Obama team again responds to the pot question. "NO"

I'm going to put it bluntly, Obama seems to have changed his stance on the war on pot, and sounds like he wants to keep this rediculas thing going....
He was the one to say he wanted to look at legalization before he officially got into office....Just like he changed his stance on giving NASA money....

So far from what I'm seeing from Obama is double-talk.
He said all of the nessessary things that people wanted to hear in order to appeal to a larger community of peoples and got their votes.
I think he was reported saying about a mill or a bill for NASA, now in office he says we got better to spend that money on, He also says hes going to continue on the war for Osama Bin Laden where last presidency failed, and lastly now he's saying NO for legalization.

So there you have it, 3 important topics he has already gone back on and he's been offically in office for how long? Yeah I'm sick of Presidents lying to get our vote.

Heinlein rocks. Great comment about the opinions of RAH.

It's nice to see that the majority of responses on this topic are well thought out and detailed considerations of fact over fear/fiction/propaganda.

Hopefully, if such active thinking continues, we may yet see things get back into a "politically" honest and realistic form in the future after all!

The biggest step that needs to be taken at this point, strangely enough, is not full-fledged legalization, or even decriminalization, but scientific research. The fact is that, the more scientific research--and by that I mean REAL science, not "contrived science" or "junk research" designed with the outcome written before the actual experiments are even begun--occurs, the more concrete information will be available when the time does come for (likely first) decriminilization, and then legalization.

I ask you all two simple questions, however, which is at the real root of this issue:

1) If you are truly free, why do you need permission from the government to do anything?

2) If your government really cared about your health, why would they spend billions of dollars each and ever year to make absolutely certain that if you injest such substances that have been proven time and again to make you healthy?

These are two very often overlooked facets of the same situation...remember, people: We can not combat--and finally, eradicate--any problem unless we address all issues surrounding it.

I mean...results don't mean anything when you're using something ILLEGAL as the basis for the cure, right?

This is a great question and gets at the heart of the problem. The vital medicine and research are being prevented from being researched because, besides patent empowerment by various states and countries in the world, most governments are still, knowingly or not, buying into the myths about cannabis rather than really taking a look at the facts. Many have already specualted which corporations or industries stand the most to loose from free or virtually free medicine.

Education is the key to getting people to understand the facts about cannabis. It will take time for people to become knowledgeable about how it works and what other ways there are to consume the medicine besides inhaling it.

There are many other uses, the plant is a vital resource for health, food, energy, and building materials that we have and we are squandering it; at the moment. Why? Because a select group of corporations and governments; institutions that seem to have integrated over the past 40 years, collude to keep the public misinformed about what is available to control commerce and economics; to sustain profits and cash flows. At the expense of the quality of human life on the planet; the destruction of the environment; and the gradual murder of mankind.

Cannabis legalization would empower local communities with an incredible cash generating resource that could virtually eliminate the need for people to borrow money, especially those that were entrepreneurial and small business minded. It doesn't matter that these people would be paying taxes, because that is not where the real money making occurs, but in the lending money and the charging of interest. Cannabis would terribly tread upon the banks profits of interest due to less people needing to borrow money. This is an effect that comes along with the huge impact Cannabis would have on the medical profit making system. We are talking about huge buck; in the billions of dollars every year.

Cannabis is about empowering the individual and puts them on a more even ground with massive multinational corporations and governments. Cannabis is about local economic empowerment. It helps everybody from the top to the bottom. It will create literally millions of jobs.

If Obama was as smart, as so many people on this site make him out to be, he should seriously take a look at cannabis. It could be the big "thing" that his administration could introduce as part of an even broader economic stimulus for the country.

Those of you who know what specific industries could see tremendous growth if cannabis were legalized? Please list them and why you think they would be impacted (if you can site a source for your information, even better). Lets do this so the Obama administration, should they choose to look at this post on Current TV, will be armed with the facts about economic development around the legalization of cannabis. I think this is something we can all contribute to.

I find it interesting how people are still genuinely surprised that a politician would say one thing to get the people's votes, then do the complete opposite of what they promised after those votes had already been cast.

