NOTE: If you feel marijuana legalization was an entirely “appropriate” topic for debate, tweet your dissatisfaction of the White House’s censoring of NORML’s YouTube question by tweeting them using #WHchat and @WhiteHouse.
“Pres. Obama, what is inappropriate about saving billions and not arresting nonviolent american citizens for marijuana? #WHChat @WhiteHouse”
– E. Altieri, Comm. Coordinator
As of 7pm Pacific, I checked the YouTube.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.
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.
(YouTube.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.
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.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:
Here’s my entry:
* Though this time, we may get beaten by SOPA, PIPA, and NDAA questions… which wouldn’t bother me a bit. A free and open internet, threatened by SOPA and PIPA, is crucial to spreading the message of marijuana law reform. NDAA is an abomination that allows the president to declare citizens “enemy combatants” and lock them up indefinitely without charge, without trial, and without rights. We’re big fans of the First and Fourth Amendments here and these acts are counter to the spirit and Constitution of America.
If the American people and American businesses can stand together as they did for the greatest “positive” protest in history to protect our free internet there is no reason Americans all together cannot stand up against our human right to choose if we want to consume for personal or health-related purposes a God-given plant. Not only for the fact that it will undoubtedly greatly improve the American economy and way of life, but that it will bring harmless individuals from the “jail” system saving our country billions of dollars and putting those people in a society where they can get back to work and start doing something good for others and themselves.
The results on President Obama’s YouTube special “Interview with the President” the most widely talked about subject this week with the most popular votes being the topic of marijuana legalization this is a clear wake up call to all Americans that it’s time to set it straight and the Americans want marijuana legalized for the simple fact that it’s part of the solution to getting our country back on track.
It’s finally time and I’m so happy to start seeing Americans stand behind their freedom of speech and the power of what the internet can offer in providing the “real truth” for everyone to see. The people have spoken and I hope everyone tunes in and supports legalizing marijuana on President Obama’s speech today.
”Ignoring the issue does’nt make it or us go away!”
My message to Obama is simple, “Fuck you, thief.” Commander in Thief.
Obama is very uncaring when it comes to people who’ve been put down. He just gave us all false hope for change. Yet, he’s just another fascist. Like Bush before him.
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People in america have been in refusal regarding Chief executive The presidents’s insufficient opinion within the American People.
Wait, lets start with the basics about Drug’s. A drug comes from a plant. Then a company wants to make it and sell lots of it. Well when you start from scratch and make a drug, it is pure. Now the Pharma. Co. says pure is good. Which is bull sh*t! Pure is danger! Absolutely pure is absolutely deadly! Big Pharma doesn’t want you to notice this fact. Over Dose, side effects, the fight for control because it is illegal.!??
What if the natural form was available to the public??? What if you needed pain relief and you could grow your own Poppy’s? What if you are fat and lazy. Would you be, if you could chew Coca leaf? Have you ever seen a fat Peruvian?
These things should be on the open market! You can’t legislate moral behavior so stop trying!
The ONLY thing INNAPPROPATE about Marijuana; is your lack of faith in the American people to make a decision that will benefit this country as a whole not in parts. Marijuana is and will be the most Holy Herb on the planet…The only thing you people are affraid of is, what you be using on us will come back on you…and you think you have all the bases covered…and you don’t!!!The people are awakening and the people’s intelligence will come up to the same level with you in and able to block your mind control over us! The marijuana is awakening us to our full potential in the spirit realm, to who we are. You people doon’t want this so you create fear, sickness, disease, and dirty drugs to keep us all blank-ga-de-blank. We choose to keeep America beautiful, safe, and GREEN just like we found her! She has given us her best all these centuries, eons! We have to stop the anger and bitterness within each of us and learn to forgive ourselves and others in the process. If we are to survive theis mental onslaught; We will not recieve this…NO MORE!
