President Obama:To unite most Americans behind you, announce that you will reclassify cannabis. NOW.

[Fly by night]

Good early evening, all y'all. As I sit here waiting for the first killing frost of the year (that is about three weeks late in my Tennessee deep hollow home), I fired up the sauna and enjoyed reading this week's Newsweek article entitled "Conservatives and the New Politics of Pot." It is an excellent article, taking up six pages in a magazine whose articles these days are seldom more than six paragraphs. (I hope someone with a faster modem than mine will post a link to the article on this thread.)

The article assembles statements from a growing number of Republicans who favor a dismantling of the war on illegal smiles. Most of us are familiar with the pro-pot statements of Milton Friedman, William F. Buckley and George Shultz; and of the assertive and effective drug policy reform positions of former NM Governor Gary Johnson. But the article covers a wave of new thinking (and brave public statements) being made by many more Republican public officials and right-wing think tanks like the Cato Institute.

Unfortunately, the article also describes the continued timidity of too many Democratic leaders on the same issue. Rather than continuing to accept another decade of senseless social control, our leaders should finally and firmly embrace science, common sense and compassion. That begins with President Obama, who can demand that the NIH report on reclassifying cannabis (that the DEA has been sitting on for months) be released. Coincident with that demand, the President should announce that the accumulation of support for reclassifying cannabis out of Schedule 1 at the Institute of Medicine, the American College of Physicians and the American Medical Association calls on us to put an end to pot prohibition. To make this change in federal policy, Obama could stress that a receptive Congress that is supportive of his leadership on this issue would help insure its success. That means electing Democrats next week.

Reclassifying cannabis would immediately cut the DEA out of any further involvement in oppressing cannabis and it would remove the final stumbling block to the expansion of medical cannabis programs to all states. It would also energize the Democratic base to turn out in droves next Tuesday and it would provide a valid reason for sensible Republicans and Independents to rethink voting for the "Just Say No" party.

A poll conducted by Newsweek for the article found that while "... only 25% of Republicans nationwide favor pot legalization in their state, compared with 55% of Democrats...", the article also states that the proportion of Republicans favoring legalization has jumped 7% since 2005. My guess is that Independents already line up more closely with Democrats on the issue, and those constituencies whose lives are most at risk by a continuation of the failed pot prohibition policy (e.g., the young, minorities) are precisely the ones we need to turn out in droves next week. This would do it -- I have no doubt.

I know, I know. This may only be an Indian summer pipe dream of mine (and millions more). But if one measure of success among politicans is their ability to gauge the direction of the parade (of public opinion) so they can get out in front of it, this one is a no-brainer. Really.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. President. You will like the results -- but then, you already know that and are the first President since Jefferson to be honest about it.

Show the American people that you can lead us out of this senseless war that has disrupted and destroyed 20+ million lives already. We will all be thankful for the results.

Peace now.

[stray cat]

1. Pot smokers - do they actually go out and vote and do the ever vote republican?

[Fly by night]

10. Uh ... yes. No medical cannabis referendum placed before voters has ever lost.

How's that for a track record?

I only wish my state had a referendum process -- we would be the first Southern state to approve medical cannabis if we did. And we would do it next week.

[Uncle Joe]

88. I agree on all counts. n/t

[Le Taz Hot]

83. Oy!

Uh, yes, we do vote. And thanks for perpetuating the myth. :eyes:

[eShirl]

89. Any other stupid questions?

:eyes:

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MrSlayer]

3. No it wouldn't.

Millions of people smoke the kind herb. Millions more won't admit it. Put it on the ballot and it's a sure winner for the good guys.

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. And why is that?

:eyes:

[meow mix]

8. just keep throwing everyone in jail

10 years with killers for a joint woot

[Fly by night]

13. Too late. Marinol (synthetic THC) has been on the market for decades and ...

... Sativex, an oral mucosa spray made from whole-plant cannabis extract, is in FDA testing here now. Sativex is already legal in three countries (at last count).

Oh, and let's not forget the 14 states and DC who have already legalized medical cannabis and the two more (Arizona and South Dakota) who will do it next Tuesday.

BTW, welcome to DU. Stick around -- you might just learn something.

[spanone]

14. sorry, you are wrong.

[GReedDiamond]

16. Brilliant observation...would you like to back that up...

...with anything other than your opinion?

I'm guessing probably not.

[wuushew]

35. Leave now while you are under 10 posts

you can voluntarily request a tombstone from the admins.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

36. you can't just make a statement like that

with nothing to back it up. That's not how things work around here.

[asdjrocky]

43. Why?

Could it be the 700,000 people a year arrested for simple possession? Do you work for the pic? Are you a dork? Can you understand the words I am trying to say to you?