How many people have EVER seen a politician do what he promised in the election, after the election was over? Other than Ron Paul, I'd venture that the number is exceedingly small...and quickly fading.

Why in the HELL did he say that he would legalize marijuana during the election???? Was that just to get some of us to vote for him? Now he turns around and says NO with no explanation?? I'm NOT happy about him wanting to appoint Sanjay Gupta either. Gupta gets paid by the drug/insurance companies to spread their propaganda BS.

Very disappointed, Obama!! You probably don't care but you're already pissing me off. I realize you have a big job ahead of you but making campaign promises that you don't keep ain't cool

To take this thing to the next level we need to start encouraging state governments to get into the hemp production business through legalization and regulation for industrial and commercial uses. State run dispensaries and grower licensing can be one revenue stream. Another stream of revenue is the industrialization of the hemp. Focus on tax cuts to companies that seek to exploit it's production for industry; paper, textile, cellulose fiber materials, chemical, drug, food, and energy.

The idea here is to flash big dollar signs in front of the governors and the legislator through well presented seminars coordinated with political action and media marketing; within the state. Get states to legalize and capitalize hemp for the revenue that is direly needed to continue funding many state services that most states are having shortages for.

This is an idea whose time has come and can only be achieved; as medicinal use has, by the grassroots; state by state.

It's painfully obvious that now the ONLY reason it is to remain illegal is because of the prison industrial complex and no other reason. This is NOT a right wing/left wing issue either because people of this nation overwhelmingly support legalization.
Prison guard unions want it illegal because it provides them all with easy, cushy, good paying jobs. Cops, for the most part support illegalization for the same reason.
Back about 30 years ago it was accepted by most police organizations and most did nothing if you were caught with small amounts under 2 or 3 ounces which I was back in the early 80s in Oklahoma of all places. If I were caught with the same now I would go straight to the gulags and never escape the heavy thumb of the jack boot unions. Back then I was taken to jail, but released a few minutes later less my stash.
Because of this ridiculous prohibition there are now numerous young white men from all over our nation locked into hell and they get routinely raped by gangs of mostly black inmates. That's not a racist remark, it's simply truth. Do a google for the term "prison rape" and you'll find page after page after page about those evil truths. Even Human Rights Watch covers that subject quite in depth. Sadly there is NO solidarity among white prisoners simply because they are so outnumbered and because it's now taboo for whites to show any kind of solidarity unless we happen to be fabulously wealthy and then who cares? It's then assumed we're racist anyway.
The rich, and ESPECIALLY many politicians own stock in the for profit prison industrial complex and as long as that conflict of interest is allowed to go on marijuana will never be legal in the United States of America nor anywhere else around the world for that matter with very few exceptions in Europe and a very few other places.

People, forget pot! What about the terrifying drug ads already on TV? Anyone catch that? Have you heard the side affects. All of them lead to some type of death or bodily destruction. The question should be why are the drug companies given free reign to sell themselves. Ask your doctor if you need some...uh shouldn't my doctor tell me when I need something? Isn't that what I pay for?

if legal, anyone can grow it, meaning less profits for them, so theres the simple reason.

Yah, I was just thinking that cerealforeal.
That's some change we can believe in?
Seems like the only change is he's a black guy. Which is cool, and all, but if there's no difference other than that to the current state, then isn't he just a figurehead?

You might even say, a propitiation to the black nation.

; )-~

Did yall expect "change"? Obama is just another tool.

Fear of change, ah yes..the final frontier

Occasionally silence means you have no valid argument and/or guilt.

Marijuana and God knows hemp isn't the problem, PEOPLE are the problem. The way the system works at present, it's obviously self-destructing, so it's really only a matter of time until people understand the problems always come back to individual choices and behavior.

Astronauts on weed are one thing, killers on weed are another.

Ironically, at the moment, the way the system is designed and run, it puts the drugs in the hands of which demographic?

Then the drugs get blamed because of the behavior of the people, when in fact it is the people that are the problem.

God willing, one day the world will undergo mass reeducation.

