Marijuana legalization No. 1 at Obama's Change.gov

[t st tantra]

The first edition of President-elect Barack Obama's "Open for Questions" at change.gov has come to a close. His transition team will answer questions submitted by users that receive the most votes.

The question voted to #1 is:

"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.?"

16 of the top 50 questions were drug-policy related (mostly marijuana).

Obama's transition team has promised in a blog entry to answer these questions in the next couple of days.

http://www.dosenation.com/listing.php?smlid=5509

might be interesting outcome but i expect the usual...........

t s t .

[Chullii]

Hey, if you're still following this, do you reckon you could give us an update on the outcome..?

[apothecary]

Check here for responses

http://change.gov/page/content/20081211_openforquestions

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

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

Transition Team, Washington, D.C.

[MindExpansion]

Bummer, thanks for the post Sina

[t st tantra]

hey barak

yes,we can!

t s t .

[Teotzlcoatl]

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

Fuck you, dick-bag.

[oface]

Notice how all the other questions are getting paragraph-long responses.

[Teotzlcoatl]

Ya thats why I called him a dick-bag.

What the fuck?

[SunChaser]

They only answer the first 5 questions. The next question was asking if they were going to hold bush accountable for his war crimes, not much chance of getting a answer about that. But it really pushes my buttons cause they would have had to go in to more detail with the other questions on the "War on Drugs" if they had the balls to do what they said they would!

Same shit different arse!

[Teotzlcoatl]

Same shit different arse!

I agree.

This may even be the plan of upper elite.

[Re-Grifter]

Hahah, waya all stressin' abooot!!

All it will take is 1 week of lack of basics and the population will be eating those "elites" livers....then we can smoke/grow whatever the hell we want!!

I actually feel sorry for the pollies, they are gunna cop it baaaaaaaaad....

[kenny]

Happy Days ahead ;)

[sandalwood]

yes, its nice that Obama won the presidency...

nice in many ways.

but he is not in anyway going to ease the drug war I dont think.

really.... I am not really expecting him to change much. as a matter of fact, I think that under his term/s, we will probably see in the USA, a federal reaction to the state cannabis laws.

right now in the bay area, cannabis is being distributed out of the city hall of SF. same I think with santa cruz. when Bush was re-elected he set out to bust alot of the cannabis clubs. the city reacted by taking the cannabis into a state agency.

so the Feds will have to raid city hall to stop the major distribution hub for the medical cannabis.

everyone knows that alot of the medical cannabis being grown is actually be diverted to states close by that dont allow medical cannabis.

I think that under Obama's term that the drug war will just be stepped up. its another way to stimulate the failing economy here.

actually the drug war is one of the only ways that we are keeping our prisons and county jails operating at over maximum populations.

making money.

the DEA will probably get to work on some of the ethnobotanical companys as the war in Iraq winds down I also think. the industry as a whole is incredibly easily watched. they shook the research chem companies the hardest...but the DEA is aware of and has made some small movements against ethnobotanical companies.

I think corruption in the USA is rife.

we are just starting to face the major consequences.

until americans are ready to see psychoactive compounds for what they are, including tobacco and alcohol. the drug war will get worse.

the hypocritical state of most americans view on drugs is pathetic.

we cannot even honestly approach the issue until more people realize the nature of toxicity, and are willing to put cultural bias aside.

familys pull interventions on loved ones...yet many of those family members take a smoke break halfway through the intervention.

it is such a crime that a cheap and beneficial drug like morphine is controlled so strictly, and sold for so much more than the compound could cost.

I knew cancer patients and aids patients that had to sell their morphine, as it was so expensive in the end that they were forced to trade the stuff for heroin, as the price of heroin was cheaper than the medication!!

of course heroin is a stronger substance too....and that was another reason.

but, the heroin is shorter acting compound, these people would probably have been better off with some cheap morphine.

but they were forced to go on oxycodone...until oxycodone became a hot item. then they were forced to use morphine sulfate.

they were prescribed some small amounts of stronger acting break through meds...but these were limited so much that they might have a couple actual days worth of breakthrough meds after the first week or two of a monthly dole out.

its going to take more than a black president to change this country for the better...we need something radically different than the two party approach to life.

I think the best thing that is happening is that people are making a difference in their local states. the fact that voting power has made it possible for a group of people to bypass all FDA rules about drug creation speaks volumes.

if people could win the same right to grow their own opium, which in a way is already an approved substance for medical use, I would be even happier.

but for now cannabis is a start.

the only problem that I see is that alot of the people I know growing "legally" in their states that allow medical growing, are almost all involved with smuggling a good portion of that medical cannabis to the illicit market. a few years ago it was a flood of canadian cannabis coming into the USA...now it seems we are experiencing more USA grown cannabis being produced in states that allow medical competing with foreign cannabis.

if the process is going to make it federally the feds will take the cannabis out of the hands of the people for sure.

they will not allow private individuals to produce a non standardized plant product for medical use.

they would probably just force the issue with some pharmacuetical company, and produce at least some sort of nebulizer hash oil delivery system or something. take the enjoyable natural form of the perfect plant, and reduce it to yet another stale shelf item.