[OnionPatch]

53. Your reasons are all

missing. :shrug:

Typical con.

[CommonSensePLZ]

61. Sort of agreed, but

The penalties can be way too harsh and that just empowers the pro-pot lobby. Simple fines would at least bring some money in.

[liberalmuse]

5. I agree that the war on pot is senseless, however...

I'd wager most Americans aren't going to get off of their tookuses simply to vote to legalize weed. However, our fellow fuckers might just get off the couch to vote if their access to hours of endless, free (and paid for) tv programming were even slightly threatened.

Want a revolution? Start learning how to block tv signals. Without tv numbing our brains, Americans might be a force to be reckoned with.

[Fly by night]

19. See post # 10 for evidence to the contrary.

I don't own a television, so I guess you know my opinion about the boob tube.

[Bluenorthwest]

32. What planet do you live on, anyway?

The facts are so against your odd statements. Very much so. What you should do is look to that movement to learn how to get things done, how to make change, how to alter the law, organize millions, change perceptions. Or you could remain steeped in false assumptions instead.

[AndrewP]

74. Absolutely correct. Block the NFL for a week, THEN you'll get the passion n/t

[eShirl]

90. What would you suggest using to block the evil TV signals with?

[Fly by night]

94. The on/off switch.

[TheKentuckian]

6. Silly wabbit, pharma don't play that.

Keep in mind the insurance cartel is actually jealous of the deal pharma got and guess what drum the President will march to.

[ibegurpard]

7. this isn't going to unite anyone behind him

sorry, it just won't
but i agree it should be done

[Fly by night]

15. Read the Newsweek article and/or search for "medical cannabis polls"

No national poll taken on medical cannabis has polled less than 60%. Most have polled in the 70-80%+ range.

How's that for support?

[ibegurpard]

18. doesn't matter

it's not an issue that's going to magically enthuse the majority of the population even if they support it

[Fly by night]

20. Once again, read the article before coming to a conclusion.

Or not.

BTW, it would enthuse a number of people I know, including three Republicans in my Monday Night football watching group who said that taking a stand for reclassifying cannabis would stimulate all three to vote for Dems who would back the President on that issue.

Those three Republicans are all in their 50s, own their own businesses, have raised happy, healthy and successful children ... and smoke pot.

[DemocratAholic]

9. are you...?

While I was reading this post I couldn't help wondering if you were **** when you wrote it. Is that stupid for me to think? Not because it was badly written, it is very well written! Anyway, my point is that whenever people stand up for some realistic and sane approaches on drug laws, there is a stigma attached. "OOOOhhhh...they are someone who like to do drugs." Huge problem for politicians, which is why the only headway we make is when people vote directly on this issue. If Obama supported drug reform, the tea baggers would be calling him drug user all over Fox news. Sometimes it seems quite obvious that Obama puts politics over reason, and this is one of those issues. Meanwhile hypocrites in Washington want to send people to jail for the very things they have done themselves.

[Fly by night]

11. No, I'm not ****, though that would be nice.

Most DUers know my position on cannabis, since I have discussed it here for the past six years. My own federal conviction (which cost me 18 months in lock-up, five years of pre-sentence and post-incarceration drug testing, $600,000 in legal fees and lost salary and 25 acres of land -- for seven pounds of usable pot) has earned me the right to speak up. I would encourage everyone else to do so, if for no other reason than to avoid my fate.

Since this thread seems to have attracted a number of new DUers, you might want to see this thread that I posted last week to see what "speaking up" means to me:

http://demopedia.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9317657

PS. By ****, I presume you meant "high". If you meant "cute", well ....

I'm not that either.

[MindPilot]

40. You know it used to be if you were in favor of civil rights or inter-racial marriage

you were called a "N****r-lover". In your automatic assumption that the OP is "****" I see not much difference. And my response to both accusations is "So? I'm stoned and I think Black people are cool. You got a problem with that?"

[DemocratAholic]

82. no likey

that hurts my feelings you would use that particular analogy. :( i was trying to make a point by revealing something that popped into my own head about how there is a stigma attached to discussing this subject, and projecting that onto politics to explain why politicians are afraid to be reasonable on the subject. didn't assume he was high, and i would only be happy for him if he was.

[undeterred]

12. I'm tired, I thought you said reclassify cannibals.

[Fly by night]

17. Yes, we should do that too.

But only if they'll eat the rich for the rest of us who are on low-fat diets.