I wonder if the big O knows how many people medical marijuana helps?
Sometimes I will go days without eating because food seems so disgusting. If I didn't smoke marijuana, I'd be unhealthy!

There are many reason why Weed is still Illegal.

1. So its dosent take profits from cotton and paper manufacturers

2. When something is illegal you can raise prices on it and the biggest seller of the product (people in the government who know how to get away with it) can take out competition by slapping them in jail. Why would they make it legal and tax it, and get chump change from taxes when they can get the whole slice of the cake by making it illegal and becoming the biggest distributer??

3. alot of people dont know this, and alot of pot heads dont even realize it, but when you smoke mary jane it temporary raises your consciousness and you live more in the moment, the more people that are this way then the less control the government will have because everyone will see the truth when there high. Why do you think pot heads never listened to the government? they are the people who truly see things as they are. When you high you more awake than all these sheeple running around will ever be. AND THIS IS WHAT THE GOVERNMENT RELIES ON TO STAY IN POWER! KEEPING THE PEOPLE AWAY FROM THE TRUTH

The "War on Drugs" is a war on American soil. Just like the "War on Terror", it should not be based on lies and disinformation. It should be based on truth, not spin. Never ending wars are destructive. People should be searching for solutions, not promoting spin (distorted) information.

If Obama really wants to lead, he will take control of "Wars" being waged during his reign. If he thinks lies and disinformation are the answer, so be it. We will look for change in 4 years. Given the choice of McCain/Palin, Obama/Biden was my only choice. I do have hope Obama will change the way wars of today are being fought. Honest discussion would be a good place to start. Truth should win over spin.

No one wants to talk about it in politics, it's a "taboo subject". I have a hard time grasping our "War on Drugs" being a taboo subject. Families are being torn apart on our soil, due to the War on Drugs. It shouldn't be a "taboo subject", it should be a major discussion. How can we change it if they can't even talk about it.

at least drink some ganja tea

healing it is.

peace-in

I loved being part of the democratic process for decriminalizing MJ in Massachusetts. After collecting enough signatures the 2d time around, the "reeferendum" was placed on the Nov. ballot & easily passed by a 2 - 1 margin. An informed & determined electorate made it clear that they have had it with the absurdity of an herb being illegal & its users criminals. When will the feds learn that gov’t can’t legislate human behavior, as the utter failure of Prohibition has shown? With 13 states down & 37 to go, Obama would much rather see states take responsibility for issues like this, preserving federal resources for far more important & urgent matters facing our nation & the world.

This is just one more example of civilized & sane progress, giving people the right to use a (medicinal) herb proven far safer than alcohol & cigarettes and particularly prescription drugs - let alone a laundry list of the DEA’s & FDA’s complete & utter failure for the care & safety of the citizens the agency was established to protect. The legal system can now focus on the serious criminals, crimes & dangerous drugs that are far more important to society’s safety & welfare. Our gov't has been pushing alcohol, cigarettes & dangerous Rxs on us for far too long because of the enormous profits, tax revenues generated & intrinsic population control measures.

If you don’t like it, don’t use it & stay out of my business. Life’s too short – Lighten Up!

What's funny to me is that this topic has so many comments...and I don't know any one person who would'nt listen to reason...I have found no 1 individual who can argue against the whole mariajuana issue. As a matter of fact we all seem to agree the way it is handled by the government is wrong...so why is'nt the government properly representing it's people. For the people by the people, right? Whatever. Montani Semper Liberi...that means I do what i want!

Funny,I received several statements from people telling me that legalizing marijuana would lead to a nation of pot-heads without any sense of responsibility and a danger to the way of American living,whatever that may be.I can assure you,we,the Dutch,are not a irresponsible,pot-headed nation and yes,in our country you are free to buy up to 3 grams of hashish/cannabis/marijuana for your own use and you can purchase it in the local coffeeshops.The pot is taxed like all other merchandise and the quality is frequently controlled.And since we talk about drug matters openly,we have less drug-addicted people than our neighbouring countries.And how many people use the stuff,anyway.I don't know,all I know is that one out of every 6to8 people still smokes(cigarets,that is)and out of those smokers guesses are that 1or2 also smokes pot.Nobody can seriously say that marijuana is harmless,but by legalizing the stuff,we have the situation pretty well under control and in our prisons you wan't find marijuna users and/or -dealers.Other drugs,yes,but soft drugs,no..And we have far less drug addicts than the countries around us.So whatever your arguements against legalization may be,I still think there are far more reasons in favour than against it.And I'm glad that the majority of comments that I received agreed with me.