I really hope Obama does some good....he cannot do worse I dont see than Bush..

so many rich people are on damage control...so many people are holding out on facing corruption, and the economy is so fucked, and so many people are facing unemployment, if they legalize cannabis, they will loose hundreds of thousands of jobs!

and I know people growing medical cannabis that are quite enjoying their status now...some of them do not want legalization just as much as the DEA.

they would loose many customers.

[Teotzlcoatl]

AOL News this Morning Says-

Obama Takes Several Hits

[mauve]

 

[t st tantra]

'yes we cannabis '

t s t .

[indigo264nm]

At least he's going to review and change Bush's stem cell research restrictions... that in my opinion is much more important.

I don't know the facts that correctly about the war on drugs in the US so I'm not going to bring that up at all.

A straight out legalisation of cannabis is a very risky and unpopular move politically, even if it could potentially be used to an economic advantage for the goverment... Just like in Australia you'd imagine there would be a large percentage of the population (especially voting population) who have no problems with drinking like a fish but would be outraged at the legalisation of cannabis - yeah sure met a few fair few smokers from the US but there are a lot of fucking people there and the ones who would be against weed generally wouldn't be the 20 something year olds I've met who moved to or have travelled Australia.

If you pissed enough of the public and enough politicians off it just becomes ammunition for the other politcal party in the next run for president.

Things like that have to be done in small steps. Decriminalisation like we have in ACT etc for example can provide one of those small steps as a means on attempting to cut down on black market production and sale by letting people grow a couple plants for themselves (or at least not getting into much trouble if they get caught doing it).

..as opposed to increasing drug tourists and therefore said availability of harder drugs to those tourists and thus much easier availability to the population like in Holland.

I know how everybody talks about it being beneficial but like any mind altering substance it certainly causes a lot problems for a lot of people... kicking my chronic habit was the best thing I've ever done for my brain, yet I still see no harm in smoking it occaisionally or even once or twice a week.

Ultimately what did you really expect??? For a president to turn around to the approx 300 million americans and completely legalise something that was made illegal a long time ago, regardless of the stupid reasons it was initially made illegal. Do you think that many people would support such a sudden change to society???

[SunChaser]

A straight out legalisation of cannabis is a very risky and unpopular move politically, even if it could potentially be used to an economic advantage for the goverment... Just like in Australia you'd imagine there would be a large percentage of the population (especially voting population) who have no problems with drinking like a fish but would be outraged at the legalisation of cannabis - yeah sure met a few fair few smokers from the US but there are a lot of fucking people there and the ones who would be against weed generally wouldn't be the 20 something year olds I've met who moved to or have travelled Australia.

Do you think that many people would support such a sudden change to society???

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

LEAP is a organization of 10000 current and ex law officials from judges to police to even ex DEA agents who go around america talking to people about ending prohibition.

Heres a Utube video

 

Students For Sensible Drug Policy

 

Change.gov

Out of all the problems facing the US this was the number one question the american people thought was the most important and it didnt just scrape in either, it was in front by thousands of votes. It got 92970 points and there is 3550 comments you can read by the american people, most of being for the question.

Things like that have to be done in small steps. Decriminalisation like we have in ACT etc for example can provide one of those small steps as a means on attempting to cut down on black market production and sale by letting people grow a couple plants for themselves (or at least not getting into much trouble if they get caught doing it).

decrimilization does nothing to stop the black market and concidering if I got caught with 10 indoor plants in Victoria youd most likely get away with it (cannabis is illegal in Vic) and if you got caught with the same in SA (where its decrimilized), youd be fighting for your freedom, I think its pretty fare to say decrimilization is flawed.

..as opposed to increasing drug tourists and therefore said availability of harder drugs to those tourists and thus much easier availability to the population like in Holland.

Less people use drugs in holland than in the US and Australia, what you dont believe me, mate?

World Drug Report

....................United States......Netherlands......Australia

Cannabis:............17.0.................5.4...............11.4

Opium:................0.6...................0.3.................0.5

Cocaine: .............3.0...................0.6.................2.0

Amphetamine

type stimulants:....1.6...................0.3.................2.9

Ecstasy:...............1.0...................1.2.................4.4

There you go, your in luck, Holland pop slightly more pills than the US (Bloody hell, looks like as Aussies are a bunch of pill popers)

I know how everybody talks about it being beneficial but like any mind altering substance it certainly causes a lot problems for a lot of people

Your point being, could you point out anything in this world that doesnt come with problems, or even better could you point out another recreational drug that is so medically valueable, except maybe legal opiates? Which clearly come with much more problems than cannabis?

Ultimately what did you really expect??? For a president to turn around to the approx 300 million americans and completely legalise something that was made illegal a long time ago, regardless of the stupid reasons it was initially made illegal. Do you think that many people would support such a sudden change to society???

In Australia, NO. But the US is having huge problems with there war on drugs at the moment and I really think there looking for change.

