Obama dodges medical marijuana question in Minnesota

[Playinghardball]

Source: RawReplay
By David Edwards

President Barack Obama sidestepped a question about medical marijuana legalization at a town hall event in Cannon Falls, Minnesota Monday.

“If you can’t legalize marijuana, why can’t you just legalize medical marijuana?” a woman asked the president.

“A lot of states are making decisions about medical marijuana,” Obama explained. “As a controlled substance, the issue is then that is it being prescribed by a doctor as opposed to… you know, well, I’ll leave it at that.”

The president went on to defend the Affordable Care Act, which critics have called “ObamaCare.”

“Let me tell you, I have no problem with folks saying Obama cares. I do care,” he said.

Watch this video from C-SPAN, broadcast Aug. 15, 2011

http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/08/obama-dodges-medical-marijuana-question-in-minnesota/

[montanacowboy]

1. This is worse than pathetic

keep it up Obama

[SHRED]

92. How many are rotting in jails and prisons for weed?

TOO MANY.

Obama can GO TO HELL on this issue,


---

[Bluebear]

2. Well, I'll leave it at that. fabulous.

[EFerrari]

5. Turns out, the president is a drug warrior.

Cool.

[immoderate]

42. It's for the kids. You can't get to be president if you smoke pot.

Not ever having been POTUS, I don't know what special boner presidents get from cracking down on pot heads. :shrug: Power trip? Oh noes, not Barack!

--imm

[EFerrari]

46. Not to mention, cracking down on cancer patients.

It's disgusting. I'm so tired of this president running over people who are struggling. Cancer patients, the Dream Act kids, unions, teachers, black youth on the cradle to prison conveyor belt, people facing illegal foreclosures, women who need abortion coverage in their health plan. Who hasn't been trampled.

[immoderate]

49. Uh-huh, he moves right on every issue.

I don't have confidence in him. I don't trust him. He's here to prolong the agony.

--imm

[SHRED]

93. Plus he smokes a cancer causing weed

[didact]

82. Pot is the reason our economy is a mess!

:P :smoke: :crazy: :silly: :hi:

[Fly by night]

94. Huh? Care to elaborate, in sentences rather than smilies? Or was that just hit-and-run snark?

These days, I can't always tell the difference.

Really. What, pray tell, did you mean by your post?

[BeyondGeography]

3. That care line is good

And so was his answer.

[frylock]

15. he's lying..

his DoJ continues to shut down dispensaries, despite obama's weasley reference to state's rights.

[DFab420]

4. Didn't sound like a dodge to me. Sounds like he said it was a states issue.. You know

how like the states can decide their own laws and all..

[EFerrari]

7. Yeah, like how they decide their own laws and then his DOJ

goes into the state and starts arresting people, confiscating the pot and shutting down clinics, like that.

[Missy Vixen]

9. It's happening in Washington State right now

I don't use, and I prefer to stay out of it, but I support legalization.

It's unfortunate that President Obama seems to believe we're all too stupid to keep up on what is said vs. what his administration is doing.

[EFerrari]

17. I'll never forget that first townhall he had, when his people asked

for questions for the president. It was right after the inauguration. And the most popular question was the legalization question. And how he sneered at it, made a lame joke and ignored the whole thing.

[SteveM]

40. Pot is an issue the DLC folks want GONE, replaced with a sure winner:

gun control.

[me b zola]

63. I remember that

I believe it was a young man who asked Obama if he would consider legalizing and taxing cannabis because it would help increase revenues during economic turn down (I don't think they were calling it a recession yet). Obama indeed laughed and made a joke completely brushing off the young man and his question.

[EFerrari]

83. And that was after the question had been submitted on line

and got the highest rating of all the submissions.

See, I just don't understand treating the public like that. It doesn't make sense in any context except for trying to shut people up.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

8. Are you calling Obama a liar?

Because if he said it's a state's rights issue, he's a liar. He and Holder have proven that over and over again. If, on the other hand, you're not saying he's a liar, then your interpretation of his statement is completely nonsensical.

