Obama's cannabis cowardice

Posted on: Tue, 02/05/2008 - 23:05 By: Tom Swiss

Reason magazine and StopTheDrugWar.org detail the sad story of Barack Obama's cowardice on the issue of marijuana decriminalization.

The Washington Times broke the story, reporting that in his 2004 Senate campaign Obama supported eliminating criminal penalties for cannabis use or possession. When the Times brought this up, the Obama campaign first stood by those remarks - then, within 24 hours, changed its story and declared that Obama does not support eliminating criminal penalties for cannabis.

If you thought Barack Obama was a man of courage, think again.

If you'd like to let the Obama campaign know how you feel about this, contact them at

http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/mypolicy

My message:

I am extremely disappointed by Mr. Obama's cowardice on the issue of cannabis decriminalization.

In 2004, he was wise enough to express support for ending criminal penalties for cannabis use or possession. And when the Washington Times recently dug up this fact, at first the Obama campaign stood behind this common sense policy. I thought that we might see the same courage that Mr. Obama showed on the failed Iraq War applied to the failed Drug War.

But within 24 hours, the Obama campaign was backpedaling, and declared that Obama does not support eliminating criminal penalties for cannabis.

That's shameful cowardice.

Let us not forget what criminalization of a behavior means: those who are caught doing it are forced in a cage at gunpoint. Does Mr. Obama think that he would have been better off if his own cannabis use had resulted in him being treated this way? I presume not, yet he wished to continue a policy that will do this to others people whose only difference from him is that they're unlucky enough to get caught.

That's shameful hypocrisy.

Tom Swiss - proprietor, unreasonable.org

In reply to by Tom Swiss

Goes to show that our "Leaders" are just retarded puppets with no real ethics! That don´t give a fuck about the very people trhat elected them in the first place! Destroy politicians and scrap their jobs! We can all vote anyways lets allow the people to vote all matters online now we dont need corrupt back stabbing false double standard fakies lying to our face every day. Accountability is only demanded from the weak,poor,and defenseless.

Besides it´s about time the youth have their say in what goes on it is our world too you know, why is it there are only old farts in congress?

I say scrap politicians let the people have the power that is rightly theirs.
Marlboro would hate the competition! People would scrap cigarettes for marijuana! i would. Money is power, politicians only care about themselves,welcome to the big lie!

I do think Obama is a man of courage, I never agreed with eliminating criminal penalties for cannabis in the first place. I don't have a good reason to support that, I hate drugs and they should stay illegal. I don't want to see all these drug dealers today to become respectable business men tomorrow, they have to pay for what they did and we need a legal basis for that. And that's for all the drug victims, there are too many people whose lives have been destroyed by drugs. We have thousands of kids struggling with drugs on the streets, we should better consider putting them in drug treatment, they represent out future.

In reply to by graham28

So you think Obama, and everyone else, would be better off if he'd been locked in a cage for several years?

I'm sorry that you have such an emotional reaction to some chemicals - you "hate drugs" - that you wish to use violence against those who use them.

Prohibition is a failure on a practical level, as proven by those "thousands of kids struggling with drugs on the streets", and it's a failure from an ethical standpoint, where you propose to initiate the use of violence against people who haven't done you or anyone else any harm. Drug use is a private choice.

Tom Swiss - proprietor, unreasonable.org

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

"Wow you're dumb"? What a comeback. Such scientific methods! What a logic! Fantastic use of brain matter! Wow you're dumb"?

Well guess what!! YOU'RE A POOPY PANTS!! So there, nyahh!!! HA!!!

In reply to by graham28

So let me get this straight... because YOU don't like it, you think it's OKAY for hundreds of thousands of INNOCENT people to be forced into a cage at gunpoint? In MY opinion, we should execute anyone who believes any cannabis user or grower should be in a cage. You better hope you never meet me, and if you do you better hope you don't say what you just said.

It comes down to this:

If you think i should be in a cage for enjoying a completely natural, minimally "harmful" plant, i think you should die... slowly, and painfully. Because that's what life in prison is. Slow, Painful death. If you think cannabis users deserve that, then i think you deserve it too.

You, sir, make me sick.

Now that that's out of the way:

Why do you hate drugs?
Why do you think growing a plant and then smoking it, deserves a prison sentence, along with hefty fines and asset seizure?
Why do you believe INNOCENT cannabis users should be violently oppressed, and have their entire lives stolen?

You DO realize it was the "LAW" (a technically INVALID law, enacted through fraud) that ruined most of these lives, right?

Your opinion is preposterous, absurd, and hateful.

In case you decide to respond, remember, you hated ME (and those like me) before you ever read anything i've just typed.
I didn't hate you until i read your comment. Your blind hate started this, take responsibility.

