Obama Explains Increasing Medical Marijuana Crackdowns, Raids In 'Rolling Stone' Interview

Amid an increased crackdown on medical marijuana producers across the nation, including a recent high-profile raid on a California training school, President Barack Obama faced questions in a new interview with Rolling Stone about the seeming disconnect between his 2008 campaign rhetoric and his administration's actions since he took office.

"I'm not going to be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws [on medical marijuana]," Obama promised in 2008, according to an earlier Rolling Stone report. But Attorney General Eric Holder announced in 2010 that federal authorities would continue to prosecute individuals for marijuana possession, despite its legalized status in some states.

The Huffington Post's Lucia Graves reported recently on subsequent enforcement activity:

Since then, the administration has unleashed an interagency cannabis crackdown that goes beyond anything seen under the Bush administration, with more than 100 raids, primarily on California pot dispensaries, many of them operating in full compliance with state laws. Since October 2009, the Justice Department has conducted more than 170 aggressive SWAT-style raids in 9 medical marijuana states, resulting in at least 61 federal indictments, according to data compiled by Americans for Safe Access, an advocacy group.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, the president tried to explain his original comments, claiming that the recent pressure on dispensaries and providers was in line with his intent.

"What I specifically said was that we were not going to prioritize prosecutions of persons who are using medical marijuana," Obama said. "I never made a commitment that somehow we were going to give carte blanche to large-scale producers and operators of marijuana -- and the reason is, because it's against federal law."

The president continued: "I can't nullify congressional law. I can't ask the Justice Department to say, 'Ignore completely a federal law that's on the books.' What I can say is, 'Use your prosecutorial discretion and properly prioritize your resources to go after things that are really doing folks damage.' As a consequence, there haven't been prosecutions of users of marijuana for medical purposes."

Obama then shifted gears away from marijuana, saying that a "broader debate" on drug laws was warranted.

While the president appears to believe that his administration's actions against medical cannabis don't conflict with his earlier statements on the issue, some lawmakers around the country disagree.

Lawmakers in five states that have legalized medical marijuana recently wrote a letter to Obama criticizing him for a supposed "contradiction" on the matter and calling on the federal government "not to interfere with our ability to control and regulate how medical marijuana is grown and distributed."

Read the entire Rolling Stone interview here.

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[relentless63]

12:48 PM on 08/01/2012

56% of Americans want marijuana legalized. Precious law enforcement resources are being used to the sale of medical marijuana, while Pharma companies advertise drugs whose side effects do everything, but turn you blind, deaf and dumb, all at once. Politically, at this point, Obama's plate is full. It will be up to the people to insist that the bull*^@% and propaganda have run their tired course.

[Noneya Biznazz]

04:07 PM on 06/29/2012

He gets too much money from Big Pharma to ever be considered a good judge on the subject. He outright lied about his intentions. Thats all there is to it.

[NHampshire]

06:33 PM on 11/30/2012

And he's still smoking and doing coke too. He's a real sicko.

[Dan Richeson]

08:08 AM on 05/27/2012

The laws regarding cannabis were born on the wings of lies and pampered by propaganda such that now the tightly held belief systems are going to have to reckon with the desire of all humanity to live with dignity, free from the oppressive tyranny that ignorance and biggotry have spawned.

http://www.change.org/petitions/all-elected-represenitives-and-the-united-nations-recognize-the-rights-of-cannabis-users

[MrKnuckles]

08:52 PM on 05/24/2012

"The War on Drugs" is now a huge Federally Funded Industry with a lot to lose if Pot becomes legalized.
After all, the Federal Law Machine still wants lots & lots more helicopters, night vision goggles, new jails, etc. to play with at the public's expense. And, Obama Knows the power this monster-sized crew of suck-fish controls in Washington.
So don't be so surprised that Obama's just your typical, hypocritical, two faced, spineless politician when it comes to Marijuana reform.

[Lion Iron Zion]

06:26 PM on 05/17/2012

Let's Only Hope

[georgecarlin76]

07:09 PM on 05/10/2012

I hate to break the news but Obama has the Feds raiding 20 times more people for medial marijuana than Bush ever did. From what the lawyers tell me they are doing it to steal money from all these people. They have just become a more organized gang that taps all the phones not to stop all the phony terrorism but to crackdown on pot. Its a disgrace.