Go 4 it crispycritter, run 4 office. just remain loyal 2 ur constiuents, they voted 4 u. we need alot of people 2 PAY Attention 2 their government and change what they don't like by staying involved. this country was founded on INDIVIDUAL FREEDOMS. so we need 2 stay involved as individuals. the more the better. together we have a voice. apathy breeds contempt. and spread it into all government controls.

Hey, they asked us what we wanted, they even gave us a spiffy little website to vote on, now they're not happy with the #1 idea we as American citizens have voted for.

Other than being the first african american president in office, Obama's just there to keep us distracted. Until I see a system that actually listens to it's people I have NO faith in our government.

you can't expect him to do it in his first term...

It would kill the National Debt in two or three years.They'd have to be stupid not to legalize it now with the economy the way it is.

its a shame, but im ztill gunna zmoke that shit

Someone with a brain needs to point out to Obama's people that in 1932 the US government passed a 100 dollar an ounce tax on cannabis and that from only that standpoint it makes sense to make it legal and use the tax money collected to fund the social programs that always get cut! housing,medical care,education,to name a few! In addition those of us who toke and know how unharmful cannabis is realize thart it's time to come out of the dark ages on this issue! Good must always win over evil even if we drag it into the light by force! Obama is no different from all the others brothers and sisters he's just a front for those who really run this country and the world,the super rich and big business! They are the real evil! We must continue to fight! I wonder what would happen if a few hundred thousand smokers got together and had a smoke-in in front of the white house or some other location in DC? They couldn't lock us all up or put us through the system cause it would grind to a halt! Only through real political power can we win!

the government should get out of and stay out of this. We should have the right 2 decide what we do with r lives. if we screw it up 2 bad. Legalize everything and let us decide. Quit protecting me from myself. peterhaas has it right. if people smoke cannibis all day everyday they'll not be able 2 afford 2 smoke it for long Bcoz they"ll B broke. that is unless our gvrnmnt thinks we need financial help and gives us money 2 rehab us..Get out there and get involved with ur right 2 vote 4 people that do what u want. if they don"t vote them out next time
. Keep it up it's ur decision.

What I'm hearing more & more is actually right. This change is a political process and those of us that want it are totally naive. No representation. No lobby that we recognize & support. No single voice. No nothing. Just a bunch of hot air. Yelling down a well. We're loud because there's a bunch of us; but that's all. Talk isn't going to get it changed; this smack in the face just demonstrated that. All they need do is refuse to answer. End of discussion.

It may not be the number 1 problem in this country but it's pretty important to the tens of thousands of kids sitting in prison cells. And it's getting ready to become REAL important to the thousands that luck as slated to join them this year. I don't even want to hear, maybe later, give it time. I'm 60 years old. I've ALREADY WAITED 40+ YEARS. If that isn't long enough that's too bad. I don't have another 40 years to give them.

To hell with waiting; I'm done with that. We have the numbers right now. It's time to do something about it. Whether this happens to be a convenient time is their problem. NOT later. Later never comes. After 40 years I'm fresh out of patience.

They don't argue because they know they're wrong. But they're trying to have their way anyway by claming up. It won't wash. If reasonable rhetoric doesn't work, protest does.

The federal govt. insists I make an ass out of myself before this gets changed? Waving flags & banners, arms interlocked chanting down the street? We have to make a spectacle out of ourselves before we get any respect? fine. I've done harder thinks for less important reasons.

Legalize cannabis. NOW.

I just don't get it.Here in Holland we did all that,legalizing etcetera and now we have the lowest number of drug addicted people in Europe,I'm told.