[DFab420]

29. Your post made very little sense, therefore I am having a hard time responding..

IT is a states rights issue, and just like all other states rights they also fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government. The state may say it's legal, and on a day to day basis you can purchase and consume cannabis free of fear from prosecution. Now, the DoJ focuses on distributors, not patients. Does it suck? OF course it sucks. But it's still a states rights issue.

Federal law is different from State law.. How do is that lying?

[EFerrari]

33. It's a lie because he's saying the states should decide

when he knows very well that the Feds won't allow the States to decide as a matter of his administration's POLICY, that's how.

[fishbulb703]

91. +1, if HIS executive branch interferes with a "states" issue, then he is a hypocrite

[atreides1]

10. Like California

Where the Feds are still raiding places that provide medical marijuana...maybe the question should have been "if it's up to the states, why is the federal government still conducting raids?".

[DFab420]

30. Cause it's still a federal crime?? And it's way easier to bust a pot club then a methlab?

Not that I'm condoning it. Just giving reasons

[DFab420]

31. Cause it's still a federal crime?? And it's way easier to bust a pot club then a methlab?

Not that I'm condoning it. Just giving reasons

[moksha]

11. I wish he treated it as a state issue. His DOJ doesn't, though.

They have been raiding dispensaries across the country.

[Ignis]

81. Do you feel the same way about a woman's right to choose?

[JohnnyLib2]

6. He sounds almost at a loss for words there.

Not typical. ???

[Webster Green]

12. "I’ll leave it at that."

Leave it at what? He didn't say anything at all.

Why is the president so afraid of this issue? It is no longer a political "third rail". Everybody knows damn well that cannabis has medicinal value. Those who pay any attention to the issue realize that the medicinal benefits are surprisingly wide-ranging and actually pretty fucking amazing.

It's way past the time to put an end to the insane reefer madness bullshit. Obama will lose votes on this single issue. It is a line in the sand for a lot of people in my area. (Northern CA).

Cowardly. :eyes:

[Uncle Joe]

16. This is just speculation on my part but I believe his fear as a father has overruled his

compassion and good judgment as a President.

[XemaSab]

25. Yeah, 'cause he did drugs as a young man

and now he's homeless in an alley spare-changing for his next fix. :P

[Uncle Joe]

32. Father fear; especially if you have daughters doesn't need to be rooted in reality, the imagination

can give you plenty of ammo for that.:hi:

[Fly by night]

66. Why would Obama's parenthood relate to whether cancer patients can have safe access to mmj?

If I were a parent these days, I would be much more concerned that my children might abuse prescription drugs since at least one recent national survey indicated that teens reported pill-popping more frequently than marijuana use. But even with that well-founded concern, I would not support banning all abusable prescription drugs.

Likewise, I would be more concerned that my kids might be using alcohol (which, particularly for naive users, can kill them outright through alcohol poisoning or kill them just as dead through a combination of alcohol and car-keys.) I would also be concerned that my girls might start using tobacco (particularly since I modeled that behavior during their formative years), since women seem particularly vulnerable to tobacco-related illness and (epidemiologically) have a more difficult time quitting those coffin nails. But as concerned as I would be, I would not advocate banning those substances. (In truth, I would love to ban tobacco products, but I know that ashtray-stinky cat is long out of the bag.)

Take the same argument a bit farther. Obama's mother died way too young (in her early 50s) from a form of cancer that has been shown to respond to cannabinoids and which could perhaps be treated more effectively if our medical researchers were allowed to learn more. Likewise, Obama's grandmother died in a state where medical marijuana is legal and she (and many other patients) would have benefited from safe access during her final days. (I hope she did, though we will never know.) So Obama should be able to relate to the fears and frustrations of so many people who find themselves in similar situations with their parents, other relatives and friends; and yet are powerless to do anything legal to provide them safe access also.