[NHampshire]

06:34 PM on 11/30/2012

What do you expect from the banksters b**ch

[Warren Psh Psh]

04:43 PM on 05/01/2012

A group to help get the government off the backs of hard workers doing what is perfectly legal in their state law which trumps federal law since the federal gov is there only to serve the states not invade them and destroy business. https://www.facebook.com/groups/cchhi2012/

[Bobolini]

04:31 PM on 05/01/2012

Take a look at this - http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1171110--a-child-is-born-every-hour-in-the-u-s-hooked-on-opiates-study-finds

I had heart surgery to remove a rare tumor. The recovery was horrific and extremely painful. They gave me Vicodin for the pain and it was killing me by shutting down my intestines and my mind. I substituted two chunks of organic chocolate infused with marijuana oil. I stopped taking the Vicodin and continued with the chocolates until the pain was done. No hangovers, no side effects, no pain - no coughing. No addiction.

That is why the large pharmas have paid the President to keep it illegal. It is too good and they know it.

[John Winte]

11:01 PM on 04/30/2012

President Obama can direct the Department of Justice to give medical marijuana states an exemption from federal marijuana laws where medical marijuana is concerned just in the same way he is exempting entire states from federal laws like obama care and no child left behind!

[zappbrannigan420]

12:19 PM on 04/30/2012

Marijuana is dangerous, its deadly - I know. I O'd and died from it three times from it last week!

[summer4891]

03:33 PM on 04/30/2012

Must have been some of that "killer weed" I've heard of. (sorry about the pun)

[Dan Richeson]

08:11 AM on 05/27/2012

could you say that again, I musta zoned out

[Queen Black]

11:01 PM on 08/27/2012

LOL!!

[summer4891]

11:12 AM on 04/30/2012

Smoking pot is a victimless crime until someone is victimized by the legal system for doing so. Federal and local government have victimized the nation for decades now with the prohibition on cannabis. And just as it was with alcohol, millions of lives have been ruined by the implementation of this prohibition. I would gladly be tested for impairment after smoking all night long if the researchers would also test, along side me, someone who had been drinking [the legal drug] all night long. If you haven't tried smoking pot, take my word for it; it's not the big deal everyone has made of it. The mild euphoric sensation wears off quickly and is pleasant and non-impairing. It does not strip you of your faculties like alcohol does. And refusing to except the benefits ill people get from it is both denial and bureaucratic hogwash. I have several blown discs and live in actual constant pain. Pot doesn’t stop that pain, but makes the pain and my life tolerable despite my physical anguish. Aside from that, the real issue is weather or not a teenager (or anyone) should be incarcerated and have his record tarnished and his future crippled just for getting high? The crime isn’t in getting high; the crime is what we are doing to ourselves over it. We can end prohibition by voting the right people into office--those who care about the good of the whole of society and not just their elite constituency.

[Dan Richeson]

08:19 AM on 05/27/2012

The only way elected officials are going to legalize it is if they have the political cover of the people. It is actually the people who must do the heavy lifting. It simply isn't enough to bemone how elected officials arent representing us properly, nor is it enough to simply hit the "LIKE" button. We need to become more forceful. People who love liberty dont wait for it to be "granted", they join together and DECLARE THEIR RIGHTS! Here is how I am doing it:


The laws regarding cannabis were born on the wings of lies and pampered by propaganda such that now the tightly held belief systems are going to have to reckon with the desire of all humanity to live with dignity, free from the oppressive tyranny that ignorance and biggotry have spawned.

http://www.change.org/petitions/all-elected-represenitives-and-the-united-nations-recognize-the-rights-of-cannabis-users

[summer4891]

11:10 AM on 04/30/2012

Fumes wisely states on page 177:
"Ron Paul wants to legalize pot and shut down the Federal Reserve. He thinks the federal government has no authority to outlaw abortion, no business bombing Iran to keep it from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and no justification to print money unless it's backed up by gold bars. RON PAUL in 2012."