Think about it. Legalize it and the end result will end up being the disappearance of dangerous organizations, such as Colombia's rebel group FARC, who get their money from smugglers. However, the U.S. will see a notable increase on the unemployment rate and more addicts on the street.

Not legalizing it would lead to the quieting of whoever is against it, but other issues will arise, such how to easily stop the entry of drugs without viloence.

As for me, legalizing it will bring relief to South America, and being from there, I support legalization.

As long as pharmaceutical corporations are legally protected while plants are considered a crime,

the destruction of all life on Earth by humanity will continue.

http://trancesenddance.blogspot.com/search?q=plants

bashirdr get a clue and fire up a doobie and then you may tell people they are potheads and have no energy! How do YOU know it makes one non-energetic and we have been 'belly-aching' about the so called 'important issues' here, or did you just get stuck on this one article?

Do any of you people actually have trouble procuring and/or using pot? Quit your belly aching and just do like you do. And put your energy into something more important and basic like alternative fuels, legalizing gay marriage, getting abstinance-only education and intelligent design out of public schools, national health care, etc.

Oh wait, I forgot, you're all pot heads, so you don't have any energy.

looks like my nightstand

did obama trick people into believing he would be different?

I fail to see how this would hurt the cotton industry. They can still produce cotton for clothing, and other uses. The machines used for producing fibers from hemp are the same as those used for cotton. Hemp just adds another raw material to use. Hemp also grows without the need for costly fertilizer. Hemp can also be used for crop rotation.
Current machinery used to make cotton fibers soft can be used to make hemp soft too.
Farmland that has been depleted or land deemed ill suited for conventional farming can be used to produce another product. Any workers displaced from agriculture or petroleum can easily be retasked to hemp related work. A petroleum worker trained in refinery work can work in a biofuel plant. A mill worker can also be put to work in a mill working with hemp.

The government has dug in it's heels on this issue in much the same way they have with Cuba.

Please pardon my indelicate language here, but it has to be stated.
This is nothing more than a pissing contest. The US government doesn't want to admit they were wrong, or that they relied on faulty information. There are so many millions of cases that have gone through the courts that it would be a profound embarrassment to admit such a thing.
I'm afraid that one would have to develop a monumental education campaign and gather enough signatures to force a referendum on the subject.

How utterly stupid does one have to be to see that this will bring in plenty of revenue for the ailing country's economy? They will NEVER stop it from coming into the country and being consumed by those who enjoy it OR use it for medicinal purposes. So, why not legalize, regulate and tax?

i personally think that there are too many people these days are using this marijuana. i know very little about it but from what my catholic teachers have imparted to me about it is just horrifying. it it not true that when you are "on" marijuana you go in to a fit of rage and want kill people and that just the smelling of marijuana makes one want to do evil things like commit sodomy? i don't know but i think that if this stuff was ever legalized than the whole world would be in damnation! people need to realize that we live in a constant state of peace and if this marijuana was legalized than evil and heresy would prevail.

do they not understand the money they are losing by not getting to tax this? they will never be able to stop the plant from being smoked, so whats with the ignorance???

Welcome to the war against drugs scam !

The criminalization of pot is simply needed to fill the prisons & rationalize the private incarceration system… & they get to destroy the black community as a bonus… Business as usual ! In the USA, the prison system is owned by private corporations (i), meaning that companies make money from putting people in jail.

