Okay, try and stay with me if you can.
While campaigning for the US presidency, Barack Obama pledged not to “use Justice Department resources to try and circumvent state (medical marijuana) laws.”
Nearly three-quarters of the American public agrees with this position. According to a new national poll of 1,053 likely voters by Zogby International and commissioned by the NORML Foundation, seventy-two percent of voters say that President Obama should “stop federal raids against medical marijuana providers in the 13 states where medical marijuana has become legal.”
But since President Obama took office two weeks ago, the US Drug Enforcement Administration has undertaken at least seven separate raids of state-authorized medical marijuana providers in California and Colorado. Most recently, on Wednesday DEA officials — acting without the cooperation of state or local law enforcement agencies — served federal search warrants on at least four Los Angeles based medical marijuana collectives. Agents seized medicine, cash, financial records, and computers, but did not make any arrests.
Still with me? Good, because things are about to get even more confusing.
Today, in a front page article in The Washington Times White House spokesperson Nick Shapiro said, “The president believes that federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws, and as he continues to appoint senior leadership to fill out the ranks of the federal government, he expects them to review their policies with that in mind.”
Huh?
Okay, maybe I missed something but last time I checked Barack Obama is, in fact, the 44th President of the United States — which means he has the authority to tell both the US Department of Justice and DEA Acting Administrator Michele Leonhart: “No more raids. Period!” (NORML podcaster Russ Belville has already drafted Obama the requisite memo here.)
Or, if Obama doesn’t want to be the one who personally rains on the DEA’s eight-year parade, then he can demand his newly sworn in U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to tell Ms. Leonhart and the DEA: “When President Obama says ‘no more raids,’ he means no more raids! Any more ‘smash and grabs’ in California — or any other state that’s legalized the medical use of cannabis — and you’re all out of your jobs. Got it?”
Of course, given the likelihood that President Obama won’t be making such demands of his new Attorney General any time soon, why don’t you?
Click here and tell US Attorney General Eric Holder to uphold the will of the President and the public. It’s time for the DEA to stop circumventing state medical marijuana laws. It’s time for the raids to come to an end.
Obama isn’t going to change the pot laws because he’s a hypocrite and a liar. He’s not going to do anything with the pot laws or the DEA raids. He said what he said to get elected. Face it. We ben had again. Here’s your change, the same ol’ same ol’.
I thought this article was particularly eye-opening. Did not the MPP and their big heavyweight donors like Susan Sarandon, campaign for B H Obama? Man! I can’t wait for BHO’s next big change for us! MPP and Hollywood and their big parties at the Playboy mansion have done what for us?
There are raids because the DEA and ONDCP and DOJ are entrenched bureaucracies that need the drug war to keep their budgets, personnel, and level of influence.
It is likely that Obama was lying about sopping the raids, just like GW Bush did in 2000 when he said medical marijuana should be up to the states…..the sick and dying are not a huge voting group, and they can be offended with little or no consequences.
At least the Clinton Administration was honest enough to send McCaffery. out to call it all, “cheech and chong medicine,” when he was not bashing the internal policies of, the Netherlands, an extremely close ally of the USA, in international press conferences in Sweden.
AG HOLDER HAS SAID HE CANNOT FIND A WAY TO NOT CONTINUE THE RAIDS UNDER THE Single Conventions.
So there is going to be no stopping of the raids.
Period.
There will be no marijuana reform under Obama, as the press is unwilling to ask such questions, even if, as demonstrated by the list consulted by OBama at yesterday’s news conference, anyone who would ask such a question actually appears on the list of approved journalists who CAN (read:are allowed to) ask questions, meaning who will be called on by the president Obama at such press conferences.
Marijuana law reform is simply not on his agenda, and there are too many entrenched groups to allow this new young, arrogant kid to change beloved policies that employ so many people and help to destroy so much constitutional protection.
It just isn’t going to happen no matter how many columns are written demanding reform.
Eric Johnson
I think mary Jane should be legalized, grown here in USA , would create many jobs, not only farming the stuff, but also in making hemp clthes manufacturing, putting it in liguor stores for 21 and over, creating more jobs by packaging to sell, Duh;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
come on use the big tax money on debt……………..
MKAE US ALL HAPPY AND LEGALIZE AND CREAT MORE HAPPY PEOPLE/
Obama,,,,,, what a joke, damn good story teller though…
The fundemental reason as to why, the State is having a Hard time to recognize Medicinal Marijuana is. Every State in the Union can Grow Marijuana and/or Hemp. Yes, All 50 States and Islands south, Canada and Mexico can Grow either Hemp or sister Marijuana. Marijuana can basically grow anywhere on earth. It’s time Man Accepts the fact that it knows Marijuana is good for a human and must flourish off of it. After all one must ask, “who can flourish off a weed, rather take the world with metal. Weeds grow back faster!”
Hey very nice blog!! Man .. Beautiful .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds also…
This is funny…
A Stoner…
Boycott poptarts…
Good job guys…
A Stoner Will Never Pass Up a Strawberry Frosted PopTart! EVER!
Way to go, how about coming up with something a tad bit more clever.
I didn’t vote for Obama.
That being said, I can’t in good moral conscience condemn him. Yet.
Partly because if I were to, I’d have nothing to look forward to in these fast coming years; but also because I don’t think turning our back on our economy (Which seems to have the properties akin to those of a house of cards built by a 9 year-old ADHD epileptic.) for a minute is in any way smart or wise.
The raids are going to stop. If not before, then on 4-20! Me and my friends, both fellow smokers and not, plan to protest outside city hall on 4-20 to gain public interest for further decriminalization on Marijuana here in Ohio. Our signs are almost done, our pamphlets are printed and ready to go, (300 ready in-wait from NORML, Erowid, and my own personal compilings.) and we have at least 15+ people set to attend. (More if partners and family members can make it.)
4-20 is our day! LET OUR VOICES BE HEARD AS ONE COLLECTIVE CHORUS ON 4-20!!
They can’t shut us all out!!!!
Unfortunatly, the law that was passed call the Controlled Substance Act, was passed by Congress. President Obama can’t pick and choose which laws he wants to follow. It is up to the Legislative body to make enforce laws, not the executive Branch. And the State of California has no authority to legalize the use of a controlled substance. It’s called a supremecy clause. Federal jurisdiction. So there is no “legal” use of illicit drugs.
I think that the drug test should wiped away from the list of employers to employees . Only to be tested in case of on the job accident, save money and jobs, what people do at home behind there closed doors should be their business and not anyone elses.
I also hope to see the day that they finally make that joint legal, yeah.
This is the beginning of the end of the drug war.
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