Of all the psychoactive substances that teenagers can get involved with, cannabis is the least dangerous and the most self-limiting. I don't care on what basis Obama continues and accelerates this war on illegal smiles. There is no valid reason to ignore science, common sense and compassion in favor of continuing senseless and unsuccessful social control.

I am very glad to see our President, who is indeed a gifted orator, having such a difficult time continuing to spout drug-worrier nonsense. As uncomfortable as that moment may have been for him, it is decidedly less uncomfortable than being locked up, losing his home and almost any prospect for employment due to a marijuana-related arrest.

Wake up, Mr. President. This is the 21st century. Act like you know it.

[Uncle Joe]

71. I agree with you on all counts, Fly by night with one difference.

I do care what basis he continues and accelerates the war on illegal smilies, because I believe in knowing his motivation, we can more effectively work to change his mind.

I agree with you re: the greater danger of prescription pills vs cannabis but prescription drugs aren't illegal and hasn't been subjugated to decades of corporate media demonization propaganda and that's the main reason that I hypothesized that Obama's primary motivation is based more on irrational parental fear than on logic.

[Fly by night]

72. I agree that it would be nice to know on what basis Obama has changed his mind re: medical marijuana

It is doing nothing but hurting him with the vast majority of voters, and it suggests an irrational and/or authoritarian side of him that is very troubling indeed.

[Warren DeMontague]

62. I don't think so. I think it has to do with fear of angering entrenched drug war interests.

Growing up, I saw far more damage and fallout from alcohol than I ever did from people smoking pot.

[XemaSab]

24. Seriously

Like my mom has TERRIBLE knee problems.

Her copay is $5000, and she's going to have both knees replaced next year, but until then she can take HELLA Advil (which is bad for you), or take opiates such as Vicodin, or hit the herb.

If she's not driving around and being a menace to society, how is her hitting the herb not a positive choice?

It's not even like she's buying it from some sketchy dude on the street.

She's 63 years old, she's in pain all the time, and pot helps her function as a productive member of society.

[Upton]

28. That line in the sand is not just in your area..

there's folks up here in SW Washington that aren't very happy with him either. Access to medical pot is a big issue. Obama has done more harm than the previous administration. There is no question this is going to cost him votes around here..

[_ed_]

67. Translation: "I know it's the right thing to do, but

I'm a fucking coward and I care more about getting re-elected than helping people dying of cancer."

[socialindependocrat]

13. It's a good way to reduce the deficit

I wonder - if they took a pole to find out how many people smoke or have smoked - what they would find. They are too scared to even ask the question. At least we could save on prison expenses and reduce the profits to the black market and save the jobs of people in the cigarette companies.

Add all these up and I wonder what grand figure we would get - almost too big to refuse I would imagine.

[XemaSab]

27. IIRC, it's something like 50% of American adults

:shrug:

(But much like premarital sex, there are a lot of pearl clutchers who are like, "Well, I did it, but it was a terrible mistake and I really wish I hadn't screwed 20 other guys before I married your father or smoked dope on a daily basis between 1969 and 1975." :P )

[frylock]

14. all hat, no cattle..

"...you know, well, I’ll leave it at that."

[CaliforniaPeggy]

18. I know my response will not be popular here, but I'll say it anyway:

He is a fucking hypocrite.

He smoked it in college, and he knows that there is value in medical marijuana.

There are so many benefits to legalizing it that it makes my head spin.

Goddamn it, Obama.

:mad:

[xchrom]

20. Cali needs the taxes from the sales. Badly. Nt

[CaliforniaPeggy]

22. Yes. And that's just for starters. nt

[Hippo_Tron]

26. He and just about every other politician

Few will deny smoking it in college and even fewer are telling the truth when they deny it.

These drug laws are (for the most part) being perpetuated by a group of people who were young during an era when we didn't send people to prison for smoking pot.

