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The White House: Obama on Drug Policy

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #569)
Politics & Advocacy

The incoming Obama administration has posted its agenda online at the White House web site Whitehouse.gov. While neither drug policy nor criminal justice merited its own category in the Obama agenda, several of the broad categories listed do contain references to drug and crime policy and provide a strong indication of the administration's proclivities.

But before getting into what the agenda mentions, it's worth noting what the agenda does not mention: marijuana. There is not a word about the nation's most widely used illicit drug or the nearly 900,000 arrests a year generated by marijuana prohibition. Nor, despite Obama campaign pledges, is there a word about medical marijuana or ending the DEA raids on providers in California -- which doesn't necessarily mean he will go back on his word. It could well be that the issue is seen as too marginal to be included in the broad agenda for national change. With the first raid on a medical marijuana clinic during the Obama administration hitting this very week, reformers are anxiously hoping it is only the work of Bush holdovers and not a signal about the future.

Reformers may find themselves pleased with some Obama positions, but they will be less happy with others. The Obama administration wants to reduce inequities in the criminal justice system, but it also taking thoroughly conventional positions on other drug policy issues.

But let's let them speak for themselves. Here are the relevant sections of the Obama agenda:

Under Civil Rights:

  • End Racial Profiling: President Obama and Vice President Biden will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice.

  • Reduce Crime Recidivism by Providing Ex-Offender Support: President Obama and Vice President Biden will provide job training, substance abuse and mental health counseling to ex-offenders, so that they are successfully re-integrated into society. Obama and Biden will also create a prison-to-work incentive program to improve ex-offender employment and job retention rates.
  • Eliminate Sentencing Disparities: President Obama and Vice President Biden believe the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated.
  • Expand Use of Drug Courts: President Obama and Vice President Biden will give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior.
  • Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, President Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. The President will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. The President also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. President Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma -- too often tied to homophobia -- that continues to surround HIV/AIDS.

Under Foreign Policy:

  • Afghanistan: Obama and Biden will refocus American resources on the greatest threat to our security -- the resurgence of al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They will increase our troop levels in Afghanistan, press our allies in NATO to do the same, and dedicate more resources to revitalize Afghanistan's economic development. Obama and Biden will demand the Afghan government do more, including cracking down on corruption and the illicit opium trade.

Under Rural Issues:

  • Combat Methamphetamine: Continue the fight to rid our communities of meth and offer support to help addicts heal.

Under Urban Issues:

  • Support Local Law Enforcement: President Obama and Vice President Biden are committed to fully funding the COPS program to put 50,000 police officers on the street and help address police brutality and accountability issues in local communities. Obama and Biden also support efforts to encourage young people to enter the law enforcement profession, so that our local police departments are not understaffed because of a dearth of qualified applicants.

  • Reduce Crime Recidivism by Providing Ex-Offender Supports: America is facing an incarceration and post-incarceration crisis in urban communities. Obama and Biden will create a prison-to-work incentive program, modeled on the successful Welfare-to-Work Partnership, and work to reform correctional systems to break down barriers for ex-offenders to find employment.
Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Comments

Anonymous (not verified)

Yep. Apparently Obama hates Marijuana and the people who use it. Who knew? I guess we set ourselves up for this dissapointment.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 12:02pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Don't waist time here, send your comments directly to the white house!!
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Below is what I wrote to him. I would've written a lot more but there's a 500 character cap. Please write, call, ask questions, tell him his constituants are very dissappointed and want answers!!

"Dear Obama, I believed you would restore Civil Rights & Community Values. Instead, you voted yes on Byrne Fund. 21 years & the War on Drugs proves a shameful failure, waste of Billions of our tax$, causes devistation to millions of families, depletes community funds & degrades America's value system. Stats prove direct link to increased incarceration & increased violent crime. Is this what we can expect over the next 4 years from you? Is this the Change you promised in order to gain our vote?"

