Enough!

Thank you, Bob!! I’ve been saying the same exact thing to people ever since this latest pot legalization push began! I too am all for legalization, but now is definitely not the time for this. For the time being, this is going to have to remain a state level issue. The Prez has a lot bigger fish to fry than this.

Amen Bob, well said

Theghostsong wrote:>>>I want some future youth vote drink baby, mmm it’s purple!And that’s precisely how the Republicans would attack the president: He’s buying young people with drugs. Not good.

You should expand this and make it a Huffpost piece.I agree with the Deepster.

I’d be all for big tobacco growing weed. They have the distribution, the infrastructure, and understand how to deal with the tax issue (i.e. collecting and returning to the government). It’d be nice to see them shift their focus to a product that doesn’t kill half a million people a year. That said, it is a little scary because they would likely fuck with the chemical make up of marijuana to make it chemically addictive (like tobacco).So far, I think Obama has done a great job regarding marijuana. Bob hit the nail on the head. He doesn’t need to spend his political capital on this issue right now. Eric Holder has already stated that the government will stop prosecuting medical marijuana cases. That’s a step in the right direction.

I agree completely, Bob.When Sarah “Position Flexible; Also; Such As” Palin came to Omaha to whip the local Redneckery into a race-baiting froth, I attended the rally to see what all the Hub-Bub was about. While standing in line to get in, I watched a group of Obama supporters holding up signs and cheering “Yes We Can” from across the street, and when she heard this the woman in front of me muttered under her breath, “Yes we can…have more abortions! Yes we can…smoke marijuana!” This led to a horrifying discussion between the woman and her young son — who more than likely will never have to worry about government control of his testicles — about the Horrors of The Abortions.Never doubt that Midwestern salt-of-the-earth morons are certain this president is a dope-smoking abortion freak that wants to systematically dismantle the White Family Unit and force us all to listen to The Hip-Hops while drinking malt liquor.

Praise Jesus thank you Bob.Ya know for a bunch of stoners these people sure got uptight about Obama’s rather innocuous reaction to the issue. Even Bill Maher was apoplectic over the issue on Real TimeThese people conveniently forget that Obama held a historic Presidential Q and A session with the populous they also forget that that he was respectful enough to bring up the marijuana issue even though he didn’t have to.was apolpleptic over the issue on Real Time.

Do you really think the populist and political support for legalizing weed to be as strong now as the populist and political support for ending the prohibition of alcohol was in 1933?

Actually, yes I do. The same 19% that brought us prohibition in the first place were the same 19% that opposed its repeal. They were more quiet about the repeal and the supporters of repeal were very loud.It’s that same 19%, the mouthy minority that desires to inflict their medieval notions of morality on all of us that oppose legalization of cannabis. The 19% has gotten very mouthy again.The statistics I have seen indicate that 70% of Americans favor legalization and 20% oppose. The people in favor of legalization are not very vocal.I’m tired of the mouthy minorities ability to inflict their ways which are based on misinformation on the rest of us.All this said, I agree with Bob. Nationalized Health Care is more important. Legalization is another fight for another day. What I would like to see our President do is to pardon anyone serving time for possession of cannabis and issue a statement that all people convicted of possession will be pardoned so that prosecuting attorneys can stop wasting their time on such prosecutions.

Whoever ends up taking the lead on the end of prohibition will need as much political cover as possible. That means more activism, polling, and more folks coming out of the “pot closet.”That our political discourse and criminal justice system have been hijacked by a relatively few well-meaning, but ultimately nefarious actors decades ago is an affront to the core values of the constitution.The 20% Bushies will never come around, but a coalition of liberals and libertarians and moderates might be able to find common cause. Like previous civil rights battles, the politicians follow the lead of the people. It’ll take political courage for Obama to make it a priority whatever popular opinion is, so it’s up to the citizenry to lower the bar he’s got to vault.

the way to make this politically viable is to use the word “decriminalization” and not necessarily “legalization”. Baby steps.

Marijuana use is extremely dangerous and can result in extended jam sessions and general feelings of comradery.Think of the Twinkies, people. We will allow this genocide to happen?

QT: Marijuana is unlike alcohol in that it does not impair motor function and is not physically addictive. I’ve been a fan of it for about 10 years, and when it’s hard to find, I don’t get to smoke any–but I do not go through withdrawals or begin to hate the world. There is no physical addiction and, for me, no psychological one (I know that differs, but you can get psychologically addicted to ANYTHING).The very idea of controlling what a person wants to put into their own body, especially when it is a naturally occurring plant, is wrong-headed and no better than telling a woman she can’t make her own decisions about her body regarding abortion.

…and the Twinkies are gone, dp. My bad!

