Republican candidate Ron Paul spoke Thursday on Carnahan Quad to hundreds of students and area residents. Paul immediately began his speech by getting the attention of his young voters.

“You are inheriting a mess,” Paul said. “Common sense, actually, is a rarity in Washington these days.”

Paul addressed issues such as the national debt, war and foreign policy, adding that government needs to have more respect for the Constitution. As president, Paul promised he would not go to war without a congressional declaration.

“Philosophy is wrong, occupation of other countries is wrong, nation building is wrong and (soldiers) should all just come home,” Paul said. “(You should) want a president more for peace than for war.”

Not only did Paul speak of his own war policies, but he criticized those of his opponents who question his willingness to go to war, bringing up the fact he is the only candidate who has served in the military.

“I thought it was very inspiring,” sophomore Rebecca Thrun said. “It’s common sense, instead of skirting around the issues and saying fancy words, he said, ‘This is what I think, and this is why I think it.’”

One point of his speech that got a lot of the crowd’s attention was Paul’s acceptance of medicinal marijuana. In addition, Paul declared the war on drugs in America was a failure.

Senior Jacob Kerner, who is a longtime fan and a member of the local Youth for Ron Paul chapter, said he agrees with Paul’s opinion on drugs.

“The first thing I ever heard Ron Paul say is that the federal government should not have any power in the drug war and they should end the war on drugs,” Kerner said. “The war on drugs is absolutely a war on Americans. We’re supposed to be free people, free to do controversial things.”

Throughout the speech, Paul claimed the government is trying to control its citizens too much, and he asks people, especially politicians, simply to be tolerant.

“Tolerance is a requirement in a free society,” Paul said. “We have to be a little more tolerant of people. If other people are doing things we don’t like, they don’t have the right to force that upon you.”

Some audience members still thought Paul was the same as every other Republican candidate.

“I feel like Ron Paul doesn’t support the average American,” junior Dakota Beveridge said. “I’m really into women’s rights, and I feel like a lot of women’s rights that women have fought really hard for would be diminished if he was president.”

Beveridge was referring to Paul’s anti-abortion opinion, a topic that was not addressed positively or negatively in his speech. She held a sign for the duration of the speech reading “Ron Paul Another Rich White Man (Women and Students against Ron Paul).”

Just as the Obama administration did in the 2008 election, Paul is hoping to gain much of the youth and student vote as the Republican candidate race continues.

“All great revolutions and change come from young people,” Paul said.

The Missouri caucus will begin at 10 a.m March 17.