Sat, 01/24/2009 - 6:09am Permalink
aahpat (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

For future reference here is my letter to Obama with a direct email address that is not limited to 500 characters.

http://mysite.verizon.net/aahpat/obama.htm

With 'Jim Crow' Joe Biden in the V.P. spot and career drug warrior John Kerry as an advisor I expect that the drug policy reform community is going to find regular reasons to complain to Obama.

Sat, 01/24/2009 - 9:15am Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

obama does hate anyone and you really shouldnt say stuff like that

Mon, 01/26/2009 - 8:16pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

...how easily people were fooled and how willingly they were to drink the Kook-Aid.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 12:29pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

He lied and almost everyone of us fell for it. Well, I didn't. I voted Libertarian!

Now we are stuck with him for 4 years and 4 million more arrests are on the way for using such a harmless plant! Rediculous!

A horrible example and message our government keeps sending to our children!

Norman Lepoff, M.D. retired

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 12:43pm Permalink
mlang52 (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Hey Dr. Lepoff,

I voted that way,too!! And, alcohol is the gateway drug. This is likely the "first" drug kids use, stealing it right out from under their parents' noses! And the parents, allowing this, are abusing their kids. Because we all know that alcohol has been proven to be damaging to a child's brain development! Maybe they could come up with a new felony law to punish parents that let any underage child get drunk at home. Whether or not the kids broke into the cabinet and stole the booze!! We could really increase prison profits! Lets do it for the kids!

Sincerely,

Michael G Langley, MD forcibly retired

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 1:59pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by mlang52 (not verified)

That is a extremely ridiculous law your developing on your spare time felony? ha! "increase prison profits!" your a sick f**k thank god your not my MD

Tue, 01/27/2009 - 7:25pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Don't be a fool and learn to spell. He can be MY doctor. Anyone who realizes that the prisons are there to make a profit, knows what he is saying. It's true. Make more prisons. Shit. I live in Washington State and they just put in another one near where I live. It's disgusting. They should be tearing them down!

Donito
[email protected]

Tue, 01/27/2009 - 8:46pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by mlang52 (not verified)

You sound no different from the people who slander marijuana. "We could really increase prison profits!" It shouldn't be able the money. Simply adding "Lets do it for the kids!" is meaningless after such a selfish statement.

Thu, 02/26/2009 - 4:03pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

I agree with the new programming, especially the fight against HIV/AIDS. The World Health Organization has encouraged countries around the world with documented research that needle exchange programs lower the risk of infections. I believe that president Bush attempted with Drug Prohibition but we've learned that the more we push, the more drug dealers push back. Changing the way we look at a situation from a Harm Reduction perspective is the right choice.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 12:54pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

Relax everyone, Obama hasn't even been in office a week. He's doing some great things that have a higher priority than marijuana right now, like Iraq, Gitmo and ending torture. I believe that the sooner he tackles the overriding issues, he will get back to us and the drug war. Time will tell. Just be patient.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 1:11pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

You have it right. Let's stay cool, calm and collected. Time will heal all wounds. Let's work with the God-given authorities for the good of the group. Wisdom will prevail. We are at the beginning of a great new era. Thanks for your message of hope. Harm reduction is the key.

Sat, 01/24/2009 - 1:41am Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

Necessity will.

Cannabis is the only agricultural resource that can repair damage done to the atmosphere by our economic addiction to chemicals. Carbon sequestration and storage, bio-fuels production, essential nutrition, production of atmospheric aerosols, soil re-mineralization, expansion of the arable base, the end of the black market...all of these must soon come to pass, or it's Game Over and we all die from synergistic collapse of environment, economics and social structures.

The question is, How bad do things have to get before all solutions are considered?

