If Obama wants to seal the deal for the 2012 Election he needs to change his stance on Medicinal Pot

[LynneSin]

Back last summer here in Delaware, I was excited to see that we passed laws for both Civil Unions and Medicinal Marijuana. Well unfortunately Medicinal Marijuana is not happening for fear of Federal Prosecution since Obama's Justice Department says they'll bust on facilities that distribute Medicinal Marijuana.

Now mind you, I've never smoked pot in my life. I'm just not a smoker. I have no judgement for those who use as long as they use good judgement when using it. But I do know that medicinal marijuana works especially for those dealing with cancer. I have a friend dealing with stage 3 Breast Cancer and she said that the marijuana's biggest benefit was that it allowed her to eat without puking up everything. I know my grandmother suffered thru chemotherapy and it was worse because she couldn't tolerate any food, so she only became weaker.

The lot of GOP candidates is beyond lame and Obama has made good advances with civil rights and women issue (He said that Justice Department will no longer fight DOMA cases and has stated that birth control would be totally covered by all insurances). I think if Obama would, at a minimum, support Medicinal Marijuana and as a really good thing - stop the drug war on Marijuana, I think Obama would win in a landslide in 2012.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. It's a good thought, but I don't see him doing it. Not now, anyway.

There are just too many right-wingers who would be horrified at this.

Plus, I don't think he is truly behind it.

It's too bad, though. What a huge difference such a move would make, and not just for the election.

[LynneSin]

3. But I see his stance the same way as his stance on same-sex marriage

It's belief that is evolving.

I dont' think he needs to legalize pot today, I can't see that happening. But if he would just allow the medicinal marijuana then that's a big step forward.

To be honest, it's the Pharmaceutical industries - they don't want anything out there that could help people but they can't make a profit off of it. I suspect their lobbyists are paying some folks in DC big bucks to make sure that medicinal marijuana never happens.

[Denver Donkeys]

14. Their lobbyists are losing a battle.

Big Pharma should just stay the fuck out of the cannabis business and treat it like alternative medicine (which it is).

[Denver Donkeys]

13. At this point, I don't give a fuck what a right-wing moron thinks.

They can stay the fuck out of my personal life.

[WI_DEM]

2. I'm sorry but only on DU would anybody think that legalizing medicinal pot would guarantee

Obama the election. Not that I disagree. It should be done. But, I doubt, that the average voter even has this issue as one of their top ten concerns.

[Sheepshank]

5. Absolutely correct

...in fact, if anything, I believe it would be a losing enterprise.

So there we are, one opinion vs another and we should hang a presidency on an opinion of two people's opposing thoughts on the matter?

[nebenaube]

6. actually, you are both worng...

It's been the number one question many times.

[Denver Donkeys]

15. #1 petition on OFA TWICE

And both resoundingly ignored..

That does not bode well for Obama, if he continues to ignore an important issue - medical marijuana should be legal. Cannabis should be legal and used as major cash crop, using hemp.

[TheWraith]

25. Newsflash: Internet petitions do not represent the whole entire United States.

The reality is that for most Americans, medical marijuana is a relative non-issue, and legalization even more so.

Are people in favor of medical marijuana? Yes. But only a tiny number of extremely obsessed people are going to give a tenth of a shit when it comes to voting time. They're going to care about whether they have a job where they feel secure and can earn a living wage, whether their kids can go to college, whether they have healthcare, what the price of gas is, whether their house is worth more than it was a couple years ago, things which are major day to day concerns in their lives. Marijuana doesn't rate in the top twenty for most people.

[SomethingFishy]

32. That's because most people are foolish and don't

see past the "it's a stoner issue" to the real economic advantages behind legalization.

Besides saving the money being wasted on the War On Drugs, prisons, courts and law enforcement, legalization would bring, jobs, new products, and crops to farm. Not to mention new tax revenue.

[Comrade Grumpy]

20. Medical marijuana has consistent high favorables in polls.

Usually in the 70s, sometimes in the 80s, the lowest in the last ten years was 60%

http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.additional-resource.php?resourceID=000151

[Vincardog]

22. Absolutely incorrect. legal MM and legalization in general would put BO squarely on the side of the

PEOPLE against the MEGA Corporations. It would help him with the people.
Unfortunately he has shown by his cabinet picks and actions that that is not where his heart lies.

[MrBig]

12. +1 n/t

[EOTE]

21. Wrong. It's consistently been the number one issue on Obama's virtual town halls.

And it's consistently been utterly ignored every time it's been brought up. It's obviously a big issue to a number of people, and it's obvious that Obama was full of shit when he said that under his administration that the DEA would let dispensaries do their thing without intervention. It was a lie, plain and simple.

[TheWraith]

27. It's the number one issue to a few obsessed internet people who dominate the discussion.

Do a national poll, and you'll find that basically no one intends to base their vote on it.

[EOTE]

29. You're not very good at logic, are you?

Once again, in both of Obama's virtual town halls, it was the number one issue brought up. That's not because of "a few obsessed internet people". He intentionally ignored it both times because he knew that no one would like his answer. In 2008, he said that he wouldn't be using Justice Department resources to go after medical marijuana. He was full of shit. It doesn't surprise me that you don't give a shit. Thinking people care about this quite a bit.