[customerserviceguy]

45. Now, that's funny

I don't care who you are! (as Larry the Cable Guy would say)

[TheWraith]

21. Oh please.

I oppose the drug war as much as anyone, but to pretend that more Americans care about this than about the economy, or the budget, or any other issue is laughable.

[JamesA1102]

22. So true.

The problem is most here never speak to people who disagree with them. They are trapped in a bubble.

[Fly by night]

25. I've spent three years speaking with my legislature, most of whom didn't agree with me at first.

Fortunately, more of them are supporting reclassification now than ever before, and that's in a conservative Southern state. This year, our Safe Access to Medical Cannabis bill passed EVERY House committee, including a 20-4 vote in our House Health and Human Resources committee -- in Tennessee.

I also spent three years supporting this position as a Congressional advisor on substance abuse (under Bush I and Clinton) in the early 90s. Although the majority of the advisory group did not support reclassification, about 40% of us did (and that was over 15 years ago).

One man's bubble is another man's prison. Believe me, I've tried both.

A bubble is better. But it's not where I live these days, on this issue or any other.

[defendandprotect]

68. Fingers crossed on Prop 19 ....

but, if we are making any progress -- and there are now mayors and police supporting

legalization -- can you say what methods are leading to the greatest progress?

I think education/debate by organizations that have been working to make marijuana legal.

Do you agree -- or see other areas to be explored?

[Fly by night]

75. I think several forces are at work here, some we can influence and others we can't.

The fact that 60s teenagers are now 2010 retirees and grandparents is a major factor.

The fact that over 40% of Americans (ages 12 and over) admit on surveys to having used cannabis indicates a large portion of the population knows from personal experience the benign nature of cannabis.

The fact that over half of the people who have never used cannabis -- even once -- still support reclassifying it to allow its medical use indicates that these non-users can weigh the benefits vs. risks of allowing cannabis to be returned to our medical pharmacopoeia.

The increased legitimacy of cannabis use that is portrayed in our cultural outlets (TV, films, etc.) is helping a great deal.

The fact that groups of former judges, prosecutors and police are speaking up really undercuts the perceived unanimity of support for prohibition within the criminal justice system. (In that regard, we need to support Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) and a newer group, Citizens Opposing Prohibition (COP).)

The fact that the two largest medical organizations in this country (AMA, ACP) now support reclassification also carries incredible weight. In that vein, having patients continue to educate their health care providers to the medical benefits of cannabis and the support of their colleagues for reclassification would help continue to build momentum for change. As the only physician in the TN legislature said to me (after changing his vote from "No" to "Yes" on our Safe Access bill after meeting one-on-one with a young rheumatoid arthritis patient), "I cannot deny the experience of a patient." We all need to be that patient.

Finally, I would strongly recommend that everyone increase their support for NORML, the oldest pro-cannabis organization and still one of the best.

There are other factors, but these are the ones that come to mind this morning.

[defendandprotect]

92. Agree -- would be helpful if everyone increased their support for NORML ....

IMO, Drug War has brought us immense corruption of government, elected officials, courts,

judges, government agencies -- and continues to have farflung influence --

and our bright new shiny prison industrial complex!

Many reasons for Prop 19 and keeping my fingers crossed!!

Thank you!

:)

[JamesA1102]

73. OK but how many of your neighbors have you spoken to? nt

[Fly by night]

77. All of them. Some of them know the patients I've provided to -- all of them know me.

What has been their reaction? Well ...

Over 300 of them wrote letters to my federal judge on my behalf.

Over 60 of them attended my sentencing hearing.

Several of them watched over my farm for the 18 months I was locked up, feeding my dogs, repairing my fences and keeping the electricity on in my house.

Over 300 of them attended a benefit held to help pay my legal bills. That benefit included four prominent Nashville bands, was emceed by Allen St. Pierre, NORML's executive director, and was broadcast live (all four hours of it) over the airwaves and on the internet by a Nashville radio station.

A group of elders in my community held a "welcome home" luncheon in my honor when I was released from lock-up. Included in that group were deputy sheriffs, preachers, school teachers and farmers.

Finally, the one and only diner in my small community has a framed picture of me (the cover art for a comprehensive story in the Nashville Scene, one of several cover stories and national columns that have appeared on my case) hanging on the wall. That picture remains three years later, and the diner owner (whose husband I provided to before he died) says that it will never be taken down. She also says that no one -- NO ONE -- has ever complained about the picture.

Is that enough evidence of support within my community, or do you want more?

[Fly by night]

23. I didn't say that anyone ranks this issue above the others you mentioned.

I did say that most American support reclassifying cannabis and, as the Newsweek article indicates, that position is beginning to seep into the discourse of Republicans. Since the majority of Democrats are already there, I think it would be a decision with a great deal of support.

