Obama Cracks Down On Medical Marijuana

[Hash Zeppelin]

NPR Story about Obama's position on medical marijuana.

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/12/137791944/obama-cracks-down-on-medical-marijuana

In many ways, things have been looking up for supporters of medical marijuana. Opinion polls now suggest that the American public is swinging behind the idea — and it's already legal in 16 states and the District of Columbia. But the Obama administration has been taking a very different view lately.

Marijuana has been cropping up all over the country, becoming legal for medical use in places like Montana and Colorado, where the drug's so available that it became a target on Saturday Night Live this year.

On that show's "Weekend Update," Seth Meyers drew laughs when he said, "A doctor in Colorado has converted two trailers into mobile doctors' offices to help dispense medical marijuana to patients in rural areas. Oh wait, you know, I'm sorry I read that wrong. Some guy in Colorado is selling weed out of a trailer. There you go."

But John Walters, director of the Office of Drug Control Policy during the Bush administration, told NPR the widespread use of marijuana is no laughing matter.

"It's a dangerous addictive substance and people are playing games with this and pretending because they think it's cool sometimes to not take it seriously," Walters said.

But you know who is taking it seriously these days? The Obama administration, which recently lashed out against the drug in three distinct ways.

First, on Monday, the White House released its National Drug Control Strategy, reporting that use of marijuana is the highest it's been in eight years. The policy document went out of its way to oppose marijuana legalization, arguing the drug is addictive and unsafe.

Second, late last week, the Drug Enforcement Administration concluded that marijuana has no accepted medical use. So the DEA rejected a years-long effort to reclassify marijuana from a heavily restricted drug like heroin under the Controlled Substances Act to one that can be used more widely.

Finally, the Justice Department has taken a tough line on marijuana too. Federal prosecutors say they won't go after sick people. But late last month, they warned that big medical marijuana shops aren't exempt from federal prosecution if they distribute the drug, even in states where medical marijuana is legal.

That disappoints Ethan Nadelmann, founder and executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, which argues for rethinking the approach to drugs.

"Unfortunately what the Obama administration seems to be doing is trying to scare precisely those state and local authorities who want to design sensible regulations to make sure all of this is properly under control," Nadelmann said. "You know a lot of this I think is about the Justice Department sort of firing a shot against the bow, and saying don't go too far."

Remember that Saturday Night Live joke?

Well, newspapers in the state report that Colorado now has more than 800 medical marijuana dispensaries and more than 1,000 growers who have registered with state authorities. Medical marijuana is legal there. Lawmakers even developed a database to keep track of the businesses that grow and sell the drug.

But distributing and selling marijuana remain crimes under federal law. And U.S. prosecutors say they won't give growers and sellers a get-out-of-jail-free card.

In a June 30 memo, Deputy Attorney General Jim Cole wrote that over the past year, several states have considered legislation to "authorize multiple large scale, privately-operated industrial marijuana cultivation centers. ... Those who engage in transactions involving the proceeds of such activity may also be in violation of federal money laundering statutes and other federal financial laws."

That's fine with John Walters, who worked on the issue for President Bush.

"Many of these markets are making millions of dollars, they're not nonprofits as they've been declared in other places," Walters said. "They're getting the marijuana from some of the same criminal mafias in Mexico that are killing people daily."

That includes groups of criminals that ship tons of marijuana into the U.S., through secret tunnels like one authorities found last winter near San Diego. The passageway was almost a half-mile long, tricked out with electricity and special ventilation systems.

No one in the U.S. is surprised prosecutors are cracking down on those big networks. But Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance said he wonders about all the rest.

"The question's going to be what happens with the hundreds, and it may now even be in the thousands, of dispensaries that are not operating at that large scale," Nadelmann said.

In the past few months, the DEA has conducted smaller raids of medical marijuana shops in Seattle, West Hollywood and Helena, Montana, all places where the drug is now legal for patients.

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

My personal opinion. Obama is nobody's friend. If he were a Flavor of ice cream he would be pralines and dick.

 

[accessndx]

Obama isn't quite the problem, but all politicians are. Beyond that MMJ shot itself in the foot a long time ago when stereotypes like this became the face of the movement:

When it should have been this guy:

I've seen people make a literal mockery of the medicinal value by portraying everything in the light it has been. When almost anyone can get a card for practically anything you've ensured that someone is going to first notice and secondly crack down.