The REAL Question for Davos09
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edZw3hXkGJo

Cannabis prohibition ended as soon as a frequent pot smoker took office. Give Obama time to play the game and he'll be forced to recognize the true value of the world's most useful, nutritious, therapeutic, potentially abundant, globally distributed, ancient crop.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 1:36pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

I think we should give the 'new guy' in the oval office, an opportunity to screw-up before we start trashing him.
I think that the changes we all want to see will be more acceptable and easier to maintain if our social 'change' comes upon us gently as a long and steady snow fall, instead of a sudden suffocating avalanche.
Jack Grabit

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 1:38pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

Obama's First Acts on the Marijuana Issue Reek of Betrayal
=========================================

When the first www.change.gov poll was posted by the Obama Administration the most recommended change was to Re-Legalize Marijuana. But then on December 26th Obama flatly responded that he has no intention on Re-Legalizing Marijuana. Subsequently Obama took the first poll results off of the site and started a second poll. And even though Marijuana Re-Legalization remained in the top 5 requests Obama refused to utter any additional clarification as to what he would do to represent the large contingent of Americans that continue to demand an end to the War on Marijuana.

Then on Thursday (01/22/2009) Federal DEA agents raided a Medical Marijuana cultivation facility, just days after Obama was officially inaugurated:

========================
Medical Marijuana: DEA Hits California Dispensary in First Raid of Obama Administration -- New President Promised End to Raids
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/569/DEA_raid_medical_marijuana_dispensary_first_obama
========================

The fact of the matter is that Obama himself has admitted to using both Marijuana and even harder drugs such as cocaine. Yet it appears that he is completely willing to allow the continued annual persecution of nearly 900.000 Marijuana users each year: a figure that has tripled since 1990. Are we seeing the beginnings of an Imperial Presidency where there is one set of standards for the elite and another for us commoners?

What we may be watching here is the "Bamboozling" of all those American voters who cast their vote for Obama believing he would stand for "change" we could all believe in. Though I still want to give him a fair chance I must say that I have been skeptical of Obama long before his election as our 44th President. I had previously reported on his close ties to Globalists such as Brzezinski in the following article that I had authored in mid-2008:

========================
Curious Obama: Globalist Traitor
http://www.newagecitizen.com/Curious_Obama_Globalist_Traitor.htm
========================

Of all the suggestions for Legalizing Marijuana the one that seems to make the most sense is the MERP model. Under this plan every adult citizen would get to grow up to 100 plants without any regulation, taxation or other interference from the federal government. By taking the profit out of growing Marijuana there would be many immediate benefits:

* Destroy the Drug Gangs and Cartels
* Stop the Criminalization of our American Citizens
* Restore Personal Liberties Lost After 911
* Destroy the Prison Industrial Complex
* Save Taxpayers 20 Billion Each Year

You can learn more about the MERP Model through the following links:

========================
Video:

Marijuana: Past, Present and Future from Bruce Cain on Vimeo.
http://www.vimeo.com/2056650

Why Lou Dobbs Should Support Marijuana Legalization
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VKf5YfQb7s&

Articles:

The MERP Project
The Marijuana Re-Legalization Policy (MRP) Project

http://www.newagecitizen.com/ReLegalization01.htm
http://www.newagecitizen.com/editorial_on_the_marijuana_re.htm

Marijuana Re-Legalization Coming in 1st in 2nd Obama Poll(12/31/2008)
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Marijuana-Re-Legalization-by-Bruce-Cain-081230-709.html

Yes We Can -- Have Legal, Untaxed Marijuana (12/23/2008)
http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/Yes-We-Can--Have-Legal--by-Bruce-Cain-081220-509.html

Audio:

Bruce W. Cain Discusses the MERP Model, for Marijuana Relegalization, with "Sense and Sensimilla"
http://senseandsensi.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=270029
========================

And despite the fact that none of the moneyed drug organizations -- such as NORML, DPA, MPP -- will support the MERP Model, there is really nothing very radical about the MERP Model. It would basically allow adult Americans to cultivate Marijuana in the same way we have always allowed the production of home brewed beer.

