Obama: Decriminalize pot

[1puffer]

Obama: Decriminalize pot
Washington Times.
Article published Jan 31, 2008


January 31, 2008

By Jen Haberkorn - DEVELOPING STORY: Updated 8:52 a.m.

Last fall during a nationally televised presidential debate, Sen.
Barack Obama hesitantly raised his hand and joined with most of his
Democratic rivals to declare that he opposed decriminalizing marijuana.

But as a candidate for the U.S. Senate four years ago, Mr. Obama told
Illinois college students that he supported eliminating criminal
penalties for marijuana use or possession, according to a videotape
of a little noticed debate that was obtained by The Washington Times.

"I think we need to rethink and decriminalize our marijuana laws,"
Mr. Obama told an audience during a debate at Northwestern University
in 2004. "But I'm not somebody who believes in legalization of
marijuana."

Asked about the two different answers, Mr. Obama's presidential
campaign said he in fact has "always" supported decriminalizing
marijuana as he answered in 2004, meaning the candidate mistakenly
raised his hand during the presidential debate last fall.

That position leaves Mr. Obama as the lone presidential candidate
among the four leading challengers in either party who supports
eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana. Mr. Obama's chief rival
for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Clinton, opposes
decriminalization, Clinton campaign spokesman Phil Singer said.

On the Republican side, Kevin Madden, spokesman for Mitt Romney, said
the former Massachusetts governor is "not in favor of legalization of
marijuana, and that includes medical purposes."

The campaign for Arizona Sen. John McCain did not respond immediately
to questions. But the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates
decriminalization, says both Republicans have told its supporters
they oppose that move, including in medical cases.

When asked by The Times about decriminalizing marijuana, the Obama
campaign reiterated the candidate's opposition to legalization.
"Senator Obama does not believe in legalization of marijuana, but
agrees with President Bush that long minimum sentences for first-time
drug users may not be the best way to occupy jail space or heal
people from their disease," Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said.

The campaign went on to say that, as president, Mr. Obama "will
review drug sentences to see where we can be smarter on crime and
reduce the blind and counterproductive sentencing of non-violent
offenders, and revisit instances where drug rehabilitation may be
more appropriate." His campaign later stated that Mr. Obama "always"
has supported decriminalizing marijuana.

Mr. Obama's differing answers on marijuana are among a half-dozen
conflicts between positions he took while running for Senate in 2004
and those he now articulates while running for president, a review of
debate tapes shows. Other conflicts
range from ending the embargo against Cuba to providing health care
for illegal immigrants.

The Times obtained video footage of the public debates from a variety
of sources, ranging from open sources such as YouTube to political
operatives who oppose Mr. Obama's presidential campaign or his Senate
bid four years ago in Illinois. Mrs. Clinton's campaign, for
instance, recently released footage on its Web site of a 2004 speech
in which Mr. Obama spoke about universal health care.

Check back for a full report on Mr. Obama's conflicting positions in
tomorrow's editions of the newspaper.

Kris Krane
Executive Director
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
1623 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20009
202.293.4414 (p) 202.293.8344 (f)
www.SchoolsNotPrisons.com
Contribute to SSDP: http://www.ssdp.org/donate

Sign up for SSDP news and action alerts at http://www.ssdp.org/signup/

[1puffer]

Check this....


thats better,  thx Pepper!

[Cannabis_Rx]

Check this....

Your link is not working for me...

[Pepper]

Try this...

[1puffer]

Nothing is better than a video....




1puff 

[Cannabis_Rx]

Yeah, we can all get stoned while our country go's to hell 

What a trade off!

[1puffer]

I could only watch a minute or so of that video but it seemed to bash the Council for Foreign Relations.   

Expand that out some to just about every SIG Special Interest Group and every PAC Political Action Committee. They all suck.   You and I and our mothers and fathers are not members of any CFR, SIG, PAC or any of that shit. There is not too much that CFR , SIG or PAC is doing will be beneficial to you, I and our mother or father. 

[RobPA]

Sorry, Obama has given 3 differant answers to a simple question, hesitating on giving a stand on almost all issues. Although he did Promise to stop raids against medical marijuana patients in california, he would not commit to anything further then that it seems. The only 2 real candidates that I have seen that want to fully decriminalize are Kuchinich and Ron Paul. Obviously Kuchinich did not make it. Althogh I hope Obama does stick by his word, as im probably going to be forced to vote for him, especially over hillary, who wont take a stance in anyway really, just says she will "look into it".

[Eugenisist]

  If marijuana’s scheduling changes under an Obama presidency I’ll poop in a liter box for a week. 

  I get sad when I see the faded Ron Paul signs. I think Ralph Nador has a good shot at my vote now. 

[Nappy]

fyi
The DEA made its first raids on State Sanctioned Medical Marijuana Growing Facilities in CA almost 2 weeks ago after Obama said there will be no raids on State Sanctioned Medical Marijuana Growing Facilities.

5-6 lbs were seized
no arrests made (thank god)

now the people still heads at the DEA were put there by Bush
did Obama have any control over the situation?

i hope he didnt and i hope he will act now

[dao Jones]

The recent DEA raids trouble me greatly... I can only hope that it happened because Obama has not yet given the DEA its leadership-enema yet.

