I have NEVER used pot and doubt I ever will but why in the hell does Obama....

[Logical]

think arresting pot users and growers ranks in the top 1000 of things he needs to have the justice department spend time on?

Isn't there enough wrong with this country that we can leave that to the states to deal with?

Unbelievable!

[Lucinda]

1. Dunno. Maybe he's tough on pot to diffuse his former drug use

That makes as much sense to me as anything else does, in explanation...

[villager]

2. They're big on betrayal, this administration

I guess this is just part of that agenda...

[polichick]

5. Or their favorite sport.

[Skink]

3. You should try pot.

I gave it up cause I had trouble gettin out of bed but that is me.

[jimmyflint]

4. I don't know. I always thought going after pot

was a total waste of money and time. Maybe President Obama owes a favor to the correction officer unions or private prison industry.

[Le Taz Hot]

19. Obama owes to the Unions?

:rofl: No, his bosses are much MUCH richer. Try big pharma. He's mainly cozying up to the the "independents" (nod nod, wink wink) and the conservanazis, you know, his REAL constituents.

[jimmyflint]

29. That makes more sense.

I knew there was money and some benefit for somebody. I heard beer companies pay alot to keep pot illegal also, but I don't know if it's true or not.

[Webster Green]

6. It makes no sense at all.

He is losing votes over it though. This is a big issue for some people around here.

Nobody can figure out why he's being such a right wing nut case on this issue.

Pot isn't the dangerous political 3rd rail it used to be. Everyone knows damn well that there is legitimate medicinal value. The DEA are acting like completely uninformed morons with their ancient reefer madness bullshit.

[BattyDem]

9. "there is legitimate medicinal value"

That's it. There's your reason. The pharmaceutical companies don't want people to have a cheap alternative to their overpriced drugs!

[unblock]

7. i'll also never use pot but think it should be legal and regulated; however,

i also recognize that, for now at least this is a complete loser issue in terms of presidential politics.
whatever political capital obama has, he'd be a fool to spend it on this.

his admission to trying cocaine once upon a time was interestingly a virtual non-issue during his election campaign (a clear indication that he had the media / powers-that-be stamp of approval, if you ask me), but if he tries to legalize any currently illegal drugs, they'll paint him as an incorrigible druggie.

he'd lose the issue and he'd render himself politically irrelevant.

[RainDog]

11. it's interesting that "political capital" is only viewed as accruing to conservatives

when 70% of Americans favor medical marijuana legalization.

just who would be offended? the 30% who supported Bush till the dirty end?

honestly, Obama needs to spend some political capital on the democratic base, you know, like the republicans do with their base.

let reason and common sense win one for a change.

not to mention that it makes everyone in the federal govt in any way connected to this issue to look like total #@$^%&*%#s to have so little compassion for people who can benefit from this substance - because of their own freaking personal political gain.

that sort of makes me want to vomit, in fact.

[Logical]

12. Then he can just ignore it! n-t

[unblock]

14. it doesn't work that way. if isn't seen as strong against drugs,

then he's seen as condoning them, effectively decriminalizing them.

only because we've got some warped attitudes towards, among other things, drugs, in this country, but that's the way it is.

[Upton]

16. I don't think too many people expected Obama to push for the decriminalization of pot..

but I, for one, did expect him to keep his promises on medical marijuana...something he hasn't done. In fact, he has actually ramped up the war against patients and dispensaries. There's just no excuse..

"I'm not going to be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on this issue."

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080323/NEWS/803230336

"I would not have the Justice Department prosecuting and raiding medical marijuana users. It's not a good use of our resources."

http://granitestaters.com/candidates/barack_obama.html

[theaocp]

26. Must be a great reason to stay in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.

Otherwise, he'd be seen as soft on terror, or something. What horseshit. Any stand he took for MMJ would be as much of an issue as he wanted to make it. Christ, he's leaving gay marriage up to the states, after all.

[EOTE]

18. Uhhhh, he could simply keep his campaign promise.

That he'd dial back the busting of MM dispensaries instead of escalating them like he has. This issue will cost him, but not like you think it will.

[Odin2005]

8. Because TPTB need the prison slave labor.

[Mimosa]

10. Hmm. Reminds me of CHINA. YIKES. n/t

[NorthCarolina]

23. High incarceration rate helps to keep unemployment figures lower

than they would be otherwise.

[CrossChris]

27. Bingo. I think this is reason #1. nt

[CrispyQ]

28. This is the winning answer. There are more & more stories about corporations using prison labor,

paying incredibly cheap wages & in one case, no wages. One state (WI, MI? Can't remember.) the prisoners don't get paid, but get time off their sentences. What a great deal for the corporations. I believe this is why prez O has backed off his campaign promises about MMJ. It's just another part of the plan to decrease wages in America.

[Odin2005]

31. Yup.

[eShirl]

13. Because it's easy busy-work.

[piratefish08]

15. just easy low-hanging fruit to appease the right.

surprised?

[Enthusiast]

17. He is trying to appeal to the Republicans.

For some unknown reason. And not only on this issue.

[TheKentuckian]

20. Republican voters aren't exactly obssesed with this either and those that are probably

way to far gone to be courting and can't be very significant in real numbers.

I think the state has made pot an acceptable end around the fourth amendment and they can't effectively maintain the kind of police state they want without it, the potential to cut into Pharma profits are too high, the private prison complex and our court systems are addicted, police cannot justify their headcounts without it, and if bud just keeps hanging around eventually there will be a hemp movement that would be a huge danger to many established industries including even big oil.

Obama's job is to protect the establishment and doing the right thing will usually come at cross purposes with the job's prime directive.
The wall is starting to come down and the Feds are flexing a bit here to intimidate efforts to change direction.

[Enthusiast]

24. Your explanation is better than mine.

I was just shooting my mouth off.

[lunatica]

21. Going after pot growers and smokers will certainly keep them busy

No doubt about that.

It's a never ending domestic war they can keep throwing lots of money at. I'm sure the poor and destitute will be glad to give up their social nets for the good cause.

[Bluenorthwest]

22. Afraid of going after the real criminals

Plus, hypocrisy seems to excite the President on a basic level.

[Javaman]

25. Because the war on drugs is a massive money maker

and pot is probably the largest of the illegal drugs out there that is used.

if you cut out the biggest money maker, how are you supposed to grease your friends?

See how it works?

[Uncle Joe]

30. Perhaps because investigating and prosecuting torture promoting, war criminals is hard work.

It's not so difficult to go after the "little people;" seeking relief from their ailments or just a means for relaxation.

Thanks for the thread, Logical.

[Enthusiast]

32. You say truth.

[inna]

33. or... persecuting John Edwards. not nearly on the same level of importance, but equally absurd.