We can hope that when the Gen X and Gen Yers who have had to live under this nonsense get to power, they will change that. But, honestly, Obama is only a few years too old to be Generation X and he was smoking weed during Nancy Reagan's "just say no" nonsense campaign. I never expected him to come out in favor of legalizing marijuana. I did expect him to use his executive authority to shift the DOJ and the DEA's focus away from it.

The fact that he doesn't take the issue seriously is disturbing, to say the last...

[Ohio Joe]

47. Stop beating around the bush... Just say what you mean...

:P

I agree Peggy, well said.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

50. LOL!

:rofl:

:P

[Warren DeMontague]

60. I'm sometimes accused of being an Obama "Cheerleader", and I agree with you 100%.

It's fucking LUDICROUS. And whatever 'conventional wisdom' he's listening to on this is the same shitty advice he's getting, apparently, in a lot of areas.

Legalize it, Tax it, regulate it. ENOUGH already.

[_ed_]

68. Cocaine, also.

What would have happened to young Barack Obama had he been caught with coke and pot? I doubt he'd be able to get into Harvard Law or become President.

[meow mix]

19. states are making the decision yes, and his feds fight back with submachine guns.

and flat-out terror..
against the people living in those states and existing under the law.

a liar then pretends like hes totally cool with it.

[XemaSab]

21. This is exactly why we need a wanker smilie on here

[Upton]

23. Candidate Obama..

In March 2008, candidate Obama promised not to use Dept. of Justice resources to block state medical marijuana laws. But President Obama has broken that promise:

The Obama DOJ is raiding marijuana dispensaries at twice the rate the Bush DOJ did.
US Attorneys have sent misleading, threatening letters to state legislatures considering dispensary laws.
A DOJ memo sent late last month, claiming to “clarify” an earlier memo that supported states rights to medical marijuana, in fact backtracked on it. While the federal government is not targeting patients themselves, they are making it more difficult for them to obtain marijuana legally and safely.

http://the420times.com/2011/07/president-obama-keep-your-promise-to-medical-marijuana-patients/

He's either a liar or a hypocrite....possibly both. Neither is acceptable..

[SammyWinstonJack]

36. He's both and much more. Ruining lives doesn't seem to bother him much.

War on Drugs Wars of choice=ruined lives.

[Newest Reality]

38. Or could it be about ...

all the industries that might fear and be affected by legalization?

How does Big Pharma like medical cannabis? That's just for starters because, one of the major reasons for the illegality of the substance is its impact on the finances of entrenched players. The rest is about political and societal control.

Legalization of medical pot leads to the potential legalization of casual use which then leads to getting hemp as a multi-faceted, power crop back on the table.

Too much big money has vested interests in what we are seeing now, (including the private prison industry) for this helpful and innocuous substance, and its advocates, to get a fair result.

So, when we put that in our pipes, does the smoke suggest something other than liar or hypocrite, (which would be the preferable ruse for us to believe) come to mind? Who's interests are being coddled and protected?

[Angry Dragon]

56. I know there is at least one post on Du that talks about

Big Pharma MJ farms that are trying to produce
a drug that does the same thing as smoking
They are legal farms sanctioned by the government
They just want to make it a profitable drug for
the corporations

[MADem]

34. It's a WEDGE issue. That's why he dodged.

There are people who will paint him as a "dope fiend" because that's their reality.

When he's in his second term, he can maybe revisit the issue.

[Upton]

37. When running in 2008 he didn't dodge or worry about it being a wedge issue..

"I would not have the Justice Department prosecuting and raiding medical marijuana users. It's not a good use of our resources."

http://granitestaters.com/candidates/barack_obama.html

It didn't hurt him then. Oh, but now his tune has changed and he's become a big time drug warrior. What makes you think a second term will make any difference..and why should we believe that it will?

