The president's busy. He's got important things to do, like rescuing the economy, saving jobs and mortgages and industries. But we ought not to let him off the hook for his frivolous dismissal of a widely popular question he faced in Thursday's Online Town Hall.
At the top of the televised event, the president announced that of the 3.5 million votes on the thousands of questions received in advance, one topic "ranked fairly high." It was whether legalizing marijuana would improve the economy and encourage job creation. He responded: "The answer is no, I don't think that is a good strategy to grow our economy." He then asked rhetorically what the question says about "the online audience."
Get it? His in-the-flesh audience got it, chuckling politely at the allusion to a Stoner Nation plugged in to the "internets."
The problem for Mr. Obama is that marijuana reform was at or near the top of the list of all questions in three major categories: budget, health care reform, green jobs and energy. Our leader doesn't seem to understand that millions of his interlocutor-constituents are actually quite serious about the issue.
Which is not to say that drugs, particularly pot, doesn't offer up a rich if predictable vein of humor. Cheech and Chong's vintage "Dave's not here!" routine is still a side-splitter. As Larry the Cable Guy would say, "I don't care who you are, that's funny right there."
But there's nothing comical about tens of millions of Americans being busted, frightened out of their wits, losing their jobs, their student loans, their public housing, their families, their freedom...
And show me the humor in a dying cancer patient who's denied legal access to a drug known to relieve pain and suffering.
Having just returned from Minnesota whose state lawmakers are entertaining a conservative, highly restrictive medical marijuana law, I can tell you what's not funny to Joni Whiting.
Ms. Whiting told the House's Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee of her 26-year-old daughter Stephanie's two-year battle with facial melanoma that surfaced during the young woman's third pregnancy. The packed hearing room was dead quiet as Ms. Whiting spoke of Stephanie's face being cut off "one inch at a time, until there was nothing left to cut." She spoke of her daughter's severe nausea, her "continuous and uncontrollable pain."
Stephanie moved back to her family's home and "bravely began to make plans for the ending of her life." The tumors continued to grow, invading the inside and outside of her mouth, as well as her throat and chest. Nausea was a constant companion. Zofran and (significantly) Marinol, the synthetic pill version of THC, did nothing to abate the symptoms. Stephanie began wasting away. She lost all hope of relief.
Joni's other children approached their mother, begged her to let their sister use marijuana. But Ms. Whiting, a Vietnam veteran whose youngest son recently returned from 18 months in Iraq, was a law-abiding woman. And she was afraid of the authorities. There was no way she would allow the illicit substance in her house. As she held her ground, her grownup kids removed Stephanie from the family home.
Three days later, wracked by guilt, Joni welcomed her daughter back. "I called a number of family members and friends...and asked if they knew of anywhere we could purchase marijuana. The next morning someone had placed a package of it on our doorstep. I have never known whom to thank for it but I remain grateful beyond belief." The marijuana restored Stephanie's appetite. It allowed her to eat three meals a day, and to keep the food down. She regained energy and, in the words of her mother, "looked better than I had seen her in months."
Stephanie survived another 89 days, celebrating both Thanksgiving and Christmas with her family.
Shortly after the holidays, Stephanie's pain became "so severe that when she asked my husband and me to lie down on both sides of her and hold her, she couldn't stand the pain of us touching her body."
Stephanie died on January 14, 2003 in the room she grew up in, holding her mother's hand. A mother who, as she told the legislative committee, would "have no problem going to jail for acquiring medical marijuana for my suffering child."
Following Joni Whiting's presentation, it was all I could do to hold it together during my own testimony. Such was the power of this one woman's story. And of the sadness and rage roiling inside me as I reflected on the countless other Stephanies who are made to suffer not only the ravages of terminal illness and intractable pain but the callousness and narrow-mindedness of their leaders.
When I finished my testimony, a local police chief, a member of the committee, angrily accused me of disrespecting the police officers in the room--who'd shown up in force, in uniform, to oppose medical marijuana. Wearing a bright yellow tie with the lettering "Police Line, Do Not Cross," the chief charged me with placing more stock in the opinions of doctors than of Minnesota's cops. Guilty, as charged. Who are we, I asked him, to substitute our judgment for that of medical professionals and their patients? Who are we, for that matter, to deny the will of the people.
There's much value in humor, even during times of pain and tragedy. So long as the joke is not at the expense of the suffering.
It's been a bad couple of weeks for the president. His Leno comment about the Special Olympics while self-deprecating and not malicious was certainly tone deaf, followed soon after by his casting gratuitous aspersions at serious advocates of marijuana reform.
But Barack Obama is a decent and honorable man, compassionate and wise. I can't believe he would do anything other than what Joni Whiting did if, God forbid, he faced similar choices within his own family. I can't believe he doesn't realize the political value of taking a more reasoned, courageous stand on drug policy reform in general. Or of at least providing honest, thoughtful answers on the issue.