You could have been the President we all adored…iniquity is found all up in you! hands bloody with the death of innocent US, souls,babies, poor people around the world; your Hitler mark is going to hit you where it hurts the MOST home..my brother! If we go down together we are taking you with us…fair deal..Mr. satan? Did I say that, forgive me I ment, Mr. President!
I don’t like Obama but just so you guys know ?”A White House spokesman, when asked for comment about why no marijuana-related questions were addressed on Monday, noted that the event had been moderated by GOOGLE and the president was merely answering questions posed to him.” Site: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/30/obama-marijuana-online-chat_n_1242907.html?ref=mostpopular
Obama has sold out to the 1%. He makes Uncle Tom look like a black panther… he failed his people and All of ” We the People”, except the new fake ones that run the country the Corporation people..
Not being presented with a comprehensive question about the Failed Drug Wars and the Legalization of Medical Marijuana, made the posting of internet questions and voting on them, totally superflous. Why did Google/You Tube waste our time!!! They had no intention of asking the questions re Medical Marijuana
Obama has already said NO. So just don’t waste your time with him, he’s ignorant, violent, and lied to get in office and continues to lie blaming bush and others for his problems he has with being ineffective because he is terrible listener and communicator. He tries to be a salesman but he sucks at that too. GET HIM OUT OF OFFICE AND STOP WASTING TIME ON HIM. HE IS NOT WORTH THE TIME WHEN WE NEED TO SPEND OUR TIME GETTING HIM OUT. TALK TO CONGRESS ABOUT THE ISSUES.
It is not “inappropriate” to ask that our friends, neighbors, and fellow United States Citizens not be jailed or threatened by the Federal Government over marijuana.
I’d like to see this question spun that way. Rather than a call to “legalize” or “decriminalize,” I’d like a call to stop jailing and threatening people over marijuana.
I just wrote the White House. Do thou likewise. Just google: “Write the President” and fill out the form with your, hopefully polite, response. Here’s what I said:
If you want my vote you need to stop jailing and threatening people over marijuana.
It may be a “silly” topic but jail is not. If it is laughable to you, that means that you are so callous as to laugh at people caught up in the courts and often jailed.
I’m not a user but I have seen people’s lives ruined by their encounters with law enforcement over this.
You, as President, CAN make it stop by making appropriate DEA and HHS appointments; people who will follow the science and the will of the vast majority of the people.
Sincerely,
Allen Whipps
What’s to appropriate?
I feel Medical Marijuana should be legal, All Marijuana use should be made legal also. But start where they will.
It’s like back in the ‘DAY’ My
Mom and her Dad and the rest of the family made bathtub Gin. I Helped as a child.
I helped my Grandpa down in the Hills with his Still’ as a child. Now they would be locked up for child abuse but anyway.
My real opinion is that For some reason our country’s people have allowed the government to make Jailing People big business. There are so many things wrong with the prison system. People don’t realize it because they figure the
people locked up are no good anyway, let them rot, don’t put the nasty prison’s next to my house.. BUT What if one of your own family got into trouble and was locked up, and were not guilty or they smoked some pot or they were with someone who smoked pot.
The gangs on the corner are not being stopped because of marijuana laws, that is just an excuse to keep it illegal. Nonsense.
I wish Ron Paul could be heard, he is the only person running for president who would legalize marijuana and says so.. Were is all the support for him. Just sittin’ on the couch smokin’ a doobie and not wanting to get up and Vote sooo I guess we just got to sit back and take it.. RIGHT?
I feel that The President is not going to even Talk about marijuana because he knows he would not get elected in 2012!
Marijuana is going to be legal someday. But I don’t think anyone is going to get elected president to get it legalized.
As the poster before me said, The People are going to have to elect from their own neighborhoods, in even the smaller of Political posts from, within, the community to all communities,=== People who have the same opinion on Marijuana as we all do who want it Legalized.
