Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That has nothing to do with Obama and his philosophy on freedom. You either support Obama with his anti-drug, pro-Stasi Act, anti-freedom policies or you don't.
Ron Paul is the only one hope to reverse the statism we are living under.
It's both parties against the taxpayer.
Yeah, but Obamatrons prefer the half-AA, anti-drug, pro-Stasi Act guy over a white person who doesn't like abortions. Plus, Obama's "not wars" are a kewl and new-agey way of conducting foreign policy.
What We Have to Say About Legalizing Marijuana
By Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
When the President took office, he directed all of his policymakers to develop policies based on science and research, not ideology or politics. So our concern about marijuana is based on what the science tells us about the drug's effects.
According to scientists at the National Institutes of Health- the world's largest source of drug abuse research - marijuana use is associated with addiction, respiratory disease, and cognitive impairment. We know from an array of treatment admission information and Federal data that marijuana use is a significant source for voluntary drug treatment admissions and visits to emergency rooms. Studies also reveal that marijuana potency has almost tripled over the past 20 years, raising serious concerns about what this means for public health – especially among young people who use the drug because research shows their brains continue to develop well into their 20's. Simply put, it is not a benign drug.
Like many, we are interested in the potential marijuana may have in providing relief to individuals diagnosed with certain serious illnesses. That is why we ardently support ongoing research into determining what components of the marijuana plant can be used as medicine. To date, however, neither the FDA nor the Institute of Medicine have found smoked marijuana to meet the modern standard for safe or effective medicine for any condition.
As a former police chief, I recognize we are not going to arrest our way out of the problem. We also recognize that legalizing marijuana would not provide the answer to any of the health, social, youth education, criminal justice, and community quality of life challenges associated with drug use.
That is why the President's National Drug Control Strategy is balanced and comprehensive, emphasizing prevention and treatment while at the same time supporting innovative law enforcement efforts that protect public safety and disrupt the supply of drugs entering our communities. Preventing drug use is the most cost-effective way to reduce drug use and its consequences in America. And, as we've seen in our work through community coalitions across the country, this approach works in making communities healthier and safer. We're also focused on expanding access to drug treatment for addicts. Treatment works. In fact, millions of Americans are in successful recovery for drug and alcoholism today. And through our work with innovative drug courts across the Nation, we are improving our criminal justice system to divert non-violent offenders into treatment.
Our commitment to a balanced approach to drug control is real. This last fiscal year alone, the Federal Government spent over $10 billion on drug education and treatment programs compared to just over $9 billion on drug related law enforcement in the U.S.
Thank you for making your voice heard. I encourage you to take a moment to read about the President's approach to drug control to learn more.
Resources:
National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Marijuana Facts (ONDCP)
Drug Abuse Warning Network (HHS)
Treatment Episode Data Set (HHS)
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS)
Bull crap. There is so much that is wrong with this response.
I support this! This is incredibly balanced and well thought out. +1 for the Obama administration.
Obama's hand picked drug-czar (the very term should disabuse all of any inkling that Obama is pro-personal freedom) was Seattle police chief and I am quite familiar.
Kerlikowske was ardently anti-gun and loved nothing more than dog 'n pony show decrying guns. Because of the strong preemption law in WA state, local jurisictions have no say so in gun control, but that didn't stop Gil from wasting taxpayer time and money yowling about it. Editorials & Opinion | Letters to the editor | Seattle Times Newspaper
Seattle traditionally has been socailly liberal but Chief Gil declared war on strip clubs and prostitution. He drove the most popular strip club, Rick's, out of business, running literally thousands of sting operations to make damn sure that in fact, Ricks would give a damn good lap dance to an undercover Seattle cop. It's a Hard Job - Page 1 - News - Seattle - Seattle Weekly
Later Gil went after CraigsList and was instrumental in censororship thereof.
Anyone who thinks that Obama gives a whit about personal freedom is delusional.
That has nothing to do with Obama and his philosophy on freedom. You either support Obama with his anti-drug, pro-Stasi Act, anti-freedom policies or you don't.
Thank you summers73;
point well made. You said it, you either support the fool, or you don't simple as that. You either bought into his crap of Hope n' Change, or you were smarter then everyone else.
Personally, I voted for Obama and though I don't consider myself to be a party aficionado of the Democrats or Republicans, I will probably end up voting for Obama again. While I like some of the accomplishments he's had, as a candidate his stance on marijuana was one that I truly thought was progressive and could lead things in the right direction.
I'm not a marijuana user. I may have tried a puff once in high school and even that, in my clouded memory, is a little bit vague as I truly can't recall if I even inhaled. And, no, my name is not Bill Clinton.
That aside, I think the legalization of marijuana is actually one of the most beneficial things this country can do for its citizens that could provide almost instantaneous results. I'm not so sure if the medicinal purposes of marijuana have an overwhelming abundance of scientific evidence to support the notion but I do think there is little reason for our government to quash it from legality. In fact, I am of the opinion that people should have the freedom to do whatever they want with their body and if that includes smoking a joint I have no objection to that.
The purpose of government, in my opinion, and in many of the Founding Father's opinions was that government stands to protect the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of its citizens. Without legislation, we would indeed have planes falling from the sky, abundances of oil and other chemicals sifting through our water supply, and a whole host of problems. There is a genuine purpose for government to control and limit the damage that certain businesses, individuals, and other entities can inflict on one another.
While I think the government has decided (many decades ago) that marijuana is ultimately a safety hazard for the public and does more damage than good, I could see the attempt at legislating it into illegal territory. However, times change, society changes, and people change. As part of that, it seems like there is a tremendous amount of damage being done to our society by the mere "illegalization" of marijuana as opposed to the possibility of it being legal.
We have thrown the populations of small countries in jail on federal charges of marijuana possession over the past decades of strict marijuana enforcement. Often, this comes with the grave consequence of always having a felony charge on one's record - a virtual death blow to any serious job seeking individual. Even if it was just a stupid mistake by a nineteen year old kid, such records follow one around until the day they die. Cartels in Mexico and their extremes of violence, though not unique to marijuana but heavily involved, have slipped over our borders and brought the proverbial chickens home to roost. Our income to debt ratio as a nation, though not a cause of marijuana legislations, could have a tremendous dent put in it by legalizing it, legislating it, and taxing it. Not to mention, in an odd twist of fate, it would actually create a job market of farmers, distributors, and so on and so forth who would also impact the economy in a positive fashion.
As well, the millions (billions?) of dollars spent by the FBI, DEA, and local police agencies to track down marijuana distributors would virtually cease to exist and they could put their efforts into other drugs that are far more heinous and disparaging such as crystal meth or heroin.
I am not so much an optimist regarding this that I think it will create a perfect society but I do think it would be more beneficial to allow it into our society than to completely abolish it.
Sadly, to advocate for such a thing as a politician is still too dangerous a topic and that's what I think Obama is doing. Rather than take the high road, the progressive road, and the road that pushes what I think is a positive shift in the status quo of our country, he is taking the safe road on this topic. That's not why I voted for him. I voted for him to stand up to those who are behaving just like he is on this topic.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