I also believe that this act of strong leadership would impress many and would likely influence some to support the President who do not now do so.

[RainDog]

33. 88 billion in savings is a persuasive figure

for people who want to shrink the size of the govt, who want to rein in wasteful govt spending and who would rather redirect tax dollars into more useful endeavors.

that's the figure from Jeff Mirons, the Harvard economist who authored the latest Cato study on the cost of prohibition. (His work is also mentioned in the Newsweek link below.)

The Cato Institute also published the recent study on the effect of drug decriminalization in Portugal that, again, found that decriminalization and harm reduction (the second is a stance that Obama has said he favors) helped to reduce drug usage and the associated costs of drug usage - more people with substance abuse problems seek treatment, law enforcement can focus on other crimes, courts are not bogged down in drug cases...

while I understand that you think "the economy" only means the financial sector and the job sector, cost-cutting in effective ways is a reasonable strategy for the Obama administration to pursue when there is evidence that such policies have both fiscal and health benefits.

More to the point, a lot of people are simply fed up with the way in which the govt fails to respond to the truth about the medical value of cannabis. Since 70% of the American population, in poll after poll, over TEN YEARS, has indicated it supports medical marijuana - this is not a minor issue when you figure the number of people who undergo chemo therapy, or the numbers that deal with chronic pain from arthritis or MS or CP.

While I do not and cannot say whether this would translate to the voting booth - decriminalization and rescheduling AT THE LEAST are the right things to do.

[Fly by night]

24. This has been my most un-rec'ed thread to date. Interesting.

Not sure why, unless it is putting "Obama" and "cannabis" in the same sentence. Hope not.

[sufrommich]

26. Because it's fantasy. In the middle of a horrible economy,

jobless running out of benefits,health care costs rising, mortgages underwater and tea party freaks winning elections, putting legalizing pot at the top of the list would be seen as ridiculous by the vast majority of people.

[Fly by night]

27. Nothing about this thread puts reclassifying cannabis on the top of any list.

My own list would rank counting votes the way they are cast as the number one priority for this country.

But reclassifying cannabis would certainly make my Top 10 list. Where would ending the war on drugs rank in your own list of priorities?

I did say (as did the Newsweek article) that the majority of Americans suppport reclassifying cannabis. Every national survey on medical cannabis (which, to be consistent, would benefit from reclassification) has shown suppport in the 60-80%+ range. Another survey conducted by AARP that I haven't mentioned before indicated 75% support for medical cannabis among people 55 and older. Not exactly a group of teenage slackers, wouldn't you say?

BTW, I also said that this thread might just be an Indian Summer pipe dream, now didn't I?

[Fly by night]

34. BTW, this "fantasy" has been supported by every national commission on the subject ever convened ..

... in this country (or any other country, for that matter), and by every DEA judge who has been called upon in the past 30 years to render a decision regarding the wisdom of reclassification. It is a "fantasy" shared by the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine, the American College of Physicians, the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, the American Public Health Association, .... Well, you get the picture.

Back when cannabis was outlawed (in the 30s), the AMA polled the thirty leading US pharmaceutical companies on whether outlawing cannabis was a good idea. Twenty nine of those companies just said "NO".

Looks like I have plenty of company in my "fantasy" world.

We would welcome the President to join us.

[Fly by night]

37. It's a shame that an edited OP title doesn't appear that way on the "Greatest" page.

I understand why (I think). But my first attempt at a title for this OP was too much, so I toned it down a bit. Unfortunately, that's not how it appears elsewhere.

A much better tyitle would be: "President Obama, if you want to boost your approval rating by 5+ points, reclassify cannabis. NOW."

Oh well, I need to remember to engage brain (and editorial restraint) before hitting the "send" button. That advice would help me in other parts of my life also.

[defendandprotect]

69. That's probably it .... putting Obama in a poor light -- amazing ....

how much upside down thinking there is on DU!

:)

[Tsiyu]

28. it's a huge part of a very complex puzzle

But some DUers can't get the connection.

They don't give a crap about the cost of the War on Drugs (which for the most part is a War on Cannabis) even though they say they don't want to pay for war.

They have no idea how many families are destroyed by the War on Cannabis, and they don't care. "They deserve it."

They have no clue that in LA, blacks are seven times more likely to be arrested for pot possession than whites, who actually use cannabis more than blacks, and they don't care. They don't care that the War on Cannabis takes black fathers away from their children. "They deserve it."

They don't care about the mansions the For-Profit Prison magnates live in, while the same fat cats incarcerate everyone else. "They deserve those mansions and big bonuses for locking up our fellow citizens - and for lobbying our legislatures to increase prison time for cannabis users! They sure have brainwashed us, so why not let them live in the lap of luxury off of other people's suffering!?"


