Obama's war on marijuana worst than Bush
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kingblaze84
Members Posts: 14,288 ✭✭✭✭✭
Obama said in 2007 that "it didn't make any sense to raid medicinal dispensaries" if they were legal under a state's law. However, as president, Obama's govt has raided more medicinal marijuana shops than any President in history, even more than Bush......
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/18/obama-war-on-weed-richard-lee-oaksterdam-raid_n_1427435.html
WASHINGTON -- When federal agents raided Oaksterdam University, Richard Lee's downtown Oakland, Calif.-based trade school, earlier this month, it wasn't simply a crackdown on a local ? business, it was one of the highest-profile moves in the Obama administration's nationwide assault on medical marijuana.
DEA and IRS agents hauled away computers, files and ? plants, leaving behind little more than office furniture. They did not disclose the reason for the raid and have not charged Lee with any crime as of yet. In an exclusive interview with The Huffington Post, his first since the raid, Lee, 49, blasted the federal crackdown as a senseless act of intimidation. "This is one battle of a big war," said Lee, "and there's thousands of battles going on all over."
"Before he was elected, [President Barack Obama] promised to support medical marijuana and not waste federal resources on this," Lee said. "About a year and a half ago, the policy seemed to change. They've been attacking many states, threatening governors of states to prevent them from signing legislation to allow medical marijuana. They've been attacking on many fronts."
Lee was a vocal advocate behind California's Proposition 19, a 2010 ballot question that sought to legalize marijuana. He put more than a million dollars behind the effort, which was opposed by the Obama administration and ultimately went down to defeat.
Medical marijuana is currently legal in California and 15 other states, plus the District of Columbia, and during his campaign for president, Obama vowed to stop the raids on medical marijuana users that were prevalent under George W. Bush, saying raiding patients who use marijuana for medicinal purposes "makes no sense."
It was in that political climate, in the fall of 2007 that Oaksterdam was founded by Lee, who started using medical marijuana for pain control more than 20 years ago, after a work accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. Often referred to as "the Princeton of ? ," the school has offered classes to would-be medical cannabis caregivers and patients in subjects ranging from horticulture to business to the finer points of running a dispensary.
About 15,000 students have graduated from Oaksterdam to date, according to Dale Sky Jones, the school's executive director. On October 15, 2010, however, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that federal authorities would continue to prosecute individuals for marijuana possession, even in states that have legalized it. That "threw a wet blanket" on enrollment at Oaksterdam, Jones said.
Then, last June, the Justice Department went even further. Deputy Attorney General James Cole argued in a memo that "caregiver" protections applied only to "individuals providing care to individuals with cancer or other serious illnesses, not commercial operations cultivating, selling or distributing marijuana." That meant ? shops, even those operating legally under state law, were vulnerable again.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/18/obama-war-on-weed-richard-lee-oaksterdam-raid_n_1427435.html
WASHINGTON -- When federal agents raided Oaksterdam University, Richard Lee's downtown Oakland, Calif.-based trade school, earlier this month, it wasn't simply a crackdown