NYT (Global Edition) Op-Ed: Obama's "Reefer Madness"

[kpete]

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Reefer Madness
By ETHAN NADELMANN


MARIJUANA is now legal under state law for medical purposes in 16 states and the District of Columbia, encompassing nearly one-third of the American population. More than 1,000 dispensaries provide medical marijuana; many are well regulated by state and local law and pay substantial taxes. But though more than 70 percent of Americans support legalizing medical marijuana, any use of marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

....................

Perhaps not since the civil rights era has law enforcement played such an aggressive role in what is essentially a cultural and political struggle. But this time the federal government is playing the bully, riding roughshod over states’ rights, not to protect vulnerable individuals but to harm them.

At the federal level, there have been few voices of protest. Senior Democrats on Capitol Hill shy away from speaking out. Republicans mostly ignore the extent to which anti-marijuana zealotry threatens core conservative values like states rights, property rights and gun ownership.

Mr. Obama briefly showed a willingness to challenge the drug-war mind-set that permeates the federal drug-control establishment. He needs to show leadership and intervene now, to encourage and defend responsible state and local regulation of medical marijuana.

The rest:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/07/opinion/reefer-madness.html

[Webster Green]

1. K&R!

This is going to cost Obama lots of votes in CA.

[Fumesucker]

2. It's not madness.. It's cold, calculating, cynical maneuver for political advantage..

Not only is the administration lying, they know that we know they're lying.

What is the term for people who will continue lying to you even when you both know it's lie?

I believe that "pathological liar" fits..

[izquierdista]

3. "briefly showed a willingness"

Smile for the campaign photo-op! That'll reel in a few more suckers.