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Alert: Keep the Promise, President Obama -- Stop the Medical Marijuana Raids!

Submitted by David Borden on (Issue #571)
Drug War Issues

One of President Obama's campaign promises last year was that he would stop the DEA's cruel and senseless raids on medical marijuana clinics. But less than two weeks since he took office, such raids have already been conducted on two occasions, hitting several clinics in the Los Angeles area last Tuesday.

We are hoping this is just Bush administration holdovers at work, and an administration spokesperson yesterday had encouraging words to this effect in the media -- change is coming on this issue, the Obama administration says. Follow the link below to our feature report to read more.

In the meanwhile, patients and the people who serve them are being subjected to continued injustice. Please click here to e-mail President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder to ask them to take action now to stop the raids sooner rather than later. Don't just click, though, use the phone too -- the White House Comment Line is at (202) 456-1111 (be persistent, it's pretty busy right now), and the Attorney General's office is at (202) 353-1555.

If you are on Facebook or might want to be, please click here to sign our petition to President Obama on this issue. Please forward both of these links to your friends too.

Click here to read our feature story on this week's raids and the administration's encouraging response.

Thank you for taking action to bring positive change to US drug policy now!

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)

After the first week or so after Obama was sworn into office, many of us can already judge how the next four years of his term is going to compromise with us. He basically promised the deciminalization of the marijuana community. Now he has claimed that the morals of the U.S. is to "live above the influence". I'm sorry, but the only influence we are above is the one that we should be staring at in the eye. For one, our economy is failing right underneath us. For America, it seems like we have just been stepping the same old song and dance. We refuse to take a new approach, and claim we are the "Big Super Power" of the world. but right now I am not completely sure. Losing billions of dollars to throw thousands of our own brothers and sisters behind bars doesn't seem like "Super Power" morals. Some great new approaches which could aid our unsure status of legalization are small communities such as: Oaksterdam, a small community in the city of oakland, with legalized medical marijuana dispensaries, marijuana clubs, and even a University teaching the law behind legalized ideas, and practices of their own community. I think if small communites like this were established across the U.S. they could act as almost study sheets to provide our government, and economy with a little comfort to what legalization would bring us. I highly reccomend a little esearch into Oaksterdam, and the surrounding communites. Research also shows that as an undergeound black market industry, marijuana is raking in 14-18 billion dollars a year. Futher research shows that if Cannabis Sativa is sold as a poduct such as tobacco, with a tax set on it, it would bring in a income of over 79 billion dollars a year. An industry such as this would create a very strong support system under our economy, not to mention the millions of jobs which would be created. From growing facilities, to dispensaries, to head shops, the marijuana community, and culture in all creates a very stable and structural background for our economic future. With a couple of bright ideas, a small community with decriminalzed, and legalized status of marijuana could sprout into a stronghold for our ideas to fall back on. In return our ideas build upon eachother which i think could finally regulate the hero to our economy we have been in need of for years. But as a soldier in the battle to keep my green goddess alive, I feel that it is my duty to provide every toker in our nation with the fact that the war isn't over, and most definately will not be over if our leaders can't keep their pomises. Please, make the smart decisions, we as a culture can pull through this. Stay strong, try not to get caught, and if you are caught, use that as fuel to motivate your steps in this movement

.... GOD BLESS OUR CULTURE....

Fri, 02/06/2009 - 1:35pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Dummy's. Weed is for old lady's and glacoma patients. Idiots, fuck off and worry about getting a job. Pot can only be used on the DL. Get with the program loosers. If you legalize it tens of millions will be without incomes and you will cripple the country. Bush is Satin's helper.

Fri, 02/13/2009 - 12:50am Permalink
kjs420 (not verified)

Drugs are not the problem, the war on drugs, is the problem.
It's just a silly power play, the government wont ever admit they are stupid, although we all know it.
The whole subject is getting old, the government is so hell bent on keeping up this fraud, it's pathetic.
They have to resort to military tactics against citizens, lying about everything, wasting tax dollars, even after 30 years, they are too stupid to realize, it isn't working, and it won't work. Prohibition would have been a valuable learning tool, for someone with just a little common sense. We need a government with some common sense, the idiots we have now, are a joke. Amerika has been stolen by the criminals that were paid to protect it. Only 8 years, that's all it took to destroy Amerika. When a government uses it's Army against it's people, it's a tyrannous government and must be removed, it's our duty to do so, it's our right to take back our country from this terrorist regime that's infiltrated our government.
I mean, our government IS a terrorist organization, how else can one explain the tactics it uses against us. The same exact thing we're at war for, is going on right here in plain view, but nobody's doing anything about it. The government that's supposed to protect our freedom, has taken it away,and punishes us if we want it back. F*CK aMERIKA.

Fri, 02/06/2009 - 2:03pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

It all comes down to money and who's making it right now.
They are merely protecting their budget and profits at all costs. Perhaps 80% of the "War on Drugs" is focused on marijuana. What if we did the right thing and decriminalized marijuana for personal use? How much drug related crime would then dry up? The DEA would then be forced to either concentrate their resourses on truely dangerous drugs like meth and coke, or they could join a growing list of business' that are laying people off. But what are the chances of that happening?
Then concider all the business', industries, and agencies whose budgets, profits, and overtime are linked to keeping cannabis illegal.
-there's law enforcement, especially the DEA-
-prison guards and their powerful unions-
-the pharmaceutical industries-
-the liquor industry, among others.

And then there's some you might not think of when it comes to hemp products:
-hemp could be grown as bio-mass to prduce ethanol, replacing corn, which SHOULD be used as food for people.
-hemp seed is right up there with soy beans when it comes to nutritional value.
-hemp grown as fiber would compete with cotton for clothing, fabrics, ect, while using way less petro-chemical fertilizers.
-it would compete with lumber to produce paper products-
and the list goes on...
It comes down to greed.
Even a 3-5% cut in demand of any one of these products or services that cannabis might create won't be tollerated in this, our "Free Market" economy.

Fri, 02/06/2009 - 4:04pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

It is time to start 'crosstraining' DEA agents into a 'harm reduction' Health care industry where their services will be needed. Americans do not want any more of this failed Cannabis prohibition policy and Marijuana Prisons--it's obvious--the American people have spoken.

Sat, 02/07/2009 - 2:57pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Why can't the government just be straight forward and just ask us what drug policies we want mandated in our country. Different policies on drugs should be proposed to the people of the land and they should decide whats best. Something like a vote. Say, that's not a bad idea, letting free people make free decisions in their country and not the Ricky Ross posers like G. W. Bush. Then agian that is a silly idea when you think about it. Is'nt it?

Thu, 02/12/2009 - 9:31pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

I think you are a hole who can't even spell what you think. Drugs are bad, mmmmkkk. Don't tell the internets, tell your congressman. Dummy.

Thu, 02/12/2009 - 9:50pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

do you all here honestly believe the DEA dosen't know they are losing the war? they know. This war is kept up for money. If the war on Marijuana ends a lot of theses agencies are out of jobs and considering a large ammount of the money they get comes from busting people for marijuana, it makes sense they would push to keep hurting the people they are here to protect. STOP THE CORRUPTION!

Sat, 02/07/2009 - 6:14pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

The stats post very clearly that the DEA hardly ever bust anyone with weed. Your posting is bullshit. Fuck you and your asshole you ignorant son of a bitch.

Fri, 02/13/2009 - 12:37am Permalink

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