At any rate I support the MERP Model and I think you should too. 70 years of Marijuana Prohibition is 70 years too long. And Obama’s opposition to our request to Re-Legalize Marijuana is like getting a lump of coal for Christmas.

I believe it is time to gather each of these lumps of coal and use them to light a giant fire under Obama. It is “high time” we put his feet to the fire until the MERP Model is implemented and the War on Marijuana ends once and for ever.

You can join the movement to implement the MERP Model by getting on my mailing list at www.newagecitizen.com. Here is the link to join my mailing list:

http://www.newagecitizen.com/EmailListSignUp.asp

I also recommend becoming part of the US Marijuana Party as they were the only drug reform group that supported my write-in candidacy in 2008 and continue to support the MERP Model for Re-Legalizing Marijuana:

http://www.usmjparty.com/

Let’s make 2009 the year we insist: “Yes We Can” Have Legal Marijuana for Every Adult American and perhaps for every Adult on planet Earth. Please send and post this article as widely as possible. The time for real change begins NOW!

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 1:43pm Permalink
aahpat (not verified)

I knew lawyer double speak when I heard it, during the campaign. I tried to point it out to folks and was treated like a traitor to everything right and good. So I quietly left my personal reform campaign and gave up on reform. Obama is now wasting no time at proving me right.

Since I once again voted for Ralph Nader I have nothing to regret. Nothing to feel betrayed about. Obama is living up to my worst nightmares.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 1:57pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

I believe the only way in which marijuana prohibition will be appealed is by packaging it as a civil rights issue...

I definitely don't have time to further the argument in this post but if you think a little about pre-employment drug screening and the myriad of unfair consequences of marijuana use in society you will see it is an easier argument to make than one might think at first. Only by getting obama to see our laws as discriminatory against a large group of citizens, many who simply would rather smoke something natural than ingest thousands of pharmaceutical chemicals, do we stand a chance of his being willing to go against the overwhelmingly obnoxious and noisy conservative base.

As far as giving him some more time, I truly believe that OBAMA will do nothing about the WAR ON DRUGS unless and until he gains a second term in office. I have thought this from the beginning, and although I see the political impetus for such procrastination, a booming economy and peace outside our borders does little to solace the thousands of americans who will lose their college grants, their hard earned money, their property and their freedom over the next four years for something as trivial as marijuana.

Caleb Calhoun, Chattanooga TN

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 3:12pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

Please allow the Obama administration to take it's full affect on issues of Medical Marijuana, the cure and comfort medicine of choice, by many people. Things aren't normal financially are they? Priorities will change soon and allow President Obama enough time to take action to the relief of so many sick and dyeing people in every State Of The Union at present. Recreational issues about marijuana are in fact seperate from other uses, "Hemp Oil cures cancer," via cannabanoidal properies, sixty known at present which kill cancer cell without damage to healthy cells! I'm for the smart thing and so are you? Vote Medical MJ, Mr. R. D. Seymour, Activist, Cookeville, TN.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 4:33pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

MJ is a drug that deadends brain cells. All you pot smokers that use it need to have your head examined. It aint legal and it aint helpful medically.

All americans need to live the law of the land. We don't make em, congress does, we just need to live by them. No illegals, no terroists, no drugs, no theft. No drive by murder in our streets. Respect each other. Respect truth.

God makes laws too and he asks lovingly that we live the 10 big ones and many smaller ones. If not you suffer and can't avoid it. God knows what he is talking about and wants you to be truly happy not high. And he made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve. Aint natural, no way, for 2 men or 2 women to be together.

I spent years in the military defending our constitution and our way of life. USA - love it or leave it. We have more opportunities and freedoms then ANYWHERE in the world, I've been to 25 other countries I know.

Now I help job seekers, but employers don't want law breakers, druggies, and other whiners, they want employers they can depend on.

