From a Canadian perspective I applaud President Obama's principled position regading the decriminalization of Marijuana. Perhaps he realizes American incarceration rates put the lie to the notion of America as a free country. More likely a wealth of votes has influenced or bottom lined his stance. Let mad dog repugnicans howl as is their wont, truth and justice will always find the light of day.

"Then after the Times posted copies of the video on its Web site today, his campaign reversed course and declared he does not support eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana possession and use."

http://washingtontimes.com/article/20080131/NATION/269196852/1001

Article published Jan 31, 2008
Obama flip-flops on pot

January 31, 2008

By Jen Haberkorn - Barack Obama, the senatorial candidate of 2004, might have a bone to pick with Barack Obama, the presidential candidate of 2008.

Videotapes of debates and speeches that were obtained by The Washington Times show Mr. Obama took positions during his Senate campaign on nearly a half dozen issues, ranging from the Cuba embargo to health care for illegal immigrants, that conflict with statements he has made during his run for the White House.

For instance, in MSNBC's Oct. 30 presidential debate, Mr. Obama hesitantly raised his hand and joined with most of his Democratic rivals to declare that he opposed decriminalizing marijuana. (See clip below.)

But as a U.S. Senate candidate, Mr. Obama told Illinois college students in January 2004 that he supported eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana use or possession, a debate video shows.

"I think we need to rethink and decriminalize our marijuana laws," Mr. Obama said during a debate at Northwestern University. "But I'm not somebody who believes in legalization of marijuana." (See clip below.)

When confronted with the statements on the video, Obama's campaign offered two explanations to the Times in less than 24 hours. At first, Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said that the candidate had "always" supported decriminalizing marijuana, suggesting his 2004 statement was correct. Then after the Times posted copies of the video on its Web site today, his campaign reversed course and declared he does not support eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana possession and use.

This sounds like all the other lawyers invoved in politics. Just tell the people what it will take to get elected! He needs to be more decisive. Like my favorite candidate! If there was no drug war, many, of us "good" doctors, would still be working!

While I have no respect for the Washington Times they have accurately reported Obama cannabis flip flop. Typical of him.

I posted a piece today on the flip-flop with links for the other posts that I have written since last summer about Obama the drug war here at: Barack Obama....Getting Smaller

Obama promised New orleans that, if elected, he would send more DEA agents to the city to help reduce their post Katrina drug crime problem. His solution to poverty, incarcerate and disenfranchise more of the victims.

His support for the 2005 Combat Meth Act makes him look like a total idiot.

Barack Obama is a right-wing Jim Crow pandering drug warrior a-hole.

I hope the Greens, Libertarians or Independents give us an alternative to these single-minded authoritarian Democrats and Republicans.

I do not vote for drug warriors.

I'd really like to know my vote is very dependant on this issue.
Of course there are so many issues that are much more important but It could sway my vote. The act of decriminalizing the behavior of a very large portion if our populace is certainly a step in the right direction. I may be dreaming but could this be an indication that theres is a politician out there with some common sense that may be applied to other issues as well?
I am a firm believer if marijuana users would back off on the pothead behavior I'E. put down the Bong set aside their fear of retribution and write our representatives and simply state I use marijuana and I vote! in mass we could effect change. but then i've always been a dreamer!

I recently wrote Bart Stupak of Michigan to do exactly that.

A post card campaign to tell candidates that you vote against drug warrior politicians.

Politicians view each hard copy post they get from voters to represent some thousands of voters views. Hard copy mail gets the highest rating. Telephone calls second and email has the lowest value to them. I got this from a political hack who was working congress a few years back.

So if we can get a lot of people to send post cards that say "I vote against the drug war" the candidates will find themselves being confronted by the issue in their own offices.

So go get some post cards from the Post Office. Send one to each candidate in all races that you are interested in on the federal level.

We can change their minds.

No Pills.

No Powder.

But what grows in the ground is probably ok.

no pills, no powder?!?
what about prescription pills? aren't those just the government's version of legal, socially acceptable, "good," "safe" drugs? there are tons of legal drugs available (via prescription) that don't grow in the ground. what about all the chemicals that are abundant in the food we eat on a daily basis?

if you ask me, the government should poke its nose elsewhere and not tell me what i can and can't put into my own body.

CAN,T WE ALL START TO SIGN AND SEND LIKE WE DO ON OTHER THINGS RIGHT HERE ON THE SITE?WON,T ALOT OF NAMES MAKE A BIGGER DIFFERENTS? PLUS I THINK ALOT OF THE Politicians ARE GOING TO BE QUIT ON OUR ISSUES UNTIL THEY HAVE MORE POWER AND GET BUSH OUT OF OFFICE. BUT THEN CAN WE TRUST THEM TO DO ANYTHING.IF WE SIGN ONE AND SEND IT NOW AND LET THEM KNOW ONCE ELECTED IF THEY DON,T WORK ON OUR ISSUES THEN THEY WON,T GET A SECOND VOTE. WE NEED TO THINK LIKE THEM, AND PLAY DIRTY LIKE THEY DO TO GET WANT WE WANT JUST LIKE THEY DO. IF WE CAN GET SOME LISTS TO SIGN GOING I,LL BE GLAD TO SIGN AND GET PEOPLE TO SIGN. BEST WISHES TO ALL AND OUR ISSUES........... LAD