I'm all for MMJ, and I'm even more in favor of decriminalization and full on legalization. When you let Wavy Gravy do your politicking you've gonna run into issues with high strung tightasses with moral agendas. Just MHO. Said this before much to the chagrin of others, but with all the backlash against MMJ isn't it obvious?​

 

[bentom187]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KbpN4qyWTU&feature=player_embedded

 

[Phillthy]

nobody is using mexi brick weed in mmj. they need to pull their head out of their asses.

 

[Maj.Cottonmouth]

My personal opinion. Obama is nobody's friend. If he were a Flavor of ice cream he would be pralines and dick.

I have to disagree with you on this, I think he would be strawberry and motor oil.

 

[smokefrogg]

july 12, 2011 - just wanted to point that out, thought i was crazy as i was reading it, deja vu, turned out i read it already, maybe others have too...thought it was new news

 

[stihgnobevoli]

well at least the charade is finally over, 4 more years.

ron paul 2012

 

[Duplicate]

.thought it was new news

Is it ever?!

 

[vta]

nobody is using mexi brick weed in mmj. they need to pull their head out of their asses.

Exactly! Just more FEAR and Propaganda from our so called 'officals' and the media.

 

[Mr. Bongjangles]

Shitty article, especially their second "distinct" way Obama is supposedly cracking down...

"Second, late last week, the Drug Enforcement Administration concluded that marijuana has no accepted medical use. So the DEA rejected a years-long effort to reclassify marijuana from a heavily restricted drug like heroin under the Controlled Substances Act to one that can be used more widely."

The DEA rejected that petition not because of Obama "cracking down," but because advocates sued to force them to decide.

They would have preferred to sit on that petition as long as possible. Rejecting it opens the door to appeal, and with all the new studies out there and large medical organizations officially supporting medical cannabis, they will have a much harder time defending their position on rescheduling.

http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=6703

 

[dagnabit]

I have to disagree with you on this, I think he would be strawberry and motor oil.

Taint and cheese Spinoni

 

[Marathanman]

I was under the impression Obama was partial to a bit of OG Kush.

 

[smokefrogg]

Is it ever?!

lol, touche'

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

Shitty article, especially their second "distinct" way Obama is supposedly cracking down...

"Second, late last week, the Drug Enforcement Administration concluded that marijuana has no accepted medical use. So the DEA rejected a years-long effort to reclassify marijuana from a heavily restricted drug like heroin under the Controlled Substances Act to one that can be used more widely."

The DEA rejected that petition not because of Obama "cracking down," but because advocates sued to force them to decide.

They would have preferred to sit on that petition as long as possible. Rejecting it opens the door to appeal, and with all the new studies out there and large medical organizations officially supporting medical cannabis, they will have a much harder time defending their position on rescheduling.

http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=6703

they did it because they know it would allow federal decriminalization and quickly lead to budget cuts, which would then lead to people seeing prohibition does not work, which would then lead to the disbanding of the DEA.

this is why you don't create unconstitutional fascist bureaucracies, with Czars that can enforce unconstitutional laws with no over sight.
How could Nixon ever think the DEA was actually legal. Everything they do violates the constitution because the bureaucracy it's self is not constitutional.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Imagine Sun Tzu being attributed to The Art of War ... after 40 years of winning no battles.

 

[Barn Owl]

Maybe a strain named Hope and Change would honor our fearless leader

 

[tiktok420]

accessndx post makes a valid point and he is right. If you ever want to have a chance at convincing the majority of Americans to legalize cannabis, then find average Americans to represent the movement. A hippie with dreads and a drum just creates conflict and gives the prohibitionists the ammunition they are looking for. No offense but its the truth. As for Obama he is nothing more than a reflection of society. The people get the government they deserve. It was no different with Bush. You want real change then start voting in people who are proponents of personal freedoms and who will uphold the laws of the constitution. Stop clinging to the democrat and republican bullshit as if it means anything. Unless Americans are ready for a limited smaller federal government with less power then you can forget about ever seeing cannabis legalized.

Just to reiterte my point about what accessndx said and my analogy with the hippie, imagine this. Imagine there was still prohobition on alochol and there were say 30 million americans that were drinkers but doing so illegaly, the same as todays cannabis users. Who out of this group would you want representing you if you were trying to legalize alcohol? Certainly not the nascar, football or baseball fans. How about the 20 year old coloege kids doing keg stands on the weekends getting into brawls and waking up in piles of puke?

 

[dramamine]

How about all you straight-laced, doctor-looking dudes stop slinging rocks at those who had the balls to stand up and even form a movement in the first place? How about that?

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

lol damn i feel sorry for cali and colorado.. according to this you guys buy regs from mexican drug lords and sell them in dispensaries... sad sad day.....


RON PAUL FOR THE WIN!!!!!!!