Obama: Decriminalize Pot

Washinton Times:

Last fall during a nationally televised presidential debate, Sen. Barack Obama hesitantly raised his hand and joined with most of his Democratic rivals to declare that he opposed decriminalizing marijuana.

But as a candidate for the U.S. Senate four years ago, Mr. Obama told Illinois college students that he supported eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana use or possession, according to a videotape of a little noticed debate that was obtained by The Washington Times.

Asked about the two different answers, Mr. Obama's presidential campaign said he in fact has "always" supported decriminalizing marijuana as he answered in 2004, meaning the candidate mistakenly raised his hand during the presidential debate last fall.

Read more here.

Read the whole story: Washinton Times

Comments

[ClaeDulls]

hand raising in a debate does not count as a flip flop. it's the weakest response to a policy question there can be. there's no discussion. think about it for a second.

As an Obama supporter it's uncomfortable because small minded people see hand raising for a complicated and potentially volatile issue as a valid means of debate. it is unfortunate he "mistakenly" raised his hand, but it doesn't fit into some greater narrative. and it does no good for our cause to draw this issue out in this way. his actual position is a reasonable one, but one that needs explanation. if he as a viable presidential candidate, and we all know this, says "yeah I'm all for decriminalization" he gets stuck for weeks in that conversation. as far as politically calculating moves go, a wave of the hand is not a speech, not a vote, not an interview, not even a real debate response.

[Tellmethetruth]

I am sure the Republicans will rip him to shred over this one.

[sarnold49]

Why on earth do people think the main message here is about marijuana?

"Flip Flop" does that ring a bell with ANYONE?

[sarnold49]

"mistakenly raised his hand during the presidential debate last fall."

What is he a moron? He mistakenly hits the wrong button when voting on controversial issues in the IL State Senate over and over and over and mistakenly raises his hand on controverisial issues in a presidential debate! Me thinks he is a fraud!

[dcazal01]

I have been smoking mariguana for 40 years everyday at least 5 joints a day, I am 59 I quit a year ago in order to finish my Ph D in Computer Science but it was really hard, even today I dream about finishing a roach it is addictive and It destroys your respiratory system also the kidney I was always with urinal urges. But it seems that it did not do too much harm to my brain at least for studying most of my fellow student were younger than me and none did drugs (mainly from China and India) but my GPA is 3.75 and my dissertation 200 pages long in the field of computational theory, specifically in Non deterministic automata minimization passed with no corrections.

I hope I do not go back to smoking pot the worst thing was having to deal with low life pushers and fearing of cops all the time and of course the urinal urges

[bigdaddyvike]

mmm... driving down the road. Joint vs. 6 pack. duh.

[GoldCanyonGal]

There go the law enforcement unions! Thanks, Mr Obama!

[mp21]

the real addiction we should be talking about is consumerism. the contrived association that purchasing certain things equate to happiness is a huge problem in this country and increasingly, other parts of the world. i know many people around me who have fallen into this trap.

the personal savings rate of americans is at .2% now, which is by no means sustainable.

these types of conversations are more diversions than anything.

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

Twice As Many Defendants Imprisoned For Marijuana Possession.

Under Tough 'Three Strikes' Law Than For Violent Crimes, Study Indicates
March 6, 1996, San Francisco, CA: More than twice as many defendants have been sentenced to stiff prison sentences under California's "three strikes and you're out" law than have murderers, rapists, and kidnappers combined, according to a recent study by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice in San Francisco.

Overall, the report concluded that 85 percent of those sentenced under the law had been convicted most recently of a non-violent offense. Of those 85 percent, 192 individuals were sentenced under the law after being convicted of marijuana possession while in custody (a felony offense in California) as compared to only 40 who were convicted of murder, 25 of rape, and 24 of kidnapping.

I hope Bill Maher will get behind Obama.

[imsosure]

For any of you out there who think this is a crazy out of control or otherwise not a good idea I challenge you to watch these messages from the links noted below. I hope you learn something that would help you understand another persons point of view from people who are now functional because of the bebefits of this medicine.

http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=5181

http://videos.med.wisc.edu/videoInfo.php?videoid=1107

[Gary47]

One of the more sensible things to come out the mouth of a presidential candidate in decades.

[ginnypoo]

Obama seems to say one thing and then vote incorrectly....that is gonna be the watch word if he is elected...OOPS, I didn't mean to sign that bill, OOPS, I made a mistake, didn't read the directions, pushed the wrong button. Can we really afford to have the President pushing the wrong buttons?

[Ginzaman]

First, the Washington Times using this as yet another Obama hatchet job is no surprise.

I applaud Obama for supporting decriminalization. What he should do next is take it a step further. Stop the hypocracy about what's a "drug." Have you ever heard of anybody dying after smoking a joint? No. Does smoking grass lead to harder drugs? No. If it did, how come I didn't die of an overdose a long time ago?

Every time you drink coffee, you're doing a drug. Does this make you an addict? If you need it every day, yes you are. But we're so conditioned to think addict=only hard drugs=evil it's stupid to not change this.

But you know what's going to happen? The white power elite will never allow this to happen. Just like they'll never allow an honest, adult debate about race in America. If these did, then they would have to make Obama "a non-viable candidate." And then Hillary takes over.

[ConcernAmerican]

I've just watched the video when Obama was running for the US Senate. Majority of heavy drug users started smoking Marijuana, as the craving for more high is increases they move to heavy duty drugs like cocaine. Many of heavy drug users I know started from Marijuana. I don't know what Obama was thinking when he said it. Maybe because he was a user of Marijuana and cocaine when he was young.

Gangs in Chicago like Black P. Stone, Latino Kings and others are selling drugs which causes death of young people and deterioration of neighborhood.

Obama was a community organizer in Chicago before going to law school, he hasn't learned a damn thing! Marijuana is the GATEWAY for DRUGS, this is killing young and promising AFRICAN-AMERICANS.

Why is it this news just comes out now? This should have been out a LONG TIME ago!

America is facing a drug problem, and now he wanted to decriminalize it? The Netherlands is having a problem right now treating their drug addicts because it is legal in their country to smoke pot, hashish and etc.

ANYONE WHO CAST THEIR VOTE FOR OBAMA HATES THE YOUNG PEOPLE!

[longhairrepublicansurfer]

Regardless of our independent beliefs - isn't it a bit pathetic that we're considering it a virtue of our president that he'll allow us to blow spliffs and roll blunts? Is this really the stimulus for our flagging economy? The motivation our youth need for a work ethic? The impetus for alternative energy and technology? If you Marxist insist that religion is the opiate of the masses, isn’t it incumbent upon you all to avoid different opiates? – Ex – weed, coke, meth, vodka, painkillers – and everything else? If you disdain the opiate religion are you not compelled to also disdain those opiates that cause actual physical damage to your singular body?