Whoa! Yes that means>>> YOU Are gonna have to Man up, Stand up and SAY You want it legalized. You don’t have to say == You USE IT!!
Just say it is a bad LAW and too many People are going to jail for it. The Laws of this country are to protect you and I; But there are too Many Now, that are worse than the crime that I am being protected from..
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Moderators: I accidentally included my FULL NAME in a comment to your fine blog. PLease remove my name from the post or remove the post.
Thank you!
Allen
http://blog.norml.org/2012/01/24/president-obamas-youtube-forum-deems-marijuana-legalization-questions-inappropriate/
Allen says:
January 31, 2012 at 5:28 pm
I just wrote the White House. Do thou likewise. Just google: “Write the President” and fill out the form with your, hopefully polite, response. Here’s what I said:
If you want my vote you need to stop jailing and threatening people over marijuana.
It may be a “silly” topic but jail is not. If it is laughable to you, that means that you are so callous as to laugh at people caught up in the courts and often jailed.
I’m not a user but I have seen people’s lives ruined by their encounters with law enforcement over this.
You, as President, CAN make it stop by making appropriate DEA and HHS appointments; people who will follow the science and the will of the vast majority of the people.
Sincerely,
MY NAME WAS HERE (Please remove or remove the entire post)
Obama is the biggest, lying, turd that has been in the White House yet I do believe. His ass needs to be shipped to Kenya, where he belongs, and live like those people for awhile. I would vote for Mickey Mouse before he will ever get my vote. He’s a piece of shit.
That’s not entirely true. I don’t know what they threatened him with ore offered him once he got into office. But the real problem is the bureaucrats, that ever leave. They still have that insider mentality. They hear Marijuana and think “Oh those dirty hippies.” (envious when seen on the movie news screen when I was a kid, now jealous.)”We have to punish them for what they did!” whatever that was in their minds was never explained.
These are the closed minded type of in sider that needs to be fired. I say clean house. fire them all and make lobbying illegal. Abolish lobbying to start. Elect Dr. Ron Paul second.
David,
Wish that were true. The “bureaucrats” that you speak of are appointed by the president. That would be the heads of the DEA, HHS, FDA, and DOJ, plus his hand picked “Drug Czar.” He’s the president, this really is his policy. Sorry! There is no ‘strategy.’ How it appears is exactly (in this case) what it is.
Pot should be legal to grow in every state and NO ONE should ever go to jail over pot.himp should be legal to grow in every state for the farmers need a nother cop to raise for tobaco in ky is all gone now where i live.The farms is growing up lots of them are and if himp was legal to grow and sell lots of farmers would grow it,it dont cost but verry littel to grow himp and it could help save our farmers in ky and every state and make lots more tax money.
Hear to Beyonce’s ‘End Of Time’ DJ mix.
Login to vote (on the upper right corner) & click to login with your FB account.
Make sure to click on the ‘Like’ button once you’re redirected after your
registration so that your vote to count. http://bit.ly/wjU5lj
Its the classic don’t do as I did (and may still do)and a slap in the face to marijuana advocates everywhere.
The entire ideology of prohibition countermands our claim to being the land of the free, Directly! We’ve seen this politically lead agenda last for over 75yrs, and it’s cost us too much. Perhaps even a crucial factor in our nations downturns since it’s enactment. We can no longer afford to oppress the industry or the citizen’s right to choose their own way. We must retool the DEA to ensure “Produce sold for public use” is clean and disease free. Or perhaps removing it from their jurisdiction altogether. Perhaps we would better gain from the FDA regulating it. Gaining their little cut at the exchange between grower and distributor, as an exchange tax. Thus ensuring the cycle upward is practical. With this shift in policy, jobs would be expanded, crops would be quality over quantity, and our nation would have wonderful new exports of many varieties. Jobs to make those products and agricultural options to immediately employ those released from incarceration. Change will require “retooling” to prevent collapse, a “retro-fit” of sorts.
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