Get high on life not any drug. Help others and it will come back at ya.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 4:33pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Great post man, just great.

(SARCASM)

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 9:17pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

In the future comments like these (against drug users and homosexuals) will be charged as Hate Crimes!

You don't have a stairway to heaven, pal. Learn to love all your neighbors.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:38pm Permalink
aahpat (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Christ preached tolerance. You rant intolerance.

You are no Christian.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:59pm Permalink
mlang52 (not verified)

In reply to by aahpat (not verified)

I'll yell a big AMEN to your response!

The entire rant above, could be countered by the Bible,itself! This person, obviously, knows little about what is written in it! The only commandment given by Jesus was to "love they neighbor as thyself" Jesus came to free us from the law. (Old Testament ; Ten commandments)

This country is replete with outdated, crazy laws, made by men, not by God! ( Like 17 year old girls and boys being charged as sex offenders, with their 14 year old "partners in crime" going free!) I guess we could go back to stoning kids for having sex out of marriage, too! And I have good advice for the fake Christian...LIVE FREE OR DIE (For Jesus came, not to condemn the world, but to set us free!)

Sun, 01/25/2009 - 1:02pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

First off, you need to educate yourself on the facts of illicit drugs vs. licit drugs and OTC drugs. Tylenol overdose is the number one lethal killer among all drugs in the US followed by a string of other pharma drugs. illicit drugs make up a small fraction of the health problems and death toll caused by all drugs, even considering the added deaths caused as a direct result of the "war on drugs". I can shed the light on you, but I can't promise you will become enlightened, lol! Besides I can't educate you in this one small post, it's clear you need a lot more education on the subject.

As for using God's name in vain.. So you are claiming that the government, judges, prosecutors, police, bribed "witnesses" and DOC are GOD??? lmao!

That's the devil talking. Go read your bible a little closer! The evil minded want people to hate God, so when they cause pain and suffering to others they claim it is God punishing them. Only those of weak faith believe that and begin to hate or shun God as well. God has a special place in heaven for all those who trust and follow his peaceful intended way of living and treating others. But first we all must go through a trial before God, there is no escape and he knows everything.

Oh and for anyone who thinks it is "Godly" to destroy lives, families, torture people, rob them rape them and ridicule them in the name of "Law", the bible also says:
Thou shall not judge
Thou shall not kill
The entire Bible is based on the concept of love forgiveness, peace and harmony.. the very opposite of the governments "wars" on the people..

Jesus taught love, compassion and tolerance. He himself was totured and nailed to the cross by so called religious government authorities, so don't think your little fear tactics will work. Those who are clear in their faith in the Lord Allmighty in their heart see right through your evil minded fear mongering.

For the record, I do not believe in consuming any intoxications, however, I do recognise that God gives us each free will, yet, he never told humans to control, rob, rape, destroy or kill others (in the name of law or otherwise), just the opposite. There's no exception to his teachings when it's under man's law. Don't take this personal, take it as a saving grace. Read your scriptures carefully.

Sat, 01/24/2009 - 8:57am Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

I spent 8 years in Army Special Forces (7th SFGA) dude...get your head out of your ass.What part of the constitution don't you understand?
Marijuana does not kill brain cells,is not addictive and is not a gateway drug.

"In strict medical terms,marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume.For example,eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response.By comparison,it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to result in death."

- DEA Judge Francis Young

As far as medical value...

"Marijuana in it's natural form is one of the safest theraputically active substances known to man.By any measure of rational analysis,marijuana can be safely used under a supervised routine of medical care."

-DEA Judge Francis Young

If you can't see how the drug war strips constitutional rights for everyone and if you don't believe in democratic reform efforts I doubt you are a true patriot.

Sat, 01/24/2009 - 2:51pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

That's a laugh...so only the "good" people deserve jobs?
Here's a thought...why not implement performance testing...you know,that thing that tells an employer what he actually needs to know...is the employee intoxicated on the job.
Drug tests are less reliable than polygraphs...and we all know that it is against the law,and the constitution,for an employer to give a polygraph.