That said, I don't see him advancing legalization or decrim anytime soon.  I recall hearing him say he wouldn't spend any "political capital" on the issue.  On the one hand, I respect the fact that he has a lot on his plate.  Make that multiple plates, and spinning.

On the other hand, this economic crisis might work to the advantage of the .

You've probably heard it before, but there is a very good reason alcohol prohibition ended during the Great Depression, and it is entirely applicable here.  Instead of wasting police resources (read: $$$) on persecuting partygoers, how about indulging a segment of the population that is practically begging to be taxed (read: $$$)?  Combine it with the fact that it is impossible to OD on the reefer ( ), and what you have is a NO BRAINER.

CHARGE!   

[dOc]

I sure hope that is the case as well. The economy has taken precedence at this point and we should do all we can to frame our argument towards legalization/regulation. Especially with the national discussion that is going on right now surrounding Phelps it is a prime opportunity to take advantage of. good synopsis and welcome to the forums, dao 

[dao Jones]

Thanks dOc!

Yes indeed, Phelps has brought this thing front and center, and I'm loving it.  I also read an article recently that was explicitly written from a parental point of view.  The writer said that he could not advocate legalisation as a father.  Still, he admitted that the recent Phelps business (as well as Santonio Holmes in the Super Bowl) had made one of his few remaining arguments untenable:  namely, (and I paraphrase) that will sooner or later make you a "loser" (whatever that means).

I hope Phelps + Economy + Activism will put us over the top soon.  If not though, I also have my fingers crossed for a second Obama term, when hopefully there will be a bit less heat on him and he won't have to worry about re-election.

I will take victory however it comes.   

[tapper.blue]

hello. for a while now
... i wanted to discuss major topics of debate of 2009 including.. health care, tax reform, drug laws, and gay marriage..
[/b][/i][/size][/color]
ill start with with all my friends always debate with me about..[/color]
WHAT DO YOU THINK?[/color][/size]

it looks like there are  ALOT of people *NOT* on our side.. and we need to educate these people on why it would HELP our economy in so many ways..

Obama: Marijuana Legalization Not Good For The Economy
March 26, 2009 02:48 PM ET | Matthew Bandyk | Permanent Link | Print

The legislative battle to legalize pot in California has gained so much attention that President Obama can no longer ignore it. In an online town hall meeting Obama rejected the argument that legalizing, regulating, and taxing marijuana would be a good way to raise money in this recession (See link to who is writing this.) http://www.usnews.com/blogs/risky-business/2009/03/26/obama-marijuana-legalization-not-good-for-the-economy.html

And what was Obama's reasoning? Well, there wasn't any. He just stated in direct terms he does not think legalizing pot "is a good strategy to grow our economy." Read more about the town hall meeting here.

Does that mean he thinks it's not a good strategy because it would not actually grow the economy? Or does he think legalizing pot would have other costs that would subsume any economic benefits, thus making it not a good strategy? We don't know, but they are questions to ponder.

What are everyone's thoughts. all i know is the the mexican cartel is such a HUGE threat to the US economy.


PEACE n LOVE,
pat or (tapper)blue
**************
There is no way to peace, peace is the way.” ~~A. J. Muste quote 
^{pink motorcycle helmetscarparts and accessories
Mustang Superchargers black caviar Escalade Rims/url]}

[tapper.blue]

read this. they are almost at the point where in CALIFORNIA anyone over 21... has the rights to legally having mari. (not growing, not selling... medicinal and personal use)

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―

A state legislator is reviving the debate about legalizing marijuana as a way of raising money for cash-strapped state and local governments.

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, introduced legislation Monday, that if approved by the California Legislature, would put pot on the same legal footing as alcohol — legalizing its sale and having the state tax it.
 
Under AB 390, adults over the age of 21 would be allowed to buy marijuana from licensed sellers, and driving under the influence of it would be prohibited.

Ammiano said massive eradication efforts have failed to make a dent in this underground industry, so it's time to bring what he calls "a major piece of our economy into the light of day."

His proposal, which has been endorsed by some law enforcement officials, would tax all pot sales at a rate of $50 per ounce.

Ammiano called it "simply nonsensical" to keep marijuana, the state's top cash crop, unregulated and untaxed in light of the state's massive financial problems.

"With the state in the midst of an historic economic crisis, the move towards regulating and taxing marijuana is simply common sense," Ammiano said at a news conference at the state building on Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco.
 
California's marijuana crop is estimated at $14 billion annually. Ammiano noted that is almost twice the combined value of vegetables and grapes, the state's second and third most-valuable crops.

He estimated passage of his pot legalization proposal could generate more than $1.3 billion in much-needed revenue for state coffers.

"California has the opportunity to be the first state in the nation to enact a smart, responsible public policy for the control and regulation of marijuana," he said.

In 1996, California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana.

(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)

follow link to see whole story. http://cbs5.com/local/california.legalize.pot.2.941827.html


PEACE n LOVE,
pat or (tapper)blue
**************