the supposed medical benefits.

Harvard Medical School's Dr. Bertha Madras, who spoke at the conference, presented fascinating information backed by the most recent studies that shredded popular urban legends about "harmless" marijuana use and the claims of medical marijuana purveyors.

Not counting the chemicals added to increase growth and kill insects, marijuana plants contain more than 400 known compounds. More than 60 cannabinoids have been isolated with THC being the most important. Recent studies show a 200 percent increase in the THC potency of street pot compared to just a few years ago.

These cannabinoids are attracted to the frontal lobes and other important centers of the human brain. This is especially dangerous to youngsters whose brains are still developing (up to 25 years old). And the average age of first use of pot is dropping to as low as 8 or 9.

According to published studies by Dr. Susan Dalterio, "exposure to cannabinoids can result in long-term alterations in … pituitary-gonadal function and sexual behavior." It can alter male reproduction and endocrine function. It can suppress stimulating hormones in women.

Recent studies also link heavy prolonged marijuana use with damage to the brain, including the hippocampus, which is involved in the functions of memory and recall. It is also linked to the onset of schizophrenia in some subjects who were studied.

Without question, pot is the usual gateway drug to abuse of other street drugs. Like tobacco, marijuana should come with a Surgeon General's warning about its long-term harmful effects.

By far the most potentially lethal and dangerous aspect of the cancer of marijuana is its corrupting and institution-rotting affects on our society. Our hypocritical attitude of winking at illegal pot use corrupts our morals and ethics, as well as the sacred rule of law. The conflicting and confusing treatment of government regulations concerning both medical marijuana and recreational reefer use sends a mixed message to young people.

Among the purveyors of pot we also find the corrupting influences of big money from drug cartels and progressive billionaires such as George Soros, Peter Lewis and George Zimmer. Their money and power have influenced the media and many politicians who parrot the lie that the legalization of marijuana can be a good thing.

Federal, state and local police as well as other government officials have succumbed to the money involved in the cannabis cancer. Whether it's the legal medical marijuana trade or illegal drug-trafficking gangs, it originates from the same criminal sources. Marijuana can be toxic whether prescribed by a physician and taxed by the government or slung freelance at the local grammar school.

The recent arrests of the mayor, a City Council member and the code enforcement officer in the city of Cudahy, Calif., shows the public corruption associated with the sanctioning of medical Marijuana dispensaries in the city. Allegedly the informant who was being shaken down for bribes to open his pot clinic was upset because Cudahy wanted a bigger "bite" than he was paying for his clinics in Los Angeles.

And then we come to the case of former Columbus (N.M.) Police Chief Angelo Vega, who was getting paid more than $40,000 a year from the small village and at the same time collecting $2,000 a month plus bonuses in $100 bills from local Juárez Cartel representatives. Unfortunately this isn't the first, nor will it be the last, police chief, sheriff, mayor, congressman or other government official who will succumb to the cannabis cancer.