Funny story for ya...
I have a friend who got a new job,he quit using marijuana to pass the test...shoots the hell out of your "addictive" argument doesn't it.
The employer told him that he could not fill the position for 2 years because every candidate had refused to submit to random testing.
My friend didn't use marijuana for over a year,until recently when he was told by other employees that over half of the employees continue to smoke because the test is so easy to fool.
Drug testing is a search without probable cause to believe the employee has committed any crime...you call that American??

This site is supporting democratic reform by gathering support from citizens...you can't get more American than that.
If you disagree so fervently,why don't you walk down to the cop shop and hand over your paycheck instead of polluting this site with your "I'm more patriotic than you" attitude.

Sat, 01/24/2009 - 3:27pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

Why is this not clear?

As long as you vote for a candidate whose party openly supports the war on drugs, you are not serious about drug reform.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 4:42pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

Obama doesn't "care" as much as his campaign lead people to believe, but do they ever, why are we surprised. I think to change things, we would all have to stand up and do what we feel is our right and over flood the jail systems even more, so much they would be forced to change things, it must be seen by the public eye that the majority of Americans want it to be legal, then they cant argue in any direction, its what America wants, period! We should plan a day, a week, a month where all people smoke openly in public across the country, we need to quit hiding and come out and fight back!

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 7:28pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

Q: "Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?" S. Man, Denton

A: President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.

So don't give up hope yet. Drugs will be free to use because Law of Freewill overrides all others.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 7:53pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

No, Marijuana will be legalized for financial reasons, not moral. It has become much more proiftable to sell marijuana than to prohibit it, therefore it MUST be legalized and exploited. The only question is who will go first? Canada? Britain? Mexico? It probably won't be the U.S., but you can bet the farm that once the ice is broken, the U.S.A. will be right there to take it's share of the profit.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 9:21pm Permalink
Brinna (not verified)

I hope that everyone who has written a comment here has also taken the time to send an email to the White House expressing your views (except for Mr. Drugs and Law -- that kind of crossed-eyed drivel makes me crazy. Did you think that all laws, like the ones that prohibited blacks from eating in the same cafes as whites should be obeyed? Come on now, really, exercise some judgment).

But for the rest of us, please, let us flood WhiteHouse.gov with emails. Let's tell them what we think about the Byrne Grant, and the DEA raids.

We won't be heard if we just rant here among the chorus.

For those of us that already do this: keep it up! Contacting our elected representatives does make a difference. Calling them, writing them, emailing them. We do have something they want: our vote. And when enough of us speak up, 'they' will start worrying that a substantial constituency's needs are not being met.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:20pm Permalink
aahpat (not verified)

In reply to by Brinna (not verified)

On inauguration day in fact.

Here is a link to the letter:

http://mysite.verizon.net/aahpat/obama.htm

The email address for the White House is on the page.

If they don't hear it from us they won't hear it.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:26pm Permalink
Blackhorse 70V (not verified)

The opposition did not hesitate to attack. It began shortly after taking the oath. Though the law says the newly-elected will become President at 12:00, (regardless of the oath), pundits claimed, "I don't think he is truly the President yet".

Bush-appointed agents steal cash and medicine from a cannabis dispensary, as they have been doing for years, and everyone complains about Obama not keeping a promise on his second day in office. Okay, Dubya said, in 2000, he would allow medicinal cannabis to be an issue of states rights. So we've been lied to before. But, come on folks, give the man a little time. Let's not feed the fires of the opposition.

The President has said that while he agrees with medicinal cannabis, he's "not going to spend a lot of political capital on it". 'Tis the nature of politics. Let us trust his financial, if not moral, compass, to show the opposition that ending DEA raids on dispensaries is in the country's best interest.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 11:03pm Permalink
aahpat (not verified)

In reply to by Blackhorse 70V (not verified)

for Obama because I was able to see clearly the lies he told to reformers amid the silver tongued innuendo and manipulative lawyer speak that he is so damned good at.