Well, I suppose then that these people deserve the karma that will one day sneak up on them, when they might need the relief this plant provides.

[Fly by night]

29. Thanks, Tsiyu.

It is amazing to me how many responders to this thread have put words in my mouth that weren't (aren't) there. Again, a new experience for me, at least on this forum. (I am used to it elsewhere, though -- again -- I am experiencing less and less of that kind of straw man distraction in the halls of our legislature these days.)

I hope your Garden is tucked in -- I am leaving my last chile peppers unpicked tonight, hoping they will make it one more day. But it looks like Saturday morning will be the time to pull my sweet potato vines and pick the last of the peppers.

This has been the longest Indian Summer in my memory here. Pleasant ... but concerning. I'm proud of my burgeoning wood-pile, though.

[Tsiyu]

41. The rhetoric has heated up because of the refs in CA and Az, etc.

People who normally don't chime in are suddenly all "concerned."

Yeah, I am sad about frost coming, even though we've had a nice warm October. My morning glories are still blazing on the eight foot tipi I made them, and I have a tobacco plant just flowering ( a Cherokee tobacco that a friend at Sweat Lodge gave me) and a ginger I started (?) and brought in today. The hens have stopped laying and winter is on it's way.

And i left the chilis on as well but will pick the rest of them tomorrow and all the herbs for drying.

Sigh....the older I get the more I dread winter, but our Tennessee is a good place to cozy up, eh?

Maybe we can arrange a DU meetup this winter, FBN


And Thanks for your wisdom and for this thread :hug:

[Fly by night]

50. A Tenase DU meet-up would be a great idea.

My wood-fired sauna seats eight. Y'all come.

Seriously, I'd be happy to host such a gathering anytime.

BTW, how's the daughter doing at college?

[Tsiyu]

56. She's doing great. But we all miss her terribly on the Mountain

She's going to the Jon Stewart Rally so i hope she has a great time.

yes, I can see a sauna DU meetup! That would be fun.

We need other TN Duers to help us pick a date.

And BTW, how is your hip, Youngster? :P Hope you are healing well.

[defendandprotect]

58. Drug war is a threat to us all in its corruption of government, elected officials, and police ....

that should be obvious to everyone --

We can't afford MEDICARE FOR ALL, but we can afford to have helicopters and pilots

roaming rural areas seeking out kitchen gardens where marijuana is being grown --

often for health reasons?

Jon Stewart is right -- let's return to sanity -- in all areas -- and legal marijuana is

as good a place as any to start!

[Tsiyu]

63. Resources are being squandered to indulge the fantasies of adults

who should know better.

I thought it was really awful when Pharma started advertising drugs to its investors:

"Make money off sickness and addiction to our products! Invest NOW!!! Kidney disease and impotence are going places!!!!" Growth for Pharma means gloating over and exploiting disease.

Now, we've got a class of Plantation Bosses who want to invest in imprisonment! Look at Arizona's illegal laws - totally driven by FOR-PROFIT PRISONS! Growth takes on an insidious, terrifying significance for that industry. Gloating over and exploiting any and every weakness in one's fellow human for profit and power is an awful thing for any nation to allow.

If people do not stand up against this, they can look forward to the day when their particular vice is a felony. "Growth" is everything, remember...

Thanks for all of your passionate, informative posts, defendandprotect :pals:

[defendandprotect]

67. Great job, yourself .... !!

Our medical system is so far from what it should be it is upside down!

Thank you -- I'll be looking for your posts, as well ...


:pals:

[RainDog]

30. Here's a link to the Newsweek article

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/10/25/the-conservative-case-for-legalizing-pot.html

The Conservative Case for Legalizing Pot

...Republican power broker Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, points out that legalization can make sense from a conservative perspective because it touches on issues of national security and fiscal prudence. “First, there is the mess that is Mexico. Narcoterrorism is made possible by our drug prohibition in the U.S. Then there is the cost of incarceration,” he says. Gary Johnson, the Republican former governor of New Mexico and a putative presidential candidate for 2012, says he believes that “Proposition 19 has the opportunity to be the domino that could bring about rational drug policy nationwide.”