This explains why America has the largest absolute prison population in the world (ii). Not just relative to its 300m population, but relative to the world. Even communist China, with 1.3 billion people, has less people in prison than America. US police officers are fired or given demotions if they do not meet a certain quota of people put in jail (iii). It’s called the prison-industrial complex (iv), and is just one example of how capitalism is yielding negative effects in America.
So how are so many people being put in prison? Welcome to the drug war. The CIA ships in cocaine to the United States in mass (v), and then uses the corrupt police force to deal these illegal drugs to the American public (vi). Naturally, having dealt the drugs, the police then know who is in possession of cocaine, so later bust them for it. Not only is the drug-industrial complex served, but so is the prison-industrial complex. Classic corporatism all made possible through the corrupt police force of bully-mentality.
And if by now you’re saying, “well, just because people are selling drugs, doesn’t mean the kids are forced to buy them”, consider the glorification of drugs in movies and television. Young kids love listening to Amy Winehouse and others (vii) (viii), but there is no age limit on how old you have to be to watch her on the news, boxed into the classic drug nightmare of so many poor victims of the entertainment industry. The average lifespan in the United States is currently 78 (ix) and expected to be commonly as high as 100 in the coming generations (x), yet in the entertainment industry was just over 60 in 1999 and was as low as 48 in 1950 (xi). Also consider the abomination that is America’s education system (xii), and its up-to and in some cases above 50% high school dropout rates (xiii).
Footnotes
i http://www.correctionsproject.com/corrections/pris_priv.htm
ii http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/2925973.stm
iii http://www.emissourian.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19506987&BRD=1409&PAG=46...
iv http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/199812/prisons
v http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1998_cr/980507-l.htm
vi http://www.serendipity.li/cia/fifty.html vii http://danasdirt.com/2007/11/27/amy-winehouse-meets-a-young-fan/
viii http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_black#Charts
ix http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy
x http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1977733.stm
xi http://www.ancestry.com/facts/HOLLYWOOD-life-expectancy.ashx
xii http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx4pN-aiofw
xiii http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,344190,00.html
PS : Back then pot prohibition was but an excuse to wipe out the hemp industry … http://piratebook.com/chapter_17.htm

The government needs to grow some balls, and legalize weed. God forbid they not make money on one item.

too bad he won't have a choice eventually, because the states will pass the laws and he will have to follow with federal legislation. its already happening obamamama....get on the train

Some people above mentioned creating a lobby group for cannabis. This is a great idea. Only issue I see is funding it. A lobby group has nothing if they can't bribe politicians. What if some of these pro-cannabis groups started educating rappers and other celebrities about how a lobby group could make cannabis legal. I'm sure even a few rappers donating to a lobby group instead of buying ugly jewelry could make a difference.

frickin politicians...they know nothing!

In reading the responses and the headline, I have one response. The question of legalizing "cannabis/hemp" should not be discussed in slang. The word marijuana was created to create confusion. All the slang names add to confusion.

"Cannabis/hemp" should be used whenever one discusses "cannabis/hemp", not slang man made generic names. Marijuana, pot, weed, Mary Jane, MJ, etc. are *spin*.

"Cannabis" used for the medicinal conversation and "hemp" used for the industrial conversations would change the conversation. Eventually people would stop using slang and deal with reality. Slang makes everyone think of hippies. Everyone who wants to see the laws changed are not hippies, or druggies.

One voice would speak volumes. Using the actual names "Cannabis/hemp" every time one speaks of the plant would go a long way to bring the conversation back to reality. Slang, disinformation names will not work to get "cannabis/hemp" legal. By using slang one perpetuates the drug underground culture of drugs.

"Cannabis/hemp" really is more than a drug for dysfunction. "Cannabis/hemp" has been used throughout history. Marijuana, weed, pot, pot heads, Mary Jane, have been used since prohibition. We want change, not prohibition. We must change the way we discuss it.

The most important thing for change is to start changing the way we talk about it. Stop using the terms which make it mysterious. "Cannabis/hemp" has history, it's not a mystery. Correct individuals who use slang. Guide the conversation to the proper names "Cannabis/hemp".

The criminalization of Pot has its roots in the 20's and 30's. It was a campaign paid for by the DuPont family when they realized that widespread hemp production was going to undercut their artificial fiber production. The film "Reefer Madness" was purely a product of the DuPont. The second nail in the coffin was its inclusion at a narcotic by the Nixon Administration. Pot is not a narcotic however by classifying it as one it brought it under the more draconian legal penalties for its possession and use. Even today diverse industries such at cotton spend heavily to prevent hemp production. Canada has made extensive use of hemp which it is cheaper to produce, is more "green" in its production and unlike cotton can be sustained indefinitely on the same land without completely depleting the soil. We haven't even touched on the the vast govt. involvement in the so called war on drugs. The first rule of any bureaucracy is to protect the bureaucracy. The second rule it to expand the bureaucracy. Trillions of dollars and vast unchecked authority is at stake in the war on drugs. These people will never let it go voluntarily. Many respected authorities at the national and local level have come to the conclusion that not only is the war on drugs not winnable it is wrong at its most base level of how it views drug use and abuse. Bootlegging is a perfect example of how criminilization was a source of violence, corruption and tragedy.