I don't have to wait for anything or give him two seconds of a chance to fuck us all in just the ways I saw last year that he would fuck us all. Obama is just another right-wing pandering DLC Democrat who will fill our prisons to over-crowding with the poor and minorities of America in the same way that Bill Clinton did. The Democrats are authoritarians while Republicans are fascists. Anyone who says different is either a liar or too gullible to be taken seriously. Which of the two are you?

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 11:33pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by aahpat (not verified)

So you voted for McCain because at least he was up front about being a fascist? That would make you an idiot.

Or you didn't vote at all, which means you don't really have a right to speak your mind here or anywhere else. That would make you irrelevant.

Or, you voted for someone who had no chance of winning, which means you didn't vote. See previous paragraph.

Which of the 3 are you?

Sometimes you have to choose the lesser of 2 evils. Maybe next time we'll have better choices.

In any case, everyone needs to just settle down and have some patience. I mean come on, Obama has been in office less than a week, and you're all flipping your lids because he hasn't legalized pot yet. Come on people, surely you're not going to see any movement on this issue until Obama's 2nd term, when it can't hurt him. I'm quite sure that the Obama team has taken note of the Marijuana movement, and are trying to figure out what to do and when to do it. Hopefully they'll just choose to stand back and not oppose us for the next 4 years, and that would be a 180 degree change and a great opportunity to open up a dialog.

Fri, 01/23/2009 - 11:49pm Permalink
mlang52 (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

I don't see voting for a person who supported ending the drug war, as a waste. It was a statement! The duopoly already had their decision made, anyway. And, any reformer, who voted for McCain after his utterly horrid response to the kid that needed medical MJ, would have been crazy! You appear to have made a dumb assumption! And, choosing evil is, always, wrong!

It is hard to be patient when it is just as likely this democrat president will continue in the footsteps of Bill Clinton and end up putting a million MJ smokers in jail, again, this year! He won't get a second term if he doesn't come through on his campaign promises. The young voters have spoken! And they are less forgiving than their elders! They expect change!

Sat, 01/24/2009 - 5:23am Permalink
aahpat (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

response to an American who votes his social justice values rather than be a part of the obedient Democratic herd of sycophants.

I voted, as I have since 1996, for the only social justice candidate Ralph Nader. I did this because to vote any other way is a waste of my vote because I believe that a vote is not about winning or losing but rather is how we register our political opinion with politicians. By voting for the candidates who reflect and respect my political perspective then all politicians see exactly what I expect of and hope will come from government.

I know full well that being a social justice, civil liberties and human rights voter that I will never be a part of any winning campaign in single party authoritarian America. So my vote is only good for expressing my political free speech rights to the right-wing thugs of the single-minded Democratic/Republican Party.

Sat, 01/24/2009 - 9:27am Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by aahpat (not verified)

So you threw away your vote on principle. You, in effect, did not vote. If McCain would have won, you would have been a contributor to that.

Believe me, I hear what you're saying, but you can't beat the system unless you game it or completely break it. Breaking it is not an option. Ralph Nader has been a godsend to the Republicans, handing them the White House in 2000, and taking away democratic votes in 2004 and 2008.

My point is, that maybe, if we keep electing liberal politicians, then the political climate will shift left and we'll get some better choices.

We're all on the same side here. We just need to get organized in a big way.

Sat, 01/24/2009 - 2:56pm Permalink
aahpat (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

that you are willing to stand by yet you lecture me about what you, wrongly, perceive as liberal politicians. Obama, Biden, Clinton, Kerry. These are not liberal politicians. Voting for them is a vote in opposition to my values and beliefs so that even should they win with my vote I lose.