[Bluebear]

43. +

[MADem]

85. Because someone further to the left of him is not going to magically appear and

be a threat to the two Big Kahunas on the Nov '12 ballot. He doesn't have to court the weed/super-liberal crowd, all he has to do is be more reasonable than the guy to his right who wants to castrate the weed smokers and put the liberals in Gitmo.

I am very interested in seeing what he'll do when he doesn't have to weigh everything in the context of the next election. It'll be interesting. I think he'll be looser than he has been, but probably not loose enough to suit you.

[PurityOfEssence]

51. He dodges EVERYTHING, and always has

Tricky questions, straight questions, sneaky questions, important questions, he's on every side of every issue he can't outrightly avoid. It's his way. It's this pony's one trick, and he's going to pay for it, but he's going to take all of us with him.

As it happens, of course, we will all be asked to risk all for someone who has a personal agendum of being some kind of transcendent uber-politician.

Not only is the evasiveness and equivocation deplorable, IT'S NOT GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK.

[Bluebear]

53. +

[MADem]

86. Well, when people tried to mention the Tabula Rasa back in 08, they got called names.

I'm not feeling a lot of sympathy for people who didn't get what they imagine they paid for.

And I don't find him horrific. He beats McCain - Palin on his worst day. He'll get my vote next year.

[Fly by night]

54. When 70-80% of the American public support safe access to medical marijuana, where's the wedge?

Looks more like almost the entire (electorate) pie favors something that Obama himself once said he also favored ... until he didn't.

If Obama would demand that OUR DOJ honor science, common sense and compassion (and his own campaign promises when he was pimping for our votes in 2008), his favorability rating would jump 10 points overnight. I am willing to bet (what's left of) my farm on that.

For those who are late to this sleight-of-mouth nonsense, here's what Candidate Obama had to say on the issue on March 22, 2008:

"When it comes to medical marijuana, I have more of a practical view than anything else. My attitude is that if it's an issue of doctors prescribing medical marijuana as a treatment for glaucoma or as a cancer treatment, I think that should be appropriate because there really is no difference between that and a doctor prescribing morphine or anything else. I think there are legitimate concerns in not wanting to ... start setting up mom and pop shops because at that point it becomes fairly difficult to regulate. I think the basic concept that using medical marijuana in the same way, with the same controls, as other drugs prescribed by doctors, I think that's entirely appropriate. I would not punish doctors if it's prescribed in a way that is appropriate.”
—

Here's what his AG had to say two years ago, stating a position that was reversed in the past few months:

Attorney General Eric Holder, February 28, 2009

"What the president said during the campaign, you'll be surprised to know, will be consistent with what we'll be doing in law enforcement. He was my boss during the campaign. He is formally and technically and by law my boss now. What he said during the campaign is now American policy." At that time, Attorney General Holder announced that the Justice Department would no longer raid medical marijuana operations established legally under state law. His declaration honored President Obama’s campaign pledge and marked a major shift from the previous administration.

(Little did we know that Eric "I prefer Republican staffers in my DOJ" Holder had his fingers crossed behind his back when he uttered those words.)

[MADem]

87. Be nice if those people voted, but they don't.

The people who vote are the old folks who are confused about drugs and can't distinguish between good/bad because they've been brainwashed, and the rightwingers who don't want anyone to have any fun....except themselves, in secret. Yeah, sure, there are people in the mushy middle who favor legalization, but it's not a do-or-die issue for them. They're not going to take their ball and go home on the basis of that single issue. They'll hold their nose and vote for the "Keep it criminal" guys if those guys have other POVs that they support.

I'm in favor of legalizing it and taxing the shit out of it (and taxing the living shit out of "foreign" product to the point that it's unaffordable). And I'm not talking about "medical" stuff, either--I'm talking recreational use. We can solve the deficit problem in a year or two with some local agriculture, rigorous but not onerous taxation, and we can get rid of the cross-border drug trade as well.

Mexico and Canada will be crying, but oh well. They can start up their own local businesses. Maybe after everyone has stopped being stupid about it, there can be a little border interaction, sort of like microbrew beers.