In reply to by graham28

youre really dumb like the man said.. read some nonbiased SCIENCE journals for once in your quick to jump on the bandwagon life, seriously, really read some scientific journals cannibinoids destroy cancer and remove the poisons that theyre population controlling with, use a little sense.. try to learn things and think about motivations for people in power to do things, maybe youre on the pompaus side and would rather hide the truth from the public and keep it to yourself in private, anyways thats a disgusting life, speak the truth speak your mind spread the truth or we'll have ignorant assholes like this rubbing their stupid uninformed opinions on everyone, go smoke your cigarette and cook your food off tin foil, uncle same loves you, ass

In reply to by graham28

Name one person whos life ended becouse they smoked cannabis! There has never been a death caused by cannabis but how many people are killed daily by beer and booze. Cannabis helps the sick and calms the mind the worst thing that could happen is you get a stomach ache from eating to much and you fall asleep cannabis is not a drug it helps people more than anything and just like beer you must use moderation. No one goes to rehab for a pot addiction dumbass. I do think that prescription drugs, crack , cocaine, heroine, and all the other life ruining substances MUST remain illegal, these drugs do not help anyone or anything and that our goverment needs to turn thier attention on these drugs more than ever. I have smoked weed since I was thirteen.At a young age I was put on rittalin and adderal for ADHD and I hated the feeling of being a zombie, these drugs made me feel like crap. So I started smoking pot and it helped me consintrate on school and my future without the side affects of feeling like a lifless emotionless dumbass. I hate drugs but I love plants, I'm not saying tha pot is the answer to everything but it does help ease stress without being a reckless dumbass robing and stealing to get a fix. I don't think the public should be allowed to grow if cannabis is ever legalized it should be taxed and regulated with age laws and should not be smoked on public streets much like Amsterdam where weed is only illegal on the streets but in a residence or cannabis cafe.Do some research before you ignorantly speak out about somthing you Know nothing about then I will hear your point of veiw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obama is a smart man with respect to decriminalizing and possible legalization of cannabis. I guess he's actually researched and listened to the cannabis patients instead of taking our fake government for its words.

You have to read between the lines and be practical. The way Democrats have lost the last two elections is because of the Rove tactic of social/cultural wedge issues. Do you really want Obama to lose the election, with everything he's got going for him, because the Republicans are playing marijuana quotes from him all over TV nonstop?

It's pretty obvious that Obama is not big on criminalizing marijuana users. What is the practical result of this? He'll probably tell the federal authorities to stop wasting time prosecuting legal state users, like they do with medical marijuana in California.

In other words, don't lower his chance of getting elected and having federal authorities ease off legal users. This is not an issue that wins elections, so leave it off for now.

Weed actually makes for great honest currency and tender, when legal. Cash and cocaine on the other hand, are easily diluted! This is the real problem and the Federal Reserve could not allow this to happen in the early quarter of the century when the institution was trying to establish itself ensuring its commodity to be the most in demand required for every trade transaction. Times are different now though, people have so much confidence in the American dollar (Although I personally have greater confidence in toilet paper and not just because its softer. The Dollar is good for scraping off lumps that just wont gravitate but shit just does not stick to it and least not forget how it blocks the sewer pipe). We must take a fresh look at Marijuana and shake off the taboo of the past. The laws against cannabis are plainly anti-social and the risk for users is not the cannabis itself but the harmful aldulterants that may be inhaled from a substance with no regulation and more demand than supply. Anyway, law is based around the principles of what is not socially acceptable. Whats the problem then!

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

With ALLLLLLLLL the crap pulled by our gov't for so long, do you *really* trust the gov't to make a safe, pure, unadulterated cannabis available, even if they do decide to regulate it?

HELLL No.

We're eating GMO foods, breathing all kinds of horrible toxic air pollution, drinking all kinds of horrible water pollution, and don't forget the tuskeegee experiment, and the attempted mass sterilization, eugenics project.

Consider the possibility that we're being constantly lied to, and even perhaps intentionally harmed, via a long term, and often not-so-subtle campaign of control.

Do I want these people telling me i can only have the cannabis THEY say is ok? HELL No.

I'll grow my own, my own way, so i can guarantee myself a pure, natural, organic, unadulterated yield.

No on regulation, yes on FULL legalization.

The only cannabis criminalization laws i would concede to, would be "no selling or providing cannabis (or other "drugs") to minors. That's it. That's the ONLY one. Other than that, Cannabis should be totally legal. Ok maybe also a minor-traffic-violation for being caught USING IT WHILE DRIVING, but not just for possession.

I'm completely amazed more people are not becoming violent over this oppressive and unjust persecution. How many innocent people will we allow them to terrorize, before we "draw the line." ??

Maybe courage just doesn't make sense if it reduces Obama's influence. I mean that in the vicious process that leads to government, it's good to be franc only if it makes you elected. Every president had to do some electioneering and I'm fed up with the hypocrisy "The one who is cought is faulty" for things everyone does.

seriously george washington would be weaping at all this hypocrisy i hope that obama honors or ancestors.

Obama will do the right thing no matter what happens. I smoke weed everyday and think it should be legalized. But I live in an herb friendly state so that makes a difference. What about texas then all that dirt weed can enter the states. They wouldn't legalize it they would administer it for medical use and let some patients self administer. But to comopletely decriminalize it would be a mistake.

Even Obama doesn't know what's his position on marijuana, I admit that I am confused myself. I used to have a clear opinion about marijuana's legal status but now I reconsidered everything and I don't know what to think anymore. Perhaps it would be better if we stopped putting people to jail for smoking a joint, not to mention about marijuana legalization, most of them smoke herbal legal buds anyway.