Read though those drug statisics, clearly some of the worst around, yet the US has 25% of the worlds prison population yet only 3% of the worlds population, 50% of there prisoners are in jail cause of drug offences, so yes I think there waking up.

Just remember his only been president for a few days. How does that saying go, it wont happen over night but it will happen.

Yes We WILL!

I don't know the facts that correctly about the war on drugs in the US so I'm not going to bring that up at all.

Yeah well!

The thing that people must realize is that the US has raged the war on drugs against the world, not just there own people. Thats why (although most people dont know it) Holland has NOT legalized the herb, because they like most other countries are bound to a UN agreement to not legalize drugs and the US argessivly holds the world too it. In holland its decrimilized and they tolerate small amounts, thats why organized crime is still giving there cannabis culture a bad name.

[Neoshaman]

If you pissed enough of the public and enough politicians off it just becomes ammunition for the other politcal party in the next run for president.

Further to that especially in America if you piss enough large corporations etc off like legalizing would you end up weith no donations to run your campaign , Its a sad fact that large corporations and the status quo in America can be extremely inflluential on policy making and i can gaurnantee a large portion of this group arte very anti- legalization for a number of reason unless you can change the system to take away the power these entities and people have no president will even comtemplate such a drastic change.

Things like that have to be done in small steps. Decriminalisation like we have in ACT etc for example can provide one of those small steps as a means on attempting to cut down on black market production and sale by letting people grow a couple plants for themselves (or at least not getting into much trouble if they get caught doing it).

edit: seems the raids on medical mj didn't stop since Obama got lets just hope this was the last attack from a dying regime and not a sign of whats to come

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/122498/

Simply decreasing the penalties can hhave a similar effect for example peersonal use /growing max fines $500 ., no jail time , still has the effect of satisfying socities standards by imposing punishment on the perpitrators but not in a way that will have a great deal of negative impact on their lives . Ifregulations regarding import of seeds /cuttings could be made more lax then it may all so have some effect killing off the blackmarket , penalties could be kept the same for personal use but increased drastically for selling

I know how everybody talks about it being beneficial but like any mind altering substance it certainly causes a lot problems for a lot of people... kicking my chronic habit was the best thing I've ever done for my brain, yet I still see no harm in smoking it occaisionally or even once or twice a week.

I think a lot of new education needs to be made easily accessible in order for people to understand that there are risk associated with cannabis and it can have quite an adverse impact on many people. Its veryy difficult to know `who it will effect negatively in the long term and which way. In saying that as Indigo mentioned it is quite a pleasurable thing when used in moderation ( also far more effective and insightful). But I think the issue that also needs to be consider is how many smokers are respectful enough of the plant to appreciate it in this way , very few from my own personal experience.

Edited January 26, 2009 by neoshaman

[baphomet]

DEA Makes First Federal Medical Marijuana Raids Under Obama Administration

South Lake Tahoe, CA: Federal drug enforcement officials, working cooperatively with state and local police, seized marijuana and cash from a medical marijuana dispensary in Lake Tahoe, California last week. The raid was the first action of its type taken by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) since President Barack Obama took office on January 20.

While campaigning for the presidency, Obama pledged not to "use Justice Department resources to try and circumvent state (medical marijuana) laws."

No arrests were made in last week's raid, and a new facility has already opened to serve patients in the Lake Tahoe region.

The bust received national media attention, with many news outlets expressing criticism over the raid.

In response to the DEA's actions, several prominent drug law reform groups have asked voters to contact the White House and urge the President to suspend Justice Department activities that target medical marijuana providers who are compliant with their state laws.

In a separate action last week, the DEA also raided two medical marijuana providers in Colorado, but did not make any arrests.

http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7794

Edited February 1, 2009 by baphomet

[Jumpstarter]

Sorry for reviving an old thread, and if this information has been addressed already.

"Americans spend more than $10 billion per year on [marijuana] ... Legalizing marijuana in the U.S. would save about $7.7 billion per year in enforcement costs, and it would generate between $2.4 and $6.2 billion in tax revenue, depending on whether pot was taxed normally or at the higher rate at which alcohol and tobacco are now taxed"

Rachels, J., & Rachels, S. (2010). The elements of moral philosophy (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill: New York.

Legalisation makes sense!

[nabraxas]

Legalisation makes sense!

since when has government policy been derived from what makes sense?

[The Dude]

Hope in politicians is a funny one. Oh I know they've lied for their entire history of existing but I'm hoping things will change this time

[Sheather]

I would hope that politicians are good people, but I have eyes and ears, so that's rather impossible.

(US, Netherlands, Australia)

Amphetamine

type stimulants:....1.6...................0.3.................2.9

Ecstasy:...............1.0...................1.2.................4.4

There you go, your in luck, Holland pop slightly more pills than the US (Bloody hell, looks like as Aussies are a bunch of pill popers)

WOOO! We're winning guys! Keep up the good work we can beat these bastard Americans in the other drugs too!

[ThunderIdeal]

we use twice as much cuz it's cut three times harder :rolls eyes: