White House Denies Responsibility for Confusing Everyone About Medical Marijuana
In a long piece detailing Obama’s badly botched approach to medical marijuana, the San Francisco Chronicle has a rather ridiculous quote from the White House:
A White House spokesman said that its position on medical marijuana "has been clear and consistent."
"While the prosecution of drug traffickers is a core priority, targeting individuals with cancer and serious illnesses is not the best allocation of federal law enforcement resources," said the spokesman, Adam Abrams.
It’s really an amazing thing to say, considering that literally nobody understands what the hell Obama’s position on medical marijuana is supposed to be anymore. To describe as “clear and consistent” something that has created sweeping confusion across the country is hilariously dishonest and insulting, but I guess it’s exactly the kind of crap we ought to expect from these people at this point.
I’d just love to hear someone at the White House explain to me why it is that their “clear and consistent” messaging about medical marijuana policy was so thoroughly misunderstood by the mainstream media, the medical marijuana industry, and the numerous state governments that invested countless hours developing new regulatory mechanisms as a direct result of the Obama administration’s statements. If every single interested party is horribly confused, then you are not in a good position to claim that you’ve been communicating clearly.
I suppose the Obama
I suppose the Obama Administration would say that their original statements were about non-prosecution of individual patients in states that have legalized medical marijuana, but not about producers or sellers. And now they have clarified the part of their policy that they hadn't initially addressed -- by saying that they will continue to enforce Federal law against producers and sellers, especially larger ones. It's not really a contradiction. Remember, Obama & Co. never said anything about respecting states' rights or local law, so they never recognized a patient's right to use medical marijuana. They just said it was a poor (i.e., inefficient) use of limited Federal Govt. resources to go after individual patients in MM states.
Of course, this is all very sad, but I don't think the Administration has actually contradicted itself.
no matter really
I think this is just missing the overall point. Most Americans want medical cannabis for sick people, and those in power, no matter the party affiliation, are not willing to heed our will. I voted for him the first time, but I hope he enjoyed his single term because I don't see voting for him again. Politicians need to remember that they work for us. Time to occupy Washington DC!
Peace and love, but most of all liberty!
James,
Time to elect Ron Paul to occupy the White House!
fify
He is not pro choice....
Just because he is for legalization of medical marijuana doesn't mean he is a good candidate. Besides, he could always change his mind once he is elected [remind you of anyone?]
Vote Ron Paul 4 primary
While he may not be your choice for President it may be the best idea to vote Ron Paul in the primary. No better way to send a clear message to the GOP. In fact many Dems. are planning to vote for him in the primary. They will be voting for Obama in the real election so voting to influence the GOP in the primary is a good idea. Might be the best way to convince the GOP that the Cannabis Reform movement has become a legitimate voting block, something they now have to adapt to contend with. Vote however you want in the election, but vote Ron Paul in the primary.
Right on and agree James F!
HA!!!
What more do you expect from THE US GOVERNMENT??? They're a bunch of disorganized, lying, connivng douchebags who will say, do, and screw anyone and everyone to further their own greed-driven, power-mongering, insane desires. They're obviously playing the confusion war game in which they attempt to confuse the enemy (us) about their intentions. They'll never be straight with the American people because WE ARE THEIR ENEMY.
Letter I received from the White House on Marijuana policy
The full details of the letter (with my annotation by me) can be found here:
http://byronsbobtales.blogspot.com/
Shows how confused the federal government really is here...
Your page
does a good job of debunking the mis- and dis-information Kerli wrote in that release. thank you for that.
I also appreciate the hub page you linked on the pro-legalization presidential candidates, where I wrote this comment:
The best of the bunch because he has the best chance of all the candidates of actually winning the nomination is Ron Paul, and who could oppose a president who:
"is opposed to the war on drugs. He consistently aligns himself with Judge Gray, who feels that the war on drugs is a complete failure, and is more about taking away civil liberties than about doing what's right.
"Ron Paul is anti-IRS, anti-federal reserve, pro-gold standard, pro-choice, anti-offensive war, pro-10th amendment, pro-2nd amendment, anti-big government, pro-industrial hemp, pro-cannabis, pro-freedom of religion, pro-4th amendment, anti-taxes, pro-gay marriage and pro-constitution."
This man is EXACTLY the kind of man we want in the presidency, anyone who doesn't caucus or vote for him in the primary is missing the best opportunity we have had in ages to restore our Constitutional Republic and individual freedom. And he absolutely does mean every bit of what I quoted, his voting record in the House is proof.
Additionally he has refused to participate in the lucrative congressional pension plan, AND he has returned his congressional office's unused funds to the Treasury EVERY single year, instead of spending them all at the last minute in order to get more next year (which is what all the other members of congress do).