Um… pardon me, Kyle – I’m not one of those “never tried it” types. Marijuana can and does distort your perception, which means it’s not safe to use while driving.I won’t go into the abortion discussion again. I’ve already said here on this board that I think there is indeed a rational limitation on abortion rights that respect both the woman’s right to safety and health and the unborn’s rights to life (in summary: the unborn’s rights do not supercede the mother’s but the unborn does have some limited rights. IMO.) So, I do indeed think that there can be some checks on marijuana use as well.More firmly stated – I think there ought to be consequential checks, as opposed to usage checks. Whether a person uses or not is their own decision – whether a person uses responsibly is one that can be defined and regulated. AND, family members affected by a person’s persistent check-out from life need some recourse – some way to address the problem.Finally – yes, anyone can be psychologically addicted to “anything.” However – it isn’t unreasonable to anticipate more addiction to psychoactive drugs than to… say… ginger ale.For quick reference: http://www.marijuana-anonymous.org/12questions.shtmlAgain – I’m not prudish on the point – I am just someone who has watched all manner of addiction around me. I’ve watched pothead life drift, I’ve watched crack and alcohol addictions, I’ve watched cigarette addiction, and my overall conclusion is the same – we need to put more emphasis on consequence management and treatment than on crime and punishment. But – until we’re ready to have that conversation honestly (instead of pretending that marijuana use has no consequence) I’m not willing to talk legalization.QT

There’s a right way to do this and a horribly wrong way. Legalization needs to happen quietly and carefully so as to not frighten spastic soccer moms and the like.

Will there ever be a time when it will pass “quietly”? Does anyone really think this won’t be just as taboo in the next 4-6 years?

Kyle,”The very idea of controlling what a person wants to put into their own body, especially when it is a naturally occurring plant, is wrong-headed and no better than telling a woman she can’t make her own decisions about her body regarding abortion.”So then you have absolutely no problem with legalizing Cocaine and opium? Heroin? All of these come from a naturally occurring plant.And, saying weed is not addictive is like saying nicotine is not addictive.

ppp, I didn’t see your last sentence. Equating the certain physical addiction of nicotine with the potential for psychological addiction with marijuana is not something I would do, personally. You would have an easier time drawing the line between marijuana addiction and internet addiction.Speaking of which, heh. Adapted from QT’s link.1. Has using the internet stopped being fun?2. Do you ever use the internet alone?3. Is it hard for you to imagine a life without the internet?4. Do you find that your friends are deterred by your internet use?5. Do you use the internet to avoid dealing with your problems?6. Do you use the internet to cope with your feelings?7. Does your internet use let you live in a privately defined world?8. Have you ever failed to keep promises you made about cutting down or controlling your internet usage?9. Has your use of the internet caused problems with memory, concentration, or motivation?10. When your internet goes down, do you feel anxious or worried about when it will be back?11. Do you plan your life around your internet use?12. Have friends or relatives ever complained that your internet use is damaging your relationship with them?Ban the internet!

@SillyGit: I *sort of* agree with you. I think far fewer people care about pot being illegal than we think. Frankly, I think most people are indifferent. HOWEVER–alcohol had been illegal for like, 20 years. That hill was a little less steep to climb.

I’m glad so many of us agree. I’m very anxious to have it legalized, not for me but because I’m assuming my kids will do it, considering all of their ancestors going back several generations used it when it was illegal, and I don’t want them getting arrested for something that never hindered my life’s achievements, nor my wife’s, our parents’, nor our grandparents’.Make no mistake, this will change our culture. it’s a big thing. I think it’s the right thing, but a lot of crazies won’t just take it lying down. Let’s get the economy moving, give Obama a couple years, let the states move toward their own means of legalization and then see where we are. This really could happen soon so we can’t blow it and risk setting the cause further back.

idreamofskiba-yes exactly, drug dealers would be put out of work literally overnight. They’ll have to get real jobs.More likely many of them will pursue other fields of crime, maybe they’ll turn to selling coke. But less pot smokers will be introduced to coke since they no longer will have to go underground to get their pot. They call pot the gateway drug but that’s only because you are exposed to many more drugs even when you buy something as relatively harmless as pot.And let’s be real, while pot usually has less of an intoxifying(is that a word?) effect than alcohol, it does still need to be regulated. Cops would be able to give sobriety tests, you shouldn’t go to work on it, you shouldn’t smoke it in front of children. No one is saying POT FOR EVERYONE! Just that we shouldn’t waste billions of dollars sending regular people to jail if we’re going to glamorize alcohol…..look at any beer commercial. Where’s the outrage for that?

This is exactly what I have been saying, and I’ve taken a lot of heat for it. I think it’s awful that people get locked up for long sentences and spend the rest of their lives in the legal system because of a harmless drug like marijuana. That being said, I’m afraid that if Obama were to make a move on this it would be just the rallying cry to get the religious right back out in full force in 2012. I think it should be legalized, but like it said in the post, the political capital that it would cost just isn’t worth it right now with so much other stuff going on.

I understand why Obama chooses to play down the issue of, “immoral” drug use, however I believe he should have shown more respect to the issue marijuana legalization and shown the same insight and common sense honesty that he was elected for. At the inauguration Obama highlighted the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln a man who led this country through one of its darkest times. What was remarkable about the Civil War was that it pitted brother against brother, a display to history that Americans are capable of inflicting terrible brutalities to one another when they fall on opposing sides of a powerful ideology. There are similarities between the “civil” war of old and the war on drugs today. Both wars pit Americans against Americans in a battle of divisiveness, bloodshed and suffering. Americans should exercise our collective control of government and email, call or write a representative. By doing so the drug war will become an issue that has to be dealt with now rather than a lingering one to be laughed off and prolonged as long as it is politically prudent to do so.SunflowerPipes.com