You have no principles and you have no logic either. All that you have is a right-wing demonizing rationalization in support of your unprincipled and illogical sacrifice of your American democratic birthright.

Sat, 01/24/2009 - 3:46pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by aahpat (not verified)

I do have principles, but I also have a grip on reality and what is and is not possible.

The politicians you named may not be liberal by your standards, but compared to the alternative they are, and they're the only realistic chance at progress we have. A sad state of affirs, yes, but I'd much rather be under the Democrat's heel than the GOP's.

I'm not lecturing you pal, I'm just telling you how it is. I applaud your sticking to your guns and voting the way you think best, but reality says your effort is futile and you threw away your vote, or worse, helped the GOP.

I am not attacking you, I would not be surprised to learn that we share a lot of the same ideals and principles, we just have a differing view of how to bring about change effectively.

In any case, infighting will not serve our cause. Let's save the name calling and flaming for the drug warrior idiots.

Sat, 01/24/2009 - 5:40pm Permalink
aahpat (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

No. You simply mocking and denigrating my principled stand on politics. And telling me that your way is the only way or I am not being realistic. I am wasting my vote.

Take your Democratic Party right-wing pandering pathos and sell it to someone who has no values. You will never sell that party line crap to me I am too old to be conned by party hacks and whores.

Sat, 01/24/2009 - 5:54pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by aahpat (not verified)

I didn't mean to put a bee in your bonnet. Sorry. We both want the same thing, and we're both working towards that goal in our own way. I respect your position and your principles and I didn't mean to come across as mocking, denigrating, or pandering for the Democrats. I'm not toting the party line, we just have different ideas about how to accomplish the same thing.

Sat, 01/24/2009 - 11:44pm Permalink
mlang52 (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

I do have principles, but I also have a grip on reality and what is and is not possible.

I had been told all of my life what was impossible, only to come to the end by achieving "the impossible", over and over again! And I understand we are on the same side.

Sun, 01/25/2009 - 1:16pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by mlang52 (not verified)

Lets look at exactly where we are.We definitely need to keep the pressure on about legalization but it will not happen overnight and maybe not even in Obama's term.
Why don't we focus on the things that are very possible to win.Medical marijuana seems to have a fair chance at advancing...hopefully with the help or at least non-interference from Obama.
I think the hemp issue is very possible and by holding Obama to his words there is no legitimate argument he could put up.

I think the fairest and least politically dangerous thing to insist on is a special commission...what is the harm in calling in the experts? Especially since Obama thinks giving $3 Billion to the thug task forces...a special commission should be a fairly easy thing to do by Obama even if he does think this issue is last on the list.

Sun, 01/25/2009 - 4:15pm Permalink
Moonrider (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

That is THE most stupid idea of all. Choosing to vote for someone who does not represent one's philosophy just because "he has a better chance of winning" is a really stupid reason to vote! And makes the rest of the nation have to put up with presidents and congresscritters who vote against everything Constitutional and for those issues which will protect their biggest donors from competiton or prison.

Voting for the lesser evil is still voting for evil, while voting one's conscience, one's values (even if most people think one is voting for someone who had no chance of winning), is the ONLY vote that really counts in the end. And if EVERYONE who believes in freedom actually voted for it, that person who "can't win" just might.

I'm pro-choice on EVERY THING!

Fri, 01/30/2009 - 2:49am Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

I agree with giving Obama a little more time but we need to help push for an end to prohibition every single day. I make it a policy to call atleast one of our 3 Monterey Bay News stations every day with a cool rational new take every time. It's a lot of fun and they even aired one of my phone messages today! We've got to get the media swamped and get re-legalization a main stream topic. Come on folks---let's warm it up and break the drug war insanity. We have the high ground, we expose every prohibitionist argument as moronic as the morons spouting them; we just need to make the issue blazing hot and keep it hot.

Sat, 01/24/2009 - 12:34am Permalink

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