Community | January 27, 2012 | 46 comments

Obama’s YouTube Forum deems marijuana legalization questions “inappropriate”

Anonmaly
As of 7pm Pacific, I checked the YouTube(dot)com/WhiteHouse page to see how many votes our question received in President Obama’s latest YouTube Forum. The good news? Our question, “With over 850,000 Americans arrested in 2010, for marijuana charges alone, and tens of billions of tax dollars being spent locking up non-violent marijuana users, isn’t it time we regulate and tax marijuana?” received 4,023 votes, making it one of the most popular submissions to the forum.

The bad news? See for yourself.

“The submission has been removed because people believe it is inappropriate.” Hmm, well, who are these people? The question got 241 “thumbs down” votes from viewers, was that it? I notice that of the 615 questions submitted that asked about “With over 850,000 Americans arrested in 2010″ in the text, some still remain with 28 “thumbs down” and others are removed with as few as three, so it doesn’t seem like “people” refers to viewers or the public, does it?

Who are these people, President Obama? They’re not the people out here who keep making marijuana legalization the number one topic of these online forums. They’re not the millions whose lives are impacted by a marijuana arrest; the tokers and their families who lose jobs, houses, kids, freedom, assets, respect, security, and peace of mind because of marijuana prohibition.

(YouTube(dot)com/WhiteHouse) On Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 9:00 p.m. ET, President Obama will speak to the nation in his annual State of the Union address.Starting today, you can ask President Obama the questions that are on your mind about the direction of the country and vote on others that you think should be asked. He’ll answer several of your top-voted questions during a special interview, which will take place on January 30, live from the White House. A selection of people who submit questions will also be invited to join a Google+ Hangout live with the President during the interview.

The deadline to submit is January 28 at midnight ET so submit your question now.


Sadly, I think these people are actually just one person… a guy who smoked weed (and snorted coke) back in the day as a teenager in Hawaii and was damn lucky he didn’t get caught or today he’d be Barry the Drug Criminal.

Here we go again. How many times will President Obama ask the American people for their questions on national policy, how many times will we resoundingly call for marijuana legalization, and how will he diminish, mock, or ignore our concerns this time?

We petitioned him to legalize marijuana: in September 2011, the number one petition;
We Twittered him to legalize marijuana: in July 2011, making up one out of eight questions asked;
We asked him via YouTube video: in January 2011, with LEAP’s question the number one video;
We asked him via Ideas for Change: in March 2010, with legalization again the number one question;
We lobbied him via Citizen’s Briefing Book: in May 2009, with the number one idea being legalization;
We asked him via Open for Questions II: in March 2009, where he mocked the number one idea of legalization helping the economy;
We asked him via Open for Questions I: in January 2009, where legalization topped most categories of questions;
We asked him via Change(dot)gov: in December 2008, where legalization was again number one and a dozen of the top fifty questions.

Maybe the ninth time is the charm? Once again in this “ask the people” exercise the most popular questions deal with legalization of marijuana*.

Here’s the official National NORML question:


http://www.activistpost.com/2012/01/obamas-youtube-forum-deems-marijuana.html
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46 comments // Obama’s YouTube Forum deems marijuana legalization questions “inappropriate” // Video

  • freecrack
    • +1
      freecrack  

    • ya see that tin foil hat wearing morons.he isnt some crazy leftist activist, nor is he a conservative in warmonger in liberal clothing.
      he is just like every other president we have ever had, avoiding common sense at all costs.
      gee i wonder how much of economic woes would have been fixed by now if he pushed for the lagalization of marijuana.not just in direct sales, but frito lay would have to expand and hire all those unemployed members of the middle class to keep with the demand for chips and dip.
      oh well,instead we will keep it illegal being a tax drain rather than contibutor.cuz that makes so much sense.

    • 4 months ago
  • remanns
  • cabinettags
    • +3
      cabinettags  

    • I've been disenchanted with Obama since his very first forum. That opinion was strengthened on a subsequent forum when an answer, of sorts, was actually given.

      I've asked myself "what are they really saying to me?" I've concluded they're saying they want to continue to lock people up for merely having, or using, a prohibited plant. They're saying they want to continue with the 10's of thousands of deaths every year due to alcohol abuse, and that's okay because it's "accepted". They're saying the opinion of citizens - who's attitudes were formed because of 50 years of the propaganda war are more important than those who dispute the propaganda and disagree with it. They're saying too bad, not our fault, just the way things are, that the prohibition is funding the violent Mexican Cartels that are waging war on the Mexican Govt. They're saying " I'm not going to allow patients with serious illness to use marijuana as medicine because the FDA says it has no medical value." They're saying it's fine that research into possible medical uses is all but prohibited because this same FDA refuses to provide samples to accredited institutions. They're saying they want to continue to wage a war against their own citizens when, after more than 20 years, the wars only accomplishment has been to burn up major tax dollars. Especially during a time when the economy is hanging on by it's fingertips to the edge of the deep pit. They're saying they want to continue spending $20,000+ per year to house "criminals" who's only crime is due to the prohibited plant. They're saying it's okay to ignore the financial benefits of lifting the prohibition, after all, we don't need it, do we? A better idea is to continue throwing away tax dollars trying to stop a thing that can't be stopped.

      What planet are these people from?

    • 4 months ago
  • remanns
  • dudefromtherock
    • +2
      dudefromtherock  

    • The politicians will pander us pot users and wink an eye, promising decriminalization and an end to the war on weed. The simple fact is they are all lying. Accept it and move on but never end your love of it.