The best candidates are usually Independents but obviously have no chance of winning, so votes for Mr. Paul will serve to take away votes from the Dems, and serve as votes FOR the self-serving aristocrats (the Pubs). Same goes for the Tea Party, who are just renegade republicans. When asked about "medical" marijuana, Romney summed up his stance in four words: “I’m against medical marijuana.” Though the Democratic Party is far from perfect, they generally support policies which benefit the whole of society instead of just the upper two percentile. Whoever the Democrats nominate will always be the only choice (unless you're a Wall Streeter, CEO, Oil Company exec, Banker, work or lobby for a large corporation, or are otherwise wealthy and part of the upper 2%--who care nothing for womens' rights, public health and education, Social Security, or fair taxation.) The Democrats are always the least of all evils. We took Obamas' power away before he even got started by voting the Pubs into the majority. If you want change, vote for a Democratic congress so the Presidents' hands aren't tied.

[zappbrannigan420]

12:29 PM on 04/30/2012

The Democratic party has history of being worse than the Republicans when it comes to marijuana. Under Clinton arrests for marijuana skyrocketed over those made during any of the Bush administrations or the Reagan years. Under O, we've seen medical producers go through the same rigamarole. If you're a smoker then you have no business voting Democrat, you're just condemning thousands more to prison.

[summer4891]

01:17 PM on 04/30/2012

Hi Zapp,
I vote Dem. because I see how devastating the last administration’s policies have been to the countries economy. We re-elected Bush for a second term and after four more years of cronyism and the Pubs chipping away at the country’s controls, safety nets, and infrastructure, most of us were thrilled with the prospect of having a Democratic president to fight back against the elite status quo--only to throw the balance of power in Congress back to the Republicans after just 24 months, rendering the new administration impotent. I respect those who ‘Occupy-ed’ the streets to complain about the long-term effects of letting corporatists and old-money aristocrats have their way. The rich are getting rich quicker than ever before [some of them retiring on bonuses provided by your tax dollars via government bailouts] while middle-class families move into cars and tents and learn to beg for food, jobs, and small change. Our affinity for electing right-wing conservatives with a vested interest on Cap Hill into positions of power in an already corrupt system is a horribly bad idea. In fact, the only good thing to come from letting Pubs have control for so long is that it might finally expose them for who they are: big-money businesses, corporations, and aristocrats who care nothing for personal rights and freedoms, the environment, healthcare, minorities, the elderly, Social Security, or the general level of poverty and ignorance the rest of society slowly degrades to.

[FredFawcett]

10:11 PM on 06/02/2012

Insanity is when you keep doing the same failed thing expecting different results. No more lesser of two evils for me. My new politics are Kamikazee style. If Obama thinks he can get me to vote for him again after backstabbing me on issue after issue because I fear a GOP victory, then I call his bluff. I don't want the GOP Fascists in control, no way. But I'm all done pretending that democrats are my friends only to have the nonsense start as soon as they're elected and don't need anything from us for another two years.

[Julie Baker Morse]

04:28 AM on 04/30/2012

The lies of the POTUS get more and more outrageous. If he's such a "gifted" speaker, why must he constantly "clarify" every statement he makes? Or have others "clarify" his statements for him? Isn't it time for an honest POTUS? We still have time to make that happen.

[FredFawcett]

10:13 PM on 06/02/2012

Where's the Occupy Movement? They can't be OK with this nonsense. Don't they have the numbers to give us a third option?

[Tammy Bick]

06:00 PM on 04/29/2012

It's PROHIBITION, think about it as you down your liquid drug available on every street and in some states 7 days a week

[wojoman2]

06:58 AM on 04/29/2012

Sit in an emergancy room and see how many people come in ambulances from drunk driving accidents and ones from marijuana or sit in a police station and see who many gets pulled in for drunk driving and driving under the influence of marijuana and you will see in both cases it will be from the consumption of Alcohol.

[CaptD]

10:05 AM on 04/29/2012

See how many poor folks sit in Prison at $50,000 per person for years and years for dong what rich folks do all the time...

America needs to end the Drug War and then modify our Laws RE: Drugs and Booze.

[zappbrannigan420]

12:10 PM on 04/30/2012

True that.