Let me break this down for you stump:
I think we would all agree that the ultimate goal here is to have marijuana completely legalized on a federal level, correct? If that's the case, then hear me out.
This isn't much different than alcohol prohibition back in the day. The federal government wasn't going to budge. It took a concerted effort by each state, one by one, to legalize alcohol until the feds were left with no choice but to lift the prohibition.
Marijuana prohibition is very similar. There are powerful influences in Washington (lobbyists) beyond our control. It will take each state hashing it out, one by one, eventually forcing the feds to back off.
In our state, we have a pretty evenly divided populous. Roughly a third of our population is pro-marijuana like the members of this forum. Another third is made up of conservative, reefer madness types that think marijuana is the devil. The last third are moderate folks that can be swayed in either direction. If these moderate folks open up the paper every day and read a new story about some cat sitting on pounds of weed, or growing a warehouse full of plants, then you best believe that the consensus will swing in the direction of the anti-marijuana crowd and we'll all be screwed.
These are the facts. Public opinion matters, and it is in our best interests to follow the law. A lot of people are resistant to change, but if we show ourselves to be reasonable, law abiding citizens people will begin to see that the plant is harmless, and has many positive things to offer that could benefit society as a whole.