...The libertarian Cato Institute just issued a detailed statistical analysis on how ending “prohibition”—a favored term for supporters of pot reform—could help America’s budget woes. According to the much-discussed study, legalizing all illicit drugs would save the government $41.3 billion a year in law-enforcement costs and generate some $46.7 billion in tax revenue; marijuana would account for $8.7 billion of the savings, and another $8.7 billion in taxes. Legalized marijuana would certainly help fatten state coffers in debt-crippled California, where pot is the biggest agricultural crop, with $14 billion a year in sales that never appear on tax returns. Cost considerations aside, “the strongest argument is simply the question of liberty, or ‘consumer sovereignty’ as the economists would say,” says the Cato study’s coauthor Jeffrey Miron, a Harvard lecturer who recently penned a column for the Los Angeles Times titled DRUGS AND CONSERVATIVES SHOULD GO TOGETHER. The Cato Institute itself does not take a position on legalization, but spokesman Chris Kennedy tells NEWSWEEK that “all of our scholars definitely support an end to drug prohibition.”

[Fly by night]

31. Thanks, Raindog.

Living in my Tennessee deep hollow home has many advantages.

Fast internet access isn't one of them.

I do hope the nay-sayers here will read the article. I thought it was well-researched and makes a very important point. Ending the war on illegal smiles is an issue that unites more of us every year, regardless of where we stand on other issues. As I said earlier, if Obama took a stand for science, common sense and compassion; it would bring him support that he does not now enjoy.

[RainDog]

46. you're welcome, homie

I'm originally from Nashville.

and speaking of John Prine...sort of...this is my favorite song of his:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVZmSEpuJtg&feature=related

I like this version b/c the guitarist featured with him lives in my current hometown.

The willingness of too many politicians to continue to destroy human lives because it is politically expedient is no surprise to me, unfortunately. That so many American choose to remain willfully ignorant, tho, does still manage to give me pause.

The great irony, of course, would be for the democrats to lose a large segment of the youth vote to Republicans who aren't afraid to confront the issues of taxpayer waste and personal freedom and govt. propaganda. Obama's online forum let him know the issue that was foremost, in terms of justice and abuse of power, for netizines. He laughed them off.

[Fly by night]

51. Hey there, homie, your own self.

Tennessee has been my home for over 40 years now, ever since I came "north" to attend Vanderbilt from my Mississippi birthplace, Possum Town (also known as Columbus).

I was very fortunate to buy my farm with three Vanderbilt professors. We got 140+ acres for $85/acre, complete with three houses, three barns, nine ridges, eight valleys and a waterfall. Plus great neighbors, serene isolation and only a 40 minute drive to the "big city."

It's still heaven on earth, even with the "drug worriers" buzzing my house weekly with their taxpayer-fueled helicopters. Oh well, until we put those pistol-packing church ladies out o' bizniz, I can take their crap -- all they want to dish out.

If you're ever back this way, give me a holler. I'd love to show you what's left of my farm.

[RainDog]

55. that would be a real treat

My ex got his PhD from Vanderbilt - which is how we met. (He's from Belgium so he got his licentiate there.) I'm just a public university plebeian. When I was a kid, I was in a g/t program sponsored by Peabody (then its own college) to help kids from the "inner city." My big dream back then was to go to Peabody Demonstration School.

My senior English teacher in high school went to Vanderbilt and made sure we read the Fugitive Group writers - she also instilled in me a love for language, even tho I abuse it more often than not these days.

My maternal grandfather was a farmer and used to ride on the backs of two mules to plow his fields (my sister still has the pictures to prove it) and I have uncles and aunts who have been professional farmers (eggs, tobacco, soy, country ham) all their lives.

I have a half-sister who lives out in the country who raises goats. She used to raise hell but she's getting on in years...

The two things I really go on about on DU are prohibition and Southern Baptists. That's about the only hell I raise anymore myself.

[defendandprotect]

59. Wow -- looks like the savings would give us a great start on MEDICARE FOR ALL -- !!

The libertarian Cato Institute just issued a detailed statistical analysis on how ending “prohibition”—a favored term for supporters of pot reform—could help America’s budget woes. According to the much-discussed study, legalizing all illicit drugs would save the government $41.3 billion a year in law-enforcement costs and generate some $46.7 billion in tax revenue; marijuana would account for $8.7 billion of the savings, and another $8.7 billion in taxes. Legalized marijuana would certainly help fatten state coffers in debt-crippled California, where pot is the biggest agricultural crop, with $14 billion a year in sales that never appear on tax returns. Cost considerations aside, “the strongest argument is simply the question of liberty, or ‘consumer sovereignty’ as the economists would say,” says the Cato study’s coauthor Jeffrey Miron, a Harvard lecturer who recently penned a column for the Los Angeles Times titled DRUGS AND CONSERVATIVES SHOULD GO TOGETHER. The Cato Institute itself does not take a position on legalization, but spokesman Chris Kennedy tells NEWSWEEK that “all of our scholars definitely support an end to drug prohibition.”