[RainDog]

89. they do vote. more people voted to legalize mmj in CA in 1996 than voted for Clinton

it's BULLSHIT to say they don't vote.

They're not ASKED to vote about this issue, generally. Only about a third of the states allow ballot initiatives, too, so the issue cannot be put to a vote in most states.

however, we're up to 16 states plus DC with legal MMJ laws.

http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000881

iow, while facing opposition at the federal level, one-third of the states here have decided to ignore federal law that has shown it is unresponsive to the will of the people and to the current understanding of the benefits of cannabis for certain medical issues - Americans recognize that those who are sick should not have to worry about arrest or losing a job or having their assets confiscated because of an herb that is the best medicine for them.

it's the total intransigence, the unwillingness to look at this reality that is so frustrating.

why continue to make this an issue for the god warriors to scream about - take the issue out of the realm of the federal govt. by removing cannabis as a controlled substance that has no medical use. decriminalize at the federal level so that law enforcement doesn't have to spend money, WASTE money, on this issue.

It's true that those who support legalization are not one-issue voters. But they are voters. And in CA and CO, legalization bills will bring people to the polls. Obama isn't doing anything to appeal to those voters. Cannabis advocates recognize this has been a long fight, based upon nothing but lies. Obama makes himself look like an ass to take the stance he does.

He looks like the lacks courage. He looks backward. He looks out of step with the times. That's not really a formula for getting younger voters to the polls, but cannabis legalization is just such an issue. Democrats think their "you have no other choice" strategy works because voters are not as conniving shills for pork and big biz - that's how Obama's stance looks to voters. they may vote for him, but not because they think he's someone who has their interests at heart - but because he's the candidate from the lesser of two stupid-ass parties.

[MADem]

95. Don't get mad at me for pointing out a few truths, here.

They may vote but they don't "care" enough to withhold their vote if they don't get their way on this one issue. It's one of those causes that only has a downside for a politician, which is why they don't come out for it. No one (save maybe Barney Frank who is never going to be President) is going to vigorously advocate legalization in an election year.

If this happens, it is going to happen STATE BY STATE. Not at the federal level. Obama does not need to appeal to anyone about this matter. The states will make it happen, the same way the states are making gay marriage happen, despite the fact that I haven't seen any viable presidential candidate favor anything more than "civil unions."

And like I said, Obama does not NEED to move left on this. The Republican candidate to his right, whoever that will end up being, will be sufficiently draconian vis-a-vis this issue and a zillion others to make Obama look like President Pothead in comparison, even if he doesn't shift an inch.

This is just how it is. There's no sense getting irritated, because Obama is not going to shift on this matter....at least not until he's well into the second half of his second term. And maybe not even then. There's nothing in it for him, in a macro sense.

[RainDog]

96. I'm not mad at you. I was also pointing out a few truths

...in that it does no good for someone who supports rational cannabis policy to vote for the irrational right.

and I agree that this issue is already being decided state by state - however, AT THE SAME TIME (not yelling, just emphasizing) Obama's administration has done more raids on mmj facilities than Bush did.

so, yeah, there ARE some people who might not vote at all if the choices are between two right wing stances on this issue.

the right also has its faction that supports legalization and Obama loses them with this tactic to continue to ACT AGAINST state provisions. In fact, a large marjority, more than 60%, supports legalization of mmj across the U.S. - so the pols are actually farther to the right than the majority of people in this nation on this issue.

I have no doubt that Obama will do anything other than what he's done. As I said, he lacks courage. He has failed to side with science - tho he said he would.

His positions on issue after issue make me totally uninterested in supporting him beyond a vote for the lesser of two evils.

I thought his would be a transformative presidency. Instead, the racists have framed the debate because he has spent too much time trying to find common ground with them - when there is no common ground. This is a reality that exists - there are people in this nation, vocal people, who are so far to the right that they will NEVER give ground - they are the modern John Birchers and they are also the tea party.

