General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsObama's Pot Problem
Now that states have started legalizing recreational marijuana, will the president continue the governments war on weed?
When voters in Colorado and Washington state legalized recreational marijuana in November, they thought they were declaring a cease-fire in the War on Drugs. Thanks to ballot initiatives that passed by wide margins on Election Day, adults 21 or older in both states can now legally possess up to an ounce of marijuana. The new laws also compel Colorado and Washington to license private businesses to cultivate and sell pot, and to levy taxes on the proceeds. Together, the two states expect to reap some $600 million annually in marijuana revenues for schools, roads and other projects. The only losers, in fact, will be the Mexican drug lords, who currently supply as much as two-thirds of America's pot.
Drug reformers can scarcely believe their landslide victories at the polls. "People expected this day would come, but most didn't expect it to come this soon," says Norm Stamper, a former Seattle police chief who campaigned for legalization. "This is the beginning of the end of prohibition."
But the war over pot may be far from over. Legalization has set Colorado and Washington on a collision course with the Obama administration, which has shown no sign of backing down on its full-scale assault on pot growers and distributors. Although the president pledged to go easy on medical marijuana now legal in 18 states he has actually launched more raids on state-sanctioned pot dispensaries than George W. Bush, and has threatened to prosecute state officials who oversee medical marijuana as if they were drug lords. And while the administration has yet to issue a definitive response to the two new laws, the Justice Department was quick to signal that it has no plans to heed the will of voters. "Enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act," the department announced in November, "remains unchanged."
A big reason for the get-tough stance, say White House insiders, is that federal agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration are staffed with hard-liners who have built their careers on going after pot. Michele Leonhart, a holdover from the Bush administration whom Obama has appointed to head the DEA, continues to maintain that pot is as dangerous as heroin a position unsupported by either science or experience. When pressed on the point at a congressional hearing, Leonhart refused to concede any distinction between the two substances, lamely insisting that "all illegal drugs are bad."
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/obamas-pot-problem-20121207#ixzz2ENePFjA0
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musiclawyer
(2,335 posts)If the Feds makes even one stupid move, litigate !
Lets see The DEA and their "evidence" regarding schedule 1 and the States' army of expert witnesses regarding medical and economic efficacy of the Bud.
Even republican appointed district court judges take their job very seriously.
That's why POTUS won't die on this hill.
His legacy is at stake. He makes one stupid move and poof ! His goodwill gained is gone and so are the chances of a democratic house is '14 .......
The young people and activists and minorities will tune him out ....
They are the ones who gave him a second term. Make no mistake.
AnotherMcIntosh
(11,064 posts)go after banksters and otherwise participated in giving hundreds of billions of dollars to them? The guy who continues endless wars in the Middle-East? The guy who extended the Bush tax-cuts for the super-rich? They guy who adopted the Republican plan to compel the purchase of health insurance from private companies instead of pushing for single-payer health care? The guy who signed three let's-send-more-jobs-to-foreign-countries "free trade" agreements and is preparing to sign another one?
His legacy is that Romney was worse. As was Insane McCain.
His legacy is that most voters did not want McCain or Romney.
musiclawyer
(2,335 posts)Young people don't think they have any privacy They figure big brother is watching and shrug. Most young people are NOT impacted by war. They think drones strikes are what we do. This war on terror mentality is normalized in them. Civil liberties to them means freedom to enjoy weed and freedom to love whoever they want ...... So uuum. Yeah. Weed does impact POTUS' legacy far more than most can fathom
JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)ZERO: The amount of people that will die from marijuana today
ALOT more than zero: The number of people that will die from heroin today.
ReasonableToo
(505 posts)Marijuana is the gateway drug OFF the hard drugs.
MichaelSoE
(1,576 posts)I thought they'd legalize it in 1969. But then again I was really stoned.
Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)Liberals, Democrats, independents, young voters--all support marijuana legalization.
So does a majority in this country now, according to three polls in the past week.
progressoid
(49,991 posts)There is a lot more $$$ and influence involved in pot than in gay marriage. We shall see.
2naSalit
(86,646 posts)Consider a couple unpleasant factors...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1940287
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)A TV interview with Joe Biden.
Blue Owl
(50,423 posts)Has there been a single negative or criminal incident in the past week directly related to someone using "Marihuana"?
If there's been zero problems -- then what is the problem, exactly?