Perhaps you should all recognize that MARIJUANA IS A DRUG! It is not like you are asking them to stop cracking down on jay walking. Marijuana is responsible for deaths and injuries, and many other negative things. Sure you repeat the benefits of the drug while ignoring the negative side effects, but that does not justify your argument.

You ALL need to recognize that there are many negative side effects. If you can come up with a safe way to legalize it, as well as prevent or care for some of the negative side effects, you might get a better answer.

You all say legalize and tax it. Perhaps you should write out a proposal tax that would not be inhibitive of cost and show where the taxes could legitimately pay for NA classes, and preventative measures to keep people from smoking it.

The reality is that we DO NOT want people smoking marijuana casually all the time. It will increase injuries and deaths across the US. So an effective emphasis and campaign needs to be created to teach people that marijuana, although legalized, is still a bad thing to do.

Alcohol can kill you...
Cigarettes WILL kill you...

The government and Obama does not want to sponsor another vice that MIGHT have similar potential...
WE THE PEOPLE has no relevance in our government today...
The government by the people, of the people, and for the people, HAS perished from the Earth...

I read other articles where it said he was for legalization, in fact some of them were on this site!!!!!! I want to know the turth about my "president"! Is he a pot head or not???

Obama doesn't care. He's just a political puppet to continue and expand the corporate agenda.

Marijuana is low on that list of priorities. Quit complaining and just do what YOU can individually to get it legalized.

Oh for peets sake, pot is GOOD. A little pot never hurt anyone. I been hitting it for 30 years and am still sharp as a tack!

TBone
http://www.Privacy-Center.net

Good article. Shows the commitment of Obama "the Great Accommodator" to disregard his constituent's interests, ignore his clear mandate, and pander to the right.

This presidency will be the greatest disappointment to the left since the Soviet Union was revealed to have nothing to do with socialism or communism.

I'm guessing they think somking weed might mess with our performance during everyday life.

Anwyays we should riot on the 22cd we all should go to the white and sit out there a smoke a GAINT JOINT about 200grams or more >_>

This is not the most important thing in the world next to the climate crisis which should be number one.

Good.

perhaps this is merely a temporary political decision on obama's part. he's just assuming the presidency. if he did have any intention of decriminalizing pot, he likely wouldn't announce it as a priority, not at least until he generates some political leverage. perhaps it will be addressed in his second term.

i'm not an obama apologist, but this IS a touchy issue, and obama IS a politician. if it WAS to be addressed, he'd have to tread carefully.

It is obvious - the gov't makes too much money with pot being illegal to leagalize it. If it was made legal all the privately funded organizations would no longer get their money undercover. This is America - where the rich stay rich off the backs of everyone else.

I'm to the point where I dont really care anymore what the GOV tells me to do or not do. They dont give a shit about me and I dont give a shit about them. They will do what they want and it doesnt really matter what any off us think or vote for. Fuck them I'm going to smoke a joint.

This isn't about religion at all.

In fact, from a religious standpoint, I don't see how you can argue that a natural plant that could be used to treating the sick should be illegal. Hemp is the earth's strongest natural fiber, and it also contains more biomass then any other plant on earth. If by religious right you mean christians, christians believe that this plant like all others was created by God. There is no where in the bible where a christian would find any argument against legalizing marijuana. If anything christians should be all for it. If used sensibly and responsibly the uses for this plant are limitless.

No this isn't about religion. The reason why it is resisted so heavily by politicians is because most of the large donators to their campaigns are industries that would suffer heavy losses if marijuana were ever legalized.