[MADem]

97. I say follow the money.

Who has a vested interest in getting rid of those MM facilities?

Only ones I can think of are the DRUG COMPANIES.

If you had a choice between smoking some fun weed to cure what ails you, or taking a hugely expensive pill that fucks up your liver and causes withdrawals when you get off it, what's a thinking American going to do?

How much drug money did this administration and/or people in Congress (who lean on DOJ regularly) get?

Keep in mind that DOJ goes its own way once appointed. They do NOT answer to the President on matters of law--look at Janet Reno; she was often less than helpful to Clinton. Look at Ashcroft, who refused to sign paperwork benefitting Bushco when bullied under medication after he'd signed over his authority to his subordinate. Presidents have to be extremely careful about firing anyone within Justice, too--ask the ghost of Dick "Impeach the Cox Sacker" Nixon about that!

[RainDog]

98. no doubt. the alcoholic bev. industry also supports the "war on drugs"

and lobbied to not be included in it. and the beer lobby gave money to defeat prop. 19.

and, yes, the DEA is looking at rescheduling for big pharma while maintaining the SAME thing (whole plant cannabis) remain a substance with no medical value for citizens - while big pharma plans to oursource/grow their cannabis in Japan for the American medical market.

at this point in time, imo, the DoJ has entirely undermined itself on a host of issues. With the hypocrisy demonstrated by the federales' continued prohibition of cannabis - well, this sort of thing undermines a belief in any sort of civic life that includes the idea that govt. is part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

it's like capitalism - the worst possible system, except for every other one out there.

but both can and should be modified to reflect the current understanding of the way the world works.

[GReedDiamond]

58. On the idea that cannabis legalization is a wedge issue...

...anecdotally speaking, I tend to disagree with that, as even the Repugs I know - including a couple of baggers - either smoke it, or at least have no problem with legalizing it, not only for medicinal purposes, but recreationally, as well. Plus, they easily see the obvious revenue potential which taxing its sale would bring. Most are also not completely ignorant of its industrial applications.

The other right wingers I know of are objectivists/libertarians, and are automatically against the "war on drugs," especially cannabis.

Just for reference, the age range of these people is early-thirties to pushing-70.

Lastly, I've heard for decades that even redneck/racist freaks like KKK members and neo-nazis often smoke weed.

I see it not as a wedge issue, but as an issue that can "bring us together" (not that I'd be too interested in communing over a joint with nazis or klansmen).

[MADem]

88. Those Republicans smoke it, but don't admit it. And WON'T admit it.

They won't jump up and down for legalization--in fact, when Barney Frank talked about it a couple of years ago, the first thing a bunch of them did was make sure to snicker about his homosexuality while they derided what he was saying about the logic of legalization. Sure, they'll have their connection for their stuff, who hopefully will overcharge them because they're hypocrites, but they aren't going to stick their necks out.

It's a wedge issue because it has the whole "morality" line of bullshit attached to it. It's a "Point Your Finger and DENOUNCE" type thing. Cheap and easy. Like Nucky on Boardwalk Empire, lecturing about the Demon Rum to the Temperance League, getting into his Powder Blue Rolls Royce, and taking a swig from his flask. The biggest pointers and denouncers will be the assholes who were stoned last night on weed they bought from a left-of-lefty.

My POV on the subject is upthread. I'm all for selling it in package stores and taxing it robustly. I know that once the ball really gets rolling, times will change. Already it's decriminalized in lots of places, the next step is legalization. Sooner is better....but I am betting not before the next national election.

[socialindependocrat]

35. Then we agree on legalization!!!!

So, if it doesn't say anywhere in the bible that pot is anti-God then we're home free, right?

Cause how is Obama going to resist the power of the Tea Party?

This is such a no-brainer that I can't see how so many people have no brain and oppose it.

I remember that Massachusetts talked about it a year ago and the suits practically jumped out of their skin!!