[Sheepshank]

33. Obama will ignore the few vocal people who only 'think' they speak for a majority.

You accuse others of illogical thinking, yet fail you yourself to produce anything with a basis in fact.

Could you please point to a national pollster who has posed this question and of course the results of that poll? I'm very interested in seeing the percentage of those single issue voters that will use "legalization of marijuana" as the pivit point for this election.

Even more importantly...It would be awesome to see how many libs/indies would jump to a Romney or Santorum camp if those candidates stated it would be their first term priority to legalize pot.

[Uncle Joe]

35. Well the trend seems obvious to me as to which way the wind is blowing on this poll.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/150149/record-high-americans-favor-legalizing-marijuana.aspx

[Bluenorthwest]

36. The fact that 16 States passed medical marijuana laws, and DC as well indicates that

it is not that 'few' who support this. Winning majorities in all of those States created the laws the DOJ is fighting.
Gallup: 50% support legalization.http://www.gallup.com/poll/150149/record-high-americans-favor-legalizing-marijuana.aspx
That's legalization. Medical Marijuana gets much, much higher support. Particularly in those States who enacted such laws.

[EOTE]

37. Fact, the majority of the people in this country support MMJ and don't want to see the DoJ prosecute

it.

Here are a variety of polls that you can peruse, the results are pretty clear cut, wouldn't you say?
http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.additional-resource.php?resourceID=000151

I probably will be sitting home this election, I just can't bring myself to vote for someone who cares so little about the people who got him elected in the first place, and who values the truth so little.

However, if Obama decided to actually make good on his original promise, I might be motivated enough to vote for him. But expecting this president to actually NOT break one of his promises seems like a futile task.

[Sheepshank]

46. I don't disagree with those poll numbers of people agreeing with MMJ

but my question was not that. My questsion was:

I'm very interested in seeing the percentage of those single issue voters that will use "legalization of marijuana" as the pivit point for this election.

Even more importantly...It would be awesome to see how many libs/indies would jump to a Romney or Santorum camp if those candidates stated it would be their first term priority to legalize pot.

[EOTE]

47. I could never see myself voting for Romney or Santorum.

But if a rational third party candidate had this as a serious portion of their platform, I'd most likely vote for them. Hell, even if a sane republican, like Huntsman if he were still in the race, adopted this as part of their platform, I'd most likely give them my support.

But Obama deserves to lose support for lying on this issue as he did. I really can't imagine voting for him this November, and him lying on this issue is a good portion of the reason for that.

[Comrade Grumpy]

38. The bigger question is how many would jump to a third party candidate who is a legalizer?

Like former Republican New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, who is seeking the Libertarian Party nomination largely based on a pot legalization/anti-drug war platform, or Roseanne Barr, who is seeking the Green Party nomination, and also wants to free the weed.

Even if only 1% of the electorate shifted because they're one-issue pot people, that could make a difference in a tight election. Think about New Mexico, for instance. If I remember correctly, Obama barely won it in 2008. Could Johnson peel off enough votes in his home state to throw it to the Republicans?

Yes, marijuana legalization and, more broadly, the drug war are not big issues for many voters. But for some, the disaffection and disenchantment over that crap runs very deep. And that could make a difference somewhere.

[rusty fender]

40. It's possible that Obama

could lose NM because of Gary Johnson. He was a fairly decent Gov. All he would need to swing NM to the Repukes is a few thousand votes.

[Comrade Grumpy]

41. Colorado is another battleground state. Marijuana legalization will be on the ballot there.

And Gary Johnson just endorsed that initiative.

[NMDemDist2]

34. +1 n/t

[randome]

4. There are hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries that are in operation now.

Not nearly enough, of course, but that's another issue. Obama is not against medical marijuana but for political reasons, he can't come out and say he is FOR it, either.

Stopping the 'war on drugs' is a much more complicated issue. Everyone has different ideas on what that means.

[EOTE]

23. Of course he's against medical marijuana. For political reasons, he said he was FOR it.

Once elected, he turned his DEA loose against many, many legal dispensaries in Colorado and California. He lied quite blatantly about this.

[Vincardog]

24. If BO was not against MM why would he let the DEA the IRS and the DOJ go after

the dispensaries?

[TheWraith]

28. Because the President isn't allowed to selectively enforce federal law.

You cannot go in and say "Well, today we're going to enforce federal laws against X, but not the federal laws against Y, because Y is okay." Medical marijuana is not legal under federal law. Period.

[EOTE]

30. Bullshit, he does it every single day.

I refuse to believe you can be this daft. Obama has, consistently and for three years, allowed bankers and various other corporate thieves to go entirely unpunished for their crimes. In the case of the robocall fiasco, he's pretty much organized the most slap-on-the-wrist excuse for a punishment as possible, ensuring that no one will face significant punishment. Yet after saying his administration wouldn't be utilizing DoJ resources to go after MMJ, his DoJ goes after it unmercifully. He was full of shit, but I really don't expect his unthinking cheerleaders to care much about that.