someone should define these terms.It would be nice if we could buy the great pot and hashish from Afghanistan and pay the farmers there so they might have food and schools,,this would reguire legalization.Decriminalizing is what??Just reducing the penalty for use???We should ask the Rx lobbies about this,,they are the ones that still spend tons badmouthing the natural remedy marijuana.It would be very interesting to research how much money is spent every year to fear and smear this silly little weed.
Of course booze sales would fall too,,so wonder how much interference is being run from those lobbyists??
Having attended the world's first cannabis law reform conference in Amsterdam in 1980,I am still quite amazed by the regular smokers who are too afraid to grow their own because that could mean real jail time,so they pay these crazy prices for their pot.$400 for an ounce????Unreal.Me,,
I stopped smoking pot after I saw three or four thirteen year old boys huddling and then sneaking off into the woods to smoke a joint,,then coming back all red-eyed and dreamy.It was never the same for me after that moment,,it just lost its' cool factor for me.
Of course to mention legalization is still seen as political suicide,but a little less every year.But for me decriminalizing is no real benefit.It should simply not be controlled at all.Any smoker should have their own little happy garden,and we should have access to the world's best hashish.Ron Paul is the only man calling for legalization,,I know,,he is a republican(scary,),but he does make sense.I do not see any real balls about drug reform from any of the others.

Make it legal, and tax it like liquor,or cigarettes. You could drop the national debt.

it realiy isnt a bad drug.. beer is worst it kills you liver.. if you just smoke pot u will be able to funtion and everything... pot is just made for the seritit people...i want to be able to smoke pot than go where ever i need... i dont want everyone to smoek it just the people that want it can smoke it so the people that think it is bad for us they dont have to smoke it just the people that liek it and want to smoke it can..

If you think that pot is abad drug then u got something fucking wrong with ur hjead ppl ddye every day from alchol posiong and from not lknowing what there doing when teyd drive because of alchol the world is coming 2 an end pot brings ppl together it is a contoroled substance that bwe are able if u thiink i type lik andidiot casue im a stoner then ur a pussie Fuk off if u think pots bad

the time has come to quit wasting our money and resources on cannibis. It recently came out here in michigan that not only are our prisons overflowing, but that we spend more money on housing prisoners than in our schools. How much money would be saved by decriminalizing cannibis? Only studies sponsored by the U.S. government shows cannibis being dangerous, many others actually show more benefits than negative side effects. It certainly is safer than prosac, a drug I'm sure is in as high of use in Michigan as it is in the rest of the country.

i want to know will he im sick and tired of seeing frinds go to jail and being put there for having a lil weed big deal it pot man smoke up if u need to smoke a joint hear and there to get away from the strees of the day then i think u should be able to with out the worry of going to jail over a lil pot id like to know what he is about because that really matters to me on my vote

I think Obama will atleast decriminalize Weed and that means it wont be on drug tests and if you get caught with it by a cop you will probably only get a ticket if its obvious its only for personal use but if your selling it you will go to jail.

Marijuana is not bad. Statistics show that marijuana is better for you that alcohol. Alcohol leads to liver problems, domestic violence, obesity; however, marijuana in no worse than a cigarette. Not just that it could be used to tax and lower our nations debt, other countries in Europe that have decriminalized the so called "drug" have both lower crime rates and less economical difficulties. Also, hemp could be used as an alternative to paper and other products created by destroying our Earth.

Well I actually I really think that marijuana should be legalized pretty much for all of the reasons that all the above people have specified, but there is more to it than just that. From my expierience of pot smoking it really isn't bad of a drug at all. It all depends on the person using it. Yeah sure if you just started your probably goin out with your friends every weekend smoking pot and getting retarded but that is just cause people are not in the right mind set for it and just starting. The mind is a very powerful thing. Say if you are going out to smoke with your friends and you have only smoked a couplke of times most of those people get really high and dumb but there comes a tolerance and a better dealing of the high and less paranoia over time. Same thing for drinking. I f your gonna go to a party that you are ready for and you know you r are gonna drink up a storm your gonna make it to the end. I f your thinking oh well i haven't drank in a while approaching a party on the weekend chances are they are gong to get drunk quik. All you got to do is believe.. The govenment should teach people how to use these brain methods. I mean come on they know how to brainwash people and get info from people by various ways. Anyway im sure that all of these candidates have used matriuana in their lifetime but they just dont know how you can really trainn yourself to be on weed. They just go back to the feeling they got and think you cant do anything. I go to my job high all of the time and there are lots of people who do that. I can work just as good high as sober. my boss even knows I get high and come to work and knows how big of a stoner i am. Another person was fired tfrom there for smoking on break. But im not fired. because i am friendly and nice to the people. Im not walkin around work like a typuical doped up pot head or walkin around in paranoia. Im just a simple minded lightheaded weed toker. Its all good. Besides this country isnt going to get any worse in the amount in pot smokers. The people who do it now are going to be the same people who do it in the future and no matter what we are always going to see pot around. So why dont you make the right choice and legalize. Its only better.

the government does not want to legalize it because of allthe profit they make from taxing pharmacies and pharmicudicals.
they believe that if marijuana is legal then most of the pills taken daily by gulable americans will be discarded.why because weed does the same shit as all of those man made deathmints

People will go to a bar, drink till they drop! The bartender tells them to quit offers them a cab, and the offer is rejected. 30 minutes later the guy in the bar is driving home and crashes into another car injuring or killing people.

Someone who smokes weed, smokes, then watches t.v and then decides to eat something...

The end!

He should co-sign/endorse the bill that is being introduced into congress to do just that :)
Check it out!:
http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_HR_5843.html

The guy admittedly used to "inhale frequently", and i honestly believe he'd smoke with some people here given a chance. his flip flops are just a way to get the most votes he can.