    • 4 months ago
  • remanns
  • Conniepae
    • +2
      Conniepae  

    • What about hemp? This is just one paragraph from "The Emperor Wears No Clothes".
      http://current.com/158ah4c

      In the 1920s, the early oil barons such as Rockefeller of Standard Oil, Rothschild of Shell, etc., became paranoically aware of the possibilities of Henry Ford’s vision of cheap methanol fuel, * and they kept oil prices incredibly low – between $1 and $4 per barrel (there are 42 gallons in an oil barrel) until 1970 – almost 50 years! Then, once they were finally sure of the lack of competition, the price of oil jumped to almost $60+ per barrel over the next 30 years.

      Richard Nixon declared war on cannabis in the early 70's, eliminating their natural competitor, HEMP. I think we were spun a phony war on cannabis, to eliminate the renewable resource, hemp. IMHO, the war on cannabis was done with purpose and continues to this day, based on fixed facts and phony rhetoric..

    • 4 months ago
  • EmperorThan
  • maasanova
  • Truthitswhatsfordinner
  • Ambill94
  • remanns
  • JohnA
  • JRBarilla
  • JohnA
  • budsnews
    • 0
      budsnews  

    • Hard for OB to speak out on this,there is a picture of him with a joint in his hand..hard to get re-elected with that baggage ... with that as an issue.

    • 4 months ago
  • OlBlue
    • 0
      OlBlue  
    • budsnews:

      Which is an issue he has to deal with. He's tried very hard to avoid the "black" stereotype and still gets dogwhistleded by the far right. Not that I give a shit what they think but they do influence the weak and gullible with their lies.

    • 4 months ago
  • Truthitswhatsfordinner
  • budsnews
    • 0
      budsnews  
    • Truthitswhatsfordinner:

      A blind person could put that ad together,take that old pic of barry,getting high,and scare the moderates with the fear of what other drugs the prez would legalize.Or,would gw bush have gotten re-elected,trying to legalize cocaine...I think not.These issues have weight,but not enough weight to make me want to weaken his chances of re-election.A repuke president coupled with a potentially repub congress would spell disaster for these issues,and so much more.And stop giving me ron paul,he is 76 ,with racist baggage,and not enough good ideas to forget his bad ones.

    • 4 months ago
  • Truthitswhatsfordinner
    • 0
      Truthitswhatsfordinner  
    • budsnews:

      The last shot we had was Jimmy Carter. His chief of staff got busted for coke and that was the end of the decrim movement. The next chance we had was Clinton. He had actually smoked so high hopes (so to speak). What happened, more people incarcerated for pot than Bush 1 and Reagan combined. Please look it up. The next shot was President Obama and what do we have? Raids on medical growers, raids on medical distributors, harassing bankers of medical, incarceration of users in the federal penitentiary and not one pardon of a pothead.

      Whatever you think his second term will bring, it's not worth the wait.

    • 4 months ago
  • budsnews
  • Truthitswhatsfordinner
  • Ihatethemall
  • dugdog47
  • budsnews
  • Progresshiv
  • Ihatethemall
  • Progresshiv
    • +1
      Progresshiv  
    • Ihatethemall:

      Obama has been a sellout to the corporations from Day One. There are true liberals, like Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who give a damn about people having jobs, having access to decent education and health care, who would make excellent presidents. Instead, however, we've had a man in office who is, in reality, and 1968-style Republican.

      True Democrats know that the strength of the nation lies in the working people who build, manufacture, and serve.

    • 4 months ago
  • Ihatethemall
    • +1
      Ihatethemall  
    • Progresshiv:

      Yeah he kinda turned out to be as big of a sellout as any republican. I really dont even think theres anyone that actually has a chance of being the president that will act any differant then he is now.

      And I believe that your last statement should have said......True Americans {because no matter what party you care to call yourself, if you even choose to use the label} know that the true strength of the nation lies in the people who work, build manufacture and serve. Not the politicians who regulate, legislate and destroy it.

    • 4 months ago
  • Progresshiv
  • bailey78
  • dudefromtherock
  • Truthitswhatsfordinner
  • bailey78
  • remanns
  • Truthitswhatsfordinner
  • OlBlue
    • +1
      OlBlue  

    • I probably partake of the herb more than most here and I wish he would make a move toward legalization. Having said that, this may not be the time for him to take it on due to the fact that over all, it would cost him more votes than it would gain. Just my opinion, I haven't heard the projected numbers. Second term I won't be so understanding......

    • 4 months ago
  • JohnA
  • OlBlue
    • 0
      OlBlue  
    • JohnA:

      Yes it is. Another way to look at the issue is the number of states have made it legal. None that I know of. A few have decriminalized it somewhat and some have allowed medical use but that shows you how hard it is to do. He'd better get real busy if he's reelected!

    • 4 months ago
  • JohnA
  • OlBlue
  • JohnA
  • OlBlue
    • 0
      OlBlue  
    • JohnA:

      The environment. Paul=no.
      The US should stop trying to run the world. Paul=check.
      Jobs. Paul=maybe?
      No big corruption and big money in politics. Paul=maybe?
      Safety nets for the elderly and disadvantaged. Paul=no
      And the list goes on.

    • 4 months ago
  • Anonmaly
  • Anonmaly
  • floydyboy
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