[quakerboy]

39. Your statements misrepresent reality

Whether Obama is personally for or against MMJ, he has had his people acting against it.

I would not expect him to come out in favor of legalization. It is a popular issue, but I doubt that it would matter to how the vast majority votes in November, so there's little political reason to rock the boat.

But by not providing the justice department other priorities that cracking down on clinics, he has made it clear in action that he is either against MMJ or using it as a scapegoat. Doing nothing on the issue would have been a step forward, but instead, we have moved backward, against the expressed votes of many states.

[think]

7. These current poll numbers show most Americans appear to approve of it:

Poll: Public supports medical marijuana, but not full pot legalization
November 18, 2011 6:00 AM

According a recent CBS News poll conducted at the end of October, a slim majority of 51 percent continues to think that marijuana use should be illegal. But support for specifically allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana for serious medical conditions - or legalized "medical" marijuana - is far stronger: 77 percent Americans think it should be allowed....



Source:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57327004-503544/poll-public-supports-medical-marijuana-but-not-full-pot-legalization/

[SammyWinstonJack]

9. Ah, who cares what the majority of us want, anyway.

Didn't matter in the run up to the 'war' on Iraq.


Obama really should stop promising/saying things he doesn't intend to deliver on.

[Logical]

8. I think it hurts him more than helps him

[boxman15]

10. From what I've seen, and I could be totally wrong on this,

Obama seems to be OK with medicinal marijuana, but won't come out and support it until after re-election for fear of political consequences. I think the same goes for gay marriage.

The reason his Justice Department is going after medical marijuana facilities is, supposedly, that he keeps the Justice Department as far away from politics as possible.

This is just speculation and I could be wrong. Hopefully I'm not, though.

[Denver Donkeys]

16. DoJ should be focusing on criminals, not MMJ owners

They aren't the criminals.

Wall Street bankers and speculators are the criminals, and they need a permanent investigation, revealing that the banksters has been stealing from us for YEARS.

[Denver Donkeys]

11. A simple execution of EO ordering cannabis of all species removed from Schedule I and decriminalized

legally taxed and regulated like tobacco/alcohol.

That is the only way he'll get my votes back.

And the government pays back ALL seizures and assets taken from the dispensaries and shut down.

Then put all the US Attorney on notice that they will be terminated unceremoniously if they dare to attack MMJ dispensaries on a RICO charges (there is no RICO conspiracies going on with MMJ dispensaries).

Cannabis has been proven for years that they do not kill. Both tobacco/alcohol kill and they are legal.

[Ineeda]

17. Wow. Really?

"That is the only way he'll get my votes back." Talk about a one-issue voter! Seems as though you fit that mold to a 't'.

[EOTE]

26. I don't blame him at all. Obama lied his ass off on this issue.

Finally keeping his promise after years would do a lot to help him save face. Of course, the lives that he has ruined because of his blatant lies won't be made whole again, but it's a start.

[bowens43]

18. Huh?

You base whether or not you'll vote for Obama on your ability or inability to get pot?

seriously?

[sudopod]

31. Not what he said.

Try harder.

[The Doctor.]

19. What is his stance?

We know that the DoJ is still enforcing federal law. I'd very much like Obama to ask the DoJ to lay off, but during an election year that could blow up in his face. It's always very tricky for the President to direct the DoJ, as so many DUers were screaming bloody murder over during the Bush Administration.

So I'm curious to know what his 'stance' is so that we know what we might expect in the next four+ years.

[MineralMan]

42. It would have very little effect at all.

So, he's not going to do it. After he's re-elected, though, he'll be more approachable on the subject. Obama is picking his battles, and is not going to take on any that don't offer substantial benefits. It's a campaign for votes and the medical marijuana issue is not even on the list.

[musiclawyer]

43. I 502 In washington state will blow the lid off this nonsense

I think it will pass. CA will have a similar measure but not as good.

If either one passes, it is basically throwing a grenade on every drug warrior who has been fighting against almost zero resistance for 40 years.

I think the people will have spoken. A huge hole in damn that wont be able to be plugged by the Feds.

The science, the economics, and justice are on the side of full blown legalization, not just MM

[Comrade Grumpy]

44. Legalization will be on the ballot in Washington and Colorado.

I-502 is already approved in Washington.

The Colorado needed 2,400 more valid signatures to make the ballot. They handed in 14,000 last Friday.

There are also legalization initiatives in the signature-gathering phase in California, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, and Oregon, but I doubt they will make the ballot for lack of paid signature-gatherers.

It would be great if one or more states legalized it this year.

[maximusveritas]

45. This is a complex issue

Obama supports Medical Marijuana and always has. The stance his administration has taken has been in order to ensure that there were appropriate regulation and that people were not allowed to go exploit state Medical Marijuana laws in order to engage in drug trafficking. Governors looking for guarantees of feds not getting involved are not going to get it. There are active medical marijuana dispensaries in multiple states running without problem, so they have no real excuse.