[Arkana]

38. You're kidding, right? This is a joke?

Out of all the shit facing this country--two wars in the Middle East, people without health insurance, foreclosures, corporations steamrolling people and pouring millions into campaigns, an economy in the shitter, and an unemployment rate over nine percent...you've decided that WEED is the most important issue facing us and that if President Obama decided to reclassify it it would somehow "unite us"?

[Fly by night]

44. See my responses (23, 25, 27, 34, 37) above. Or read the OP.

Or not. Maybe the title (which, unfortunately, I could not edit) said all you needed to know.

It was a poorly stated OP title, I agree with that.

[Fly by night]

79. Well, well. Looks like I missed a shit-storm below. I do need to sleep sometime.

I'm sorry that Ghost in the Machine's comment in this sub-thread was deleted -- I read it before it was deleted and didn't see anything wrong with it. Oh well, I continue to appreciate GitM, and the fact that he continues to have my back.

Git 'em, Ghost!

[Name removed]

54. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

60. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

71. Deleted message

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[defendandprotect]

70. It's one of our MOST important issues ... effecting liberty, health, prisons,

legal system, huge amounts of money, corruption of government and elected officials

and govenrment agencies --

Most of what you mentioned are Human Rights issues -- food, shelter, clothing, medical care --

all guaranteed by UN Human Rights --

You need to have higher perspective on the world around you and the issues --

all are interconnected --


Otoh, are you sure you're not more irked at the calling out of Obama on this issue?

[xiamiam]

39. he'd have to end the war in afghanistan..thats my drawn line..you're dreaming anyway

hes never gonna do that...ever...too controversial..Holder is even saying he would not recognize states authority and feds could still bust within states if it is legalized..

[asdjrocky]

42. That's my pipe dream.

Or perhaps spoon dream. More than anything, that's a reason I've been supporting Porp 19, I see it as a step.

Well put Brother.

[MindPilot]

47. Jeez, people! All the OP is talking about is reclassification.

Even if it just went from Schedule I to Schedule II, that would give it medical legitimacy and allow real research. A very small administrative action.

Some of you seem to think FbN wants Obama's unicorn to fart a purple kush rainbow. Lighten up Franceses!

[Canuckistanian]

48. Nope. Exactly the wrong time.

Wait til after the midterms.

There's enough going on right now WITHOUT causing a shitstorm of mock howled indignation.

December would be good, though.

[Fly by night]

49. Yeah. I could live with December myself.

Just not December, 2050.

[Canuckistanian]

52. Take heart. It's happening.

If you had asked me 2 years ago if MJ could be at least decriminalized in America, I'd have said you were crazy.

But now, Schwarzenegger has done it in CA. And now, several lawmakers there are starting to talk about life with totally legal sales.

Not that it will help in TN right now, but, as we all know - trends start in California.

[defendandprotect]

57. Remember to support organizations working to legalize marijuana --

think they've done a terrific job --

not that it should have been necessary because I think most Americans

understand the insanity of prohibition!

But it seems like every other issue we face -- from war to homelessness --

from drones to MEDICARE FOR ALL -- we too often have people in government

doing the bidding of the establishment rather than the bidding of the public!

[JI7]

62. i support legalization but this isn't going to unite most americans

[Tsiyu]

64. i hate to say it

But a lot of DUers seem really out of touch.

It's strange, because on most issues i find DUers to be reality-based. On this issue it seems many DUers just don't see this issue realistically in The Big Picture.

The For-Profit-Prison lobbyists' efforts and D.A.R.E. programs in the schools seem to have worked quite remarkably well on DU members.

Everywhere I go, almost everyone I speak with of any and every age age and proclivity - from teetotaller to dank-head - agrees it should be legal. You can't get agreement like that on ANY other issue, in my experience.

[RainDog]

66. 70% support medical marijuana and have for more than a decade

Ryan Grimm noted in his book, This Is Your Country on Drugs, that politicians are victims of propaganda as much as anyone. When he was working for the Drug Policy Alliance, he lobbied various pols who claimed they would support medical marijuana as a practical matter but they didn't because their constituents were not in favor.

So Grimm asked them to estimate the number of people in their states that these pols thought were in favor of medical marijuana. The pols routinely estimated 30% as the level of support.

But the reality, gleaned from polls from CBS, Gallup, AARP, USA Today, etc. demonstrated that this assumption was backwards. The REALITY is that 60 to 70% support this issue...and had for years and years and years. Only 30% (at most) were opposed.

I think that here, on DU, you hear from some of the same sorts who are really out of touch in the same way that these pols were (and are) out of touch.