I do hope all who read this will seriously consider doing all they possibly can to help him win the nomination, because if he wins the nomination he WILL win the presidency
Get your facts right...
check his website and you will see he is NOT Pro-choice at all: http://www.ronpaul.com/on-the-issues/abortion/
pro choice
Ron Paul and I are both MDs. We were taught to preserve life. He is willing to give the choice back to the state on this. But he, nor I, would, still, consider performing an abortion. That is our right. But, there is no Constitutional reason that the federal government should be ruling over the states on this. I probably delivered less than ten babies. But, I would still feel real guilty about performing an abortion, myself. That is a decision that the patient's and doctor have to decide for themselves. And, the people of the state are more responsible for determining the legality of this.
Thus he can give the choice (pro- choice or not) to each, individual, state. We would remove a bunch of federal intrusion, by adopting his position. Moonrider, you are correct about everything else you said, as far as I know.
Clear and Consistent
This is what the administration means by clear and consistent:
November 15: DEA Special Agent in Charge Matthew Barnes issued this statement:
"The DEA will exercise its investigative authority to pursue criminal actions for any violation of federal law, when warranted. This includes investigating organizations or individuals that grow, manufacture or distribute any illegal drug to include marijuana, and those who rent or maintain a property to facilitate drug trafficking."
http://kbkw.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3366
Obama is not offering leadership in remedying the prohibition problem, only stewardship for the status quo. He'll have no excuse for fearing the consequences of drug law reform if he wins another term in 2012. He may still balk at reforming something so completely heinous, however. He seems reticent to take on government corruption at any level. Chances are the wrong people are influencing him or threatening hime. I suspect one evil influence to be VP Joe Biden, AKA Prohibitionist Clown.
Giordano
Clearly and consistently... supercautious!
Unscientific Scientific Policies, Sick People, & Petty Laws
I think Barack Obama has been as clear as Federal Law would enable any President to be - Unless you would, say, like to see him act like, say, Hitler, or, worse yet, George W Bush, as far as "what the Law actually says" is concerned; as, well, we all know where that gets us now, don't we?
But, especially if you're Me, you know that the freaking "Fourth Reich" Neo-NAZI's who Just Loved George W Bush, also Love The War On Drugs: As it enables them to "appear" to be, "as pure as the driven snow", while making lots and lots of money selling drugs illegally, in order to fund their terrorist ambitions.
Only people like the Not WASP "You know who's", and the Dragons, and the Horrible Ones stand in their way!
We should all be glad that, given the history of Clandestine Presidential Support for sneaky things like State Medical Marijuana Laws, President Barack Obama, by having USAG Eric Holder make a certain Statement in Feb. of 2009; a Statement that, as far as We, The Individual and/or Non-Commercial Small-scale Grower, are Concerned, he has abided by to the letter; he made as Bold of a Move as he Could Afford to at that time.
Still, it sucks - but some of those getting nailed are in it for the money, only; and I'm "in it" - like Barack Obama and Eric Holder are "in it" - only to be certain that Disabled People are Free from certain kinds of Chronic Pain and Other Sufferable Medical Conditions that only Cannabis can actually treat as well as it can.
Still, I do wonder about the many supposedly 'scientific' objections that were posted in the Nation Office on Drug Control Policies energetic e-mail defense of their War On Marijuana!
They weren't REALLY "Scientific", you see; but then the Preponderance Of Evidence - especially the many decades of Pro-Cannabis Doctors Clinical Observations of their Own Medical Marijuana Enabled Patients; as well as many officially boycotted items of research done on Cannabis and the dozens of Cannabinoid Neuroreceptors that occur throughout the Central and Peripheral Nervous System, that's been done by a number of different Highly Respectable European Universities and/or Socialized Government Labs - More Than Overwhelmingly Supports My Pro-Cannabis Arguments.
The Scientific Process Says that, having given a Preponderance of evidence in favor of my own argument, that means that I've won the Debate.
I can Obey no Petty Law.
Most Americans want Medical Marijuana
Most Americans want medical marijuana. Problem is most Americans think that means patients will have safe access to their medical marijuana. That they will get a prescriptions and go to the store to have it filled just like they do to get their own medicine. THAT IS LEGALIZATION AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL! NOT MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAWS AT THE STATE LEVEL! What most Americans want is legalization they just don't know it or are afraid of the word or idea of legalization because they have not seen it yet. Only our seniors were alive when cannabis was last legal. 70 years of fear mongering Government propaganda have made even the word legalization something to be feared. The only way for patients to safely obtain marijuana for medical use is to legalize it, everything else still leaves the patients as criminals.
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