[saras]

39. As soon as Big Pharma has settled on a profitable plan, he'll have a policy

[Bluebear]

41. Indeed

[Angry Dragon]

57. +1000

[truedelphi]

59. You got it! n/t

[_ed_]

70. A-M-E-N!!!!!

You got it: just as soon as a multi-national corporation can sell cannabis, you'll see Obama change his tune quickly. Big Pharma hasn't given him his marching orders yet, so he couldn't answer the question.

[krabigirl]

44. well, if he did leave it to the states, that would be fantastic, but he isn't.

[PufPuf23]

45. POTUS Obama has been inconsistent in rhetoric and action to the degree of cruelty.

I cannot conceive of a benign scenario for POTUS Obama's Executive policy, Fed action, and inconsistent rhetoric on medical or other marijuana.

[shireen]

48. i cringed when i heard back

He handled that badly. Withholding marijuana from the sick is utterly cruel. :cry:

[Odin2005]

52. Coward.

[RainDog]

55. stop continuing to treat medical marijuana as a "controlled substance"

simple.

reschedule cannabis or remove it from the drug schedules entirely.

his DoJ could do this.

Let the medical community decide the best course of action for the use of medical marijuana - not law enforcement agencies.

[Warren DeMontague]

61. In short, he doesn't have a good answer, and he knows it.

It's fucking ridiculous, and it's bad politics to boot. Coming out for full legalization- and the massive boost to tax revenues it would imply- would be a political masterstroke, undercutting a good chunk of the Ron Paul libertarian contingent in the process.

But, it would require bold, brave thinking, and we're just not getting that from this White House.

[LetTimmySmoke]

64. Obama dodges question about X issue in Y place.

Fixed the headline for you - and now it's portable to most of the stories about him!

[KillCapitalism]

65. Well of course, he's a social conservative.

He's all for the WOD. I'm sure he'd also like to "discipline" gays like Michelle Bachman, but he likely keeps those beliefs in the closet.

[_ed_]

69. "I do care"

He cares enough to send in Eric Holder to bust up med. marijuana stores in CA and CO.

[ensho]

73. kicking for legal maryjane

nt

[LWolf]

74. .

[Poll_Blind]

75. Why does he put this on states when it's the Feds who are raiding the dispensaries?

The fact is (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong) the Federal government is the ones raising the state-licensed clinics. Why doesn't he have an answer about that?

PB

[uponit7771]

76. ****OBAMA SAID IT WAS A STATES ISSUE, HE DID NOT DODGE QUESTION******

[Erose999]

77. Thats the classic way to dodge a question in front of your base. Its the satandard GOP response to

questions about gay marriage and abortion, for example.

[Webster Green]

79. Why are you yelling? You are totally wrong. I should be yelling.

If it is a state's rights issue, then why has Obama stepped up the war on medicinal cannabis providers and patients?

The goons from the DEA are busier than ever busting legal dispensaries in states that have voted to provide this medicine to those who benefit from it. This is unacceptable!

[Warren DeMontague]

84. So if it's a "States Issue", why are the DEA and DOJ still raiding Medical Marijuana facilities?

If it were a "States Issue", we wouldn't still have FEDERAL tax dollars paying to drag chemo grannies off to prison for smoking a joint, now, would we?

[DefenseLawyer]

78. Two words: Michele Leonhart

That's all you need to know about the President's intentions on drug policy.



p.s. It's not good.

[socialindependocrat]

80. Funny thing on MSNBC

One of the MSNBC shows had a young man who was a blogger from California. He was asked what happened in the last election where they had a referendum for legalizing Pot....


and he said......


Wait for it.....

We have no problem getting it so why do we need to legalize it?

Out of the mouth's of babes.

But it would be nice to know that you don't have to have any concern about being hastled.

[SHRED]

90. "...as opposed to… you know, well, I’ll leave it at that.”

PRISONS MR PRESIDENT.

GOD DAMN YOU ON THIS ISSUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!