In my own case, I was always for decriminalization, at the least, even tho it had been decades since I had used cannabis. I didn't talk about it - but that didn't mean I didn't support it. Since I decided to look at the issue (in part for personal reasons b/c I would like to have the option to legally use cannabis for medical purposes but do not want to do so illegally.) I found that my position was the same as the overwhelming majority of Americans. We just never spoke about it among ourselves.

So, I decided to start speaking up about it.

[JI7]

72. it's losing in California

people say many things in polls but don't show it in many of their actions.

[Fly by night]

81. I am aware of one poll showing Prop 19 losing, and many more showing it winning.

I also thought one analysis of the polling process, showing that respondents were more likely to state support for Prop 19 if they were participating in an automated phone poll versus if they were speaking to a "live" interviewer, was quite interesting. Researchers call it the "reverse Bradley" effect. Google that phrase for an informative discussion of the challenges of survey research on this highly-charged subject.

[RainDog]

84. Legalization of recreational mj polls about even now in CA

tho support for the proposition was over 50% in Sept. The polls vary, depending upon whether someone is replying to a person (lower support) or replying anonymously. The vote will depend upon turn out among young voters and democrats.

BUT the issue in California is legalization of RECREATIONAL use. That is not the same as legalization of medical mj. The nationwide polls for legalization of medical marijuana remain at 70% nationwide. (The variation I noted was in state-by-state polls v. national polls.)

California already has legal medical marijuana. So do 13 other states and Washington DC. Another dozen or so states are in the process of debating or voting on this issue.

Nevertheless, the trend is toward legalization across the nation. If numbers continue as they have over the last decade, a large majority will support total legalization within the next decade - across the nation, not just in CA.

Gallup Polls note that nationwide, 46% indicate support for legalization of recreational use. Not medical use, which remains far above 50%.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/144086/New-High-Americans-Support-Legalizing-Marijuana.aspx

In other words, the trend is toward legalization.

[krabigirl]

96. Maybe not..people need to wake the fuck up. Sorry.

If you can read the research on medical cannabis and not think this should be available to everyone who needs it, you are the problem.

[Name removed]

76. Deleted message

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[ecstatic]

78. What makes you think that would unite Americans?

:shrug:

[Fly by night]

80. It already has.

Have you read the OP? The Newsweek article? The comments posted on this thread? Since your question has been answered (multiple times) in all those locations, I would encourage you to find your answer in any of those places.

Or not.

[defendandprotect]

93. At least one CA poster has commented that Prop 19 is bringing out voters ....

[Fly by night]

85. An interesting irony here at DU.

As I type this, the highest ranking thread on the "Greatest" page is one that discusses the emerging evidence for the anti-tumor properties of cannabinoids, the medically active substances in cannabis. At the same time, this thread has received more "unrecs" than "recs" since it was posted.

What is missing from the high-ranking OP is the fact that virtually all of the research on the anti-tumor properties of cannabis (as well as most research on other medically beneficial properties of this plant) have been conducted overseas. American scientists are severely limited in their ability even to study the plant and its components, being required to use intentionally-produced ditch-weed schwag grown at Ole Miss for their research and to go through a years-long approval process that is intended to stifle such research. So far, it has succeeded.

This OP calls for that to change by asking the Obama administration to reclassify cannabis to allow more research and to allow patients across the country to access this beneficial medicine. Despite the poorly worded OP title and perhaps the pipe dream elements of hoping that a decision to reclassify cannabis would help energize voters to maintain a Democratic majority, the fact is that unless we reclassify cannabis, we cannot apply our scientific skills to maximize the benefits it promises (and in 14 states, provides.)

Interesting irony, that. Sad too.

[gateley]

86. I read this as "reclassify Cannibals"! Huh? I agree with another DUer that

many Americans view pro-pot advocates as "just those stoners", but that's not accurate. I don't smoke pot and I'm STRONGLY in favor of legalizing, decriminalizing, whatever, pot and the rest of the illegal drugs. Problem is, I fear I'm in the minority. :(

And the scare tactics used: If my kid's teacher or my nurse was the kind of person who was going to be high on the job, they'd be doing that already. It's no different than being drunk on job. People who are responsible don't come to work fucked up. People who aren't (or who have a problem and need help) do.

Just my two cents. Wish I was in CA for this so I could at least give one more vote to the cause.

[Uncle Joe]

87. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Fly by night.

[eShirl]

91. Frankly, I think he's about as likely to do that as he is to endorse gay marriage.

[krabigirl]

95. I agree, if he won't, i want to see someone in there that will. This is medicine that can help many.

Fuck all the haters.