Pot Supporters Bang on Obama's Doors for Drug Reform

[babylonsister]

Pot Supporters Bang on Obama's Doors for Drug Reform

Posted by Paul Armentano, NORML at 1:43 PM on December 12, 2008.


16 of the top 50 overall questions posed to the new administration on the Change.gov site pertained to drug law reform.

Change.gov, the Web site of President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, has now closed the Web page "Open for Questions."

After receiving nearly 100,000 total votes on more than 10,000 public policy issues, the most widely voted on question for Obama 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.?"

(Equally impressive, 16 of the top 50 overall questions posed to the new administration pertained to drug-law reform. Now do we have your attention?)

more...

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/112401/pot_supporters_bang_on_obama%27s_doors_for_drug_reform/#more

[polichick]

1. It certainly is way past time the hypocritical lawmakers in this country wake up!

[cali]

2. I'm a pot smoker

this is not on the top of my list. it'd be nice, and yes we waste a lot of resources on it, but there are so many more pressing issues.

[babylonsister]

3. I agree, but it's good there's a place people can go to express

what's important to them. I don't know that it will make a difference though.

[glowing]

6. I think the population is about 60% for legalizing marijauna.. and with the

coming depression, many cities are going to forget about busting pot smokers anyway.. Its too expensive when money is so tight.

[Fumesucker]

7. The drug war is a profit center for police departments

A lot of police departments use the drug war as a way to make money by confiscation.

[glowing]

12. They'd make more from legal taxing methods, rather than destroying lives.

[MH1]

13. Yes but, the prison industrial complex wouldn't. nt

[Fumesucker]

14. It wouldn't go directly to the cops like drug war proceeds do..

Count on ferocious opposition to ending the drug war from the police.

[mopinko]

22. not all the charters take anyone everyone.

TAKE ACTION TO END TODAY'S FAILED PROHIBITION:
December is the 75th anniversary of when America's leaders had the good sense to end alcohol prohibition. Today, we have another ineffective, harmful and expensive prohibition, the "war on drugs." LEAP has made it easy for you to take action and let your legislators know that we can't afford prohibition in these tough economic times. Visit http://www.WeCanDoItAgain.net for more information

http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php

[truedelphi]

23. Only the arrest and seizure practices are not just about making money

But about control.

The assets received from the various police departments that do the seizing often end up in a separate fund at the Statelevel, that then gets doled out via individuals to politicians in the Counties. This is called Discretionary Funding.

Inside this scheme is a whole 'nother layer of corruption. SO when you read in your paper that your County Superviser just used $ 32,000 of the Discretionary Funding in order to give Cecilia's Nursing home some needed cash flow, you might not realize that in return, Cecilia's (usually someindividual inside Cecilia's) is expected to throw three to five thousand or more into the campaign coffers.

[mopinko]

21. defacto decriminalized in chicago

if you are a white tourist, particularly. but as long as you are not creating a nuisance, you are not gonna get busted here.

[reggie the dog]

25. be careful in the suburbs

the cops can be very strict in the suburbs but cops is Chicago often do not even confiscate or search your pockets if you are polite to them.

[mopinko]

26. oh, i was raised out there.

one of the things i came to the city to get away from was small town cops.

[glowing]

4. So much is tied to the War on Drugs. Individual liberties, police state,

cheap labor, decimation of cities. If one can win this battle, we can win a lot more. I think that it is an important issue. Its lasted much too long and has had devastating effects for so many families caught up in the middle... AND think about who is normally targeted with the War on Drugs.

[Captain Hilts]

9. It ties in with fiscal issues - cost of incarcaration - and voting rights issues. Some felons can -

others can't, etc.

[Fovea]

10. I understand your point.

For some, this is a much more front burner issue.
Those of us on Chemo, with neurologic pain, etc need this.

It's not about an after work buzz for us.

Not that there is anything wrong with that, but this is not a 'hippie issue' as will be screamed hysterically by the MSM.

[tekisui]

11. Reforming the drug policy would put us in a better position to

deal with the more pressing issues. To me, most importantly, it is prison reform. Arresting and incarcerating 800,000 a year for pot charges is absurd. It is a burden on our police departments and tax payers, as well as ruining people's lives.

It prevents many from getting school loans, and lead to recidivism and career criminals. It introduces unnecessary criminal activities.

Taken further, if legalized fully, it could create jobs in research and agriculture, production of hemp products and increase tax revenue while lessening the tax burden on the Justice system.

[Double T]

5. BO will instill sanity in government; perhaps the injustices in our drug laws........

can be corrected.

[Bluenorthwest]

8. Organized people

who know this is a huge issue that involves medicine, privacy, the right to one's own body, small business, the right of States to make law, and many others areas.
During the Primary, Obama made specific promises around Medical Marijuana, and he will be expected to keep those promises at the very least.

[Bluenorthwest]

15. I note that Change.gov

Does not say it will answer the most asked questions, they say they will pick some of teh most asked for answering. So I assume they will ignore all of the drug policy questions. We shall see.

[mopinko]

16. the last republican depression ended the prohibition of alcohol.

it is just too win/win/win to pass up, imho.
save the money to arrest, prosecute, and imprison people, save at least a little of the devastation to neighborhoods like mine where modern day al capones have taken over everything from the street corner to the court house to the (?) governor's mansion, and bring a whole industry into the white market, taxes dollars included.
it's not about letting us get high.

[Hotler]

17. Seems pot is more important than throwing the neocons and bankers in jail.

[Fumesucker]

19. Throw a few individuals in jail or refrain from throwing hundreds of thousands in jail?

Decisions, decisions.

:eyes:

[JackRiddler]

24. False dichotomy - in fact, totally wrong-headed.

Please. Justice is not a competition.

[ensho]

18. kick

nt

[eShirl]

20. I am not holding my breath

no pun intended