If you have ever asked yourself “Why is it that marijuana-related issues never seem to get a fair shake in Washington D.C.” it could be because out of the hundreds of federal lawmakers currently handling America’s all important issues on Capitol Hill, only a small percentage of them have ever taken a bold stance in favor of cannabis reform.

Earlier this week, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) published its updated scorecard in reference to congressional support regarding national pot policies. Sadly, there were only 20 U.S. Representatives and two Senators to receive an “A” letter grade for showing a willingness to publically support measures aimed at bringing an end to prohibition.

Incidentally, all but one of the federal lawmakers to receive an “A” rating is a Democrat.

Considering that four states and the District of Columbia have legalized the leaf for recreational purposes and the majority of the population consistently registering between 54 and 61 percent in favor of full blown legalization, it should be considered an embarrassment that the majority of the politicians elected to represent the people in the nation’s capital continue to ignore the marijuana issue year after year.

“This analysis affirms that voters’ views on marijuana policy are well ahead of many of their federally elected officials,” wrote NORML’s political director Danielle Keane. “While the majority of Americans support legalizing the use and sale of cannabis for adults, only four percent of Congressional members voice support for this position.”

It is worth mentioning that while 270 Representatives and 60 Senators received a passing grade (“C” or higher) -- mostly due to some half-assed support for medical marijuana -- there were still 172 members of Congress branded with a “D” rating for having “expressed no support for any significant marijuana law reform.” What’s worse is another 32 of these snidely bastards were given an “F” for taking a public stance against the reform of marijuana laws.

“Congressional support for marijuana law reform is largely a partisan issue,” Keane wrote. “While more than nine out of ten Democrats express support for some level of reform, just over one-third of Republicans hold similar positions. This partisanship lies in contrast to voters’ sentiments, which tend to view the subject as a non-partisan issue.”

This means there is really no chance in hell that any national marijuana reform bill will be taken seriously in the coming years unless we take aim on the Republican Party this November, and every future election thereafter, and vote as many of those slick shoe degenerates out of office as we can. After all, while most Republicans now support some level of marijuana reform (mostly for medicinal purposes) this attitude is not being represented in Congress.