Perhaps we should show him what's in it for him? Perhaps we should make certain that in every future "town hall" the president is reassured of the seriousness of the legions of voters working to end cruel and ineffective drug laws.
Git-er-done!
Obama could care less about this country or the concerns of many of the voters who put him in office. Otherwise we wouldn't be escalating a war in Afghanistan, or leaving 50k soldiers in Iraq.
For those of you who wanted change on these issues- should've gone 3rd party. BTW, who else is disgusted with moveon.org?
http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIsMarijuanaIllegal.html
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8231634812734884936
Instead, what he did is simply say "No, that would not be a good idea" in response to legalization, and leave the discussion there. He didn't clarify his reasons, or present an argument. Because he knows it's bull**** that weed is illegal, and he knows that there is no reason to waste money and ruin lives over a harmless--yet extremely helpful--plant. But his hands are tied too tightly to do anything about it. Give the man time...let's wait a while, get the economy back on track, elect him again, and THEN see what he does. In the meantime, I'll enjoy my chronic tax-free.
Face this squarely: The economy does not improve no matter what they try because it is based upon military expenditures to assist the empire in conquering the world. Doomed to failure. Give me some legal pot to ease the pain of centuries of mismanagement and stop plugging the rightwing madness.
If people believe in legalization, then press for it, and perhaps Obama's hands won't be tied. There's no decent argument against it, so why not force those opposed make the argument before simply forfeiting.
Why is marijuana illegal? An excellent summary: http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIsMarijuanaIllegal.html
I just think that the silent majority of weed-loving people should keep in mind that the President's current agenda is teetering on a very sharp precipice, and it would be poorly timed for him to support legalization when so many people are accusing him of ridiculous things like socialism. He can't afford to add "pothead" to their arsenal of unjustified insults. We must keep fighting to legitimize marijuana--but support will continue to be grassroots only for quite a while, by necessity.
The absolute lies and misinformation presented by law enforcement did one thing for me: made me lose all respect for law enforcement. I'm sorry, but when police officers abuse their power and the trust the public places in them to further their own agenda at the expense of those who are most vulnerable, that's difficult to turn a deaf ear to. Unfortunately, Governor Tim Pawlenty is busy using Minnesota as his own political playground as he readies his bid for President and is siding with law enforcement to get the easy vote.
Marijuana legalization is a serious issue and it needs to be taken care of.
So Obama wake up! The country is ready for REAL change!
I guess that Obama is merely willing to represent 49% of the voters... considering the recent Zogby poll, which estimates that 46% of Americans support legalizing and taxing marijuana (and 5% undecided). Way to go Obama... you effectively proved to me that you won't listen to the American voice if it isn't hailing your views.
To do so would be political suicide, and in today's America, still reeling from the effects of economic terrorism and class warfare initiated, sustained and elevated by a wealthy elite controlled military industrial complex, it might even be physical suicide, because there are indeed powers that be in this nation who wield enough muscle to do away with a sitting president, and they are capable of committing such an unspeakable act with impunity.
So, when the time comes for Barack Obama to close the door on this nation's failed drug war and open the avenues by which medical marijuana is accepted, he will do so in steps, first shutting down our failed marijuana policies, then clearing the judicial branch of its current mandate to prosecute users, then slowly letting state laws gain superiority over federal law.
A deciding case will come before the Supreme Court at some point, and if by chance the court rules in favor of the states, Obama will simply step aside and get out of the way.
But don't expect this president to step up to the podium and declare himself the "NORML President".
It's just never going to happen that way.
he neither addressed the question and considering the fact that the government claims of cannabis being the number one cash crop and not helpful to boost the economy is patent lunacy. This issue deserves debate and it does so NOW!
President Obama dissed a large part of his online audience and Robert Gibbs didn't help. If he and his admin think that those of us who take this serious will continue supporting him, get real. As far as this being a politically hot potato, guess again. the way the republicans are in disarray with the current crop from Bobby Jindal to Mr Steele, from Rush to Billo for spokes people, this grand Old Obstructionists are in such disarray, that they don't know what side of the toast to butter! The time is now, unless you feel we can afford to lose the revenues from the number one cashcrop or maybe you would like to pay the 25 billion annually to keep non violent drug users locked up.
Obama laffed it off because there was NO proper argument against legalization other than it being purely political...the economy could get back on track, the war in afganistan could be "won" and peace and prosperity could reign for the rest of his term and he would very possibly LOSE a reelection because he tried to legalise pot...(also potheads don't vote lol)
Talk about biting the hand that elected you.
“If not for the Internet, Barack Obama would not be President or even the democratic nominee,” claimed Arianna Huffington during a roundtable on the final day of a Web 2.0 Summit.
I think that if Obama were honest with himself he would agree with Arianna Huffington on this matter. If so, how does he reconcile mocking the same intenet audience that raised all that money and support for his presidential run?
Marajuana proabition is a serious issue, and while Obama may consider it too paltry to waste his political capital on, the lease he could do is give us an answer (to one of the most popular questions) that does not incluse a slap in the face.
Booo sir.