Obama's War on Medical Marijuana Ramps Up in Colorado

[RainDog]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/medical-marijuana_n_1498694.html

In its official party platform, the Colorado Democratic Party endorses the legalization of marijuana. In March, 56 percent of the Denver County Republican Assembly voted to support legal and regulated pot, a question which will be on the November ballot. And the state's Department of Revenue has announced it is seeking reclassification of marijuana to allow doctors to prescribe it as medical treatment.

Colorado's Dept. of Rev. joins the 42 members of the Washington State legislature who asked the Obama administration to reschedule cannabis in January of this year. With their announcement, they stated:

...it is clear that the long-standing classification of medical use of cannabis in the United States as an illegal Schedule I substance is fundamentally flawed and should be changed," the lawmakers wrote. "The federal government could quickly solve the issue if it were to reclassify cannabis for medical use from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule II drug so that it can be prescribed, which we believe the petition provides substantiated peer-reviewed scientific evidence to support.

​"The solution lies ultimately with the federal government," the letter reads. "We urge the DEA to initiate rulemaking proceedings to reclassify medical cannabis as a Schedule II drug so qualifying patients that follow state law may obtain the medication they need through the traditional and safe method of physician prescribing and pharmacy dispensing."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1170197

back to the original article link -

"I can see no legitimate basis in this judicial district to focus the resources of the United States government on the medical marijuana dispensaries that are otherwise compliant with Colorado law or local regulation," Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett told Walsh in a recent letter. "The people of Boulder County do not need Washington, D.C., or the federal government dictating how far dispensaries should be from schools, or other fine points of local land use law.”

The push against the Colorado businesses and the patients they serve is just the latest in the Obama administration's bizarre action against a plant that was at one point a cultural flash point, but which now religious leader Pat Robertson says should be legal.

The timing is also curious given the upcoming November election. Colorado's nine electoral college votes are up for grabs, and Obama's path to reelection gets very steep without the state in his corner. The legalization amendment on the ballot in November could drive otherwise complacent voters to the polls, but they may not end up backing Obama. Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson is not ashamed to tout his support of pot legalization, threatening to syphon protest votes that otherwise would have gone to Obama.

READ THIS ARTICLE. It's full of good information. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/medical-marijuana_n_1498694.html

Public Policy Polling indicated Coloradans OVERWHELMINGLY favor legal medical marijuana.

Coloradans are even more strongly in favor of legalizing marijuana, and they overwhelmingly believe it at least should be available for medical purposes. 49% think marijuana use should generally be legal, and 40% illegal. But explicitly for medical use, that rises to a 68-25 spread. Just five years ago, a referendum to legalize simple possession by people over 21 failed by 20 points. On the medical question, Democratic support rises from 64% for general use to 78%; Republicans rise from 30% to 50%, and independents from 54% to 75%.

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2011/12/colorado-favors-gay-marriage-marijuana-use-loves-tebow.html

Obama is carrying out actions to please the reactionary right wing in this nation, not Democrats and not Independents. He did not tell the truth that his office has the capacity to request the DoJ deal with rescheduling. Instead, he pretended that only Congress can address this issue, when Congress left it to the DEA to schedule substances, not Congress.

Come on, Obama - you're on the wrong side of history and the voters who actually vote for you.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. I am disheartened to see this. People need their medication.

[Uncle Joe]

2. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Raindog.

[RainDog]

4. thank you, Uncle Joe

it's strange to see the federal level democratic party choose to remain outside the will of the people.

[Uncle Joe]

5. It's most bizarre and perplexing, Raindog.

It's as if they wanted the Republicans to gain or maintain power?

[RainDog]

6. It's most frustrating and annoying

To have a president who very well knows that science is not on his side regarding this issue - and yet he lets bad rulings stand.

[Warren DeMontague]

3. Kick

[musiclawyer]

7. Look Colorado. If you want to change things

And literally change the world and shame POTUS, Legslize. Nov 6. Just do it. And if you don't live there give money to help the measure's passage.

[otohara]

18. We Will

can't wait!

[CrispyQ]

8. Nine votes could have an impact in a close election.

I know a lot of repubs who aren't thrilled with their candidate & love MJ.

I know a lot of dems who aren't thrilled with their candidate & love MJ.

[RainDog]

9. His actions confound me

Honestly. They make no sense outside of choosing special interests over the American people.

sad to say - but that's what it looks like outside the beltway.

I want Obama to win - which is also why I want him to stop siding with the right wing in this nation regarding this issue.

[CrispyQ]

10. He chose special interests:

Law enforcement, alcohol, big pharma, the prison industrial complex, the textile industry - those are some big hitters. And their voice out weighs our voice by million$.

[piratefish08]

12. by hundreds of millions.......

[CrispyQ]

17. Thank you for that correction.

Disgusting, isn't it? And the compromised media, like a swarm of piranha, profiting off of it. Every major institution in our system is corrupt & rotting.

[Honeycombe8]

11. Articles like that depend on an ignorant public. It is the DOJ, of course, NOT Obama...

who is doing that.

The DOJ does not take its marching orders from the White House, Congress, or anyone else. It has its own duties to perform, which it performs independently and in its discretion. Influential people no doubt try to influence the DOJ, from the President to powerful Senators, but ultimately, the DOJ acts independently performing its duties as it sees fit.

Presidents and Senators come and go. The DOJ remains, and continues to perform its job as it sees fit.

But if the public doens't know that, it's easy for the Repubicans and other anti-Obama entities to get the public all worked up and blame Obama.

[Fix The Stupid]

13. That sounds awfully undemocratic?

Who puts the DOJ personnel in their respective positions?

How are they monitored? How long are their tenures and who decides when to hire/fire these people?

Honest questions from an ignorant Canadian...

Thanks

[EOTE]

15. It's an ignorant public who believes that the DoJ operates completely independently from the

executive branch. That poor little defenseless President has no power over that completely unaccountable DoJ. I hope you don't truly believe that's what the power dynamic is like. If you really think that's the case, then Obama was awfully stupid talking about how he'd change things with regard to MMJ when he got into office, wasn't he?

[Uncle Joe]

19. Does that "ignorant public" include candidate/President Obama and Congresswoman Pelosi?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002640854

For a brief moment in 2009, medical marijuana advocates exhaled. A new President had taken office promising to call off the federal prosecutors in states that had legalized weed for the sick. “What I’m not going to be doing is using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on this issue,” Barack Obama had said during his presidential campaign. In his first year in office, the Justice Department told prosecutors not to focus on “individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana.” Medical marijuana patients and the growing industry that supported them thought they were in the clear.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014112586

“I have strong concerns about the recent actions by the federal government that threaten the safe access of medicinal marijuana to alleviate the suffering of patients in California, and undermine a policy that has been in place under which the federal government did not pursue individuals whose actions complied with state laws providing for medicinal marijuana.

If the DOJ doesn't take its' marching orders from anyone, why aren't they closing them all down despite state law as the growing and selling of cannabis is a federal offense?

[DLevine]

14. K&R. n/t

[DeSwiss]

16. As Deep Throat advised Bob Woodward.....

''Always follow the MONEY.''



- Think about it. If you're a bank, you pay no taxes when you launder drug money for the CIA. And if you're the CIA, well if you're the CIA you can do as you please......

K&R

[Tsiyu]

20. This is no doubt punishment for Colorado Dems' position

At some point, Americans will say "enough."

If they choose to do so this November, help us all.

We have limited resources, and they are being used to shoot fish in a barrel rather than go after real criminals.

My hope has died for this administration. I will vote for the Dem but with deep sadness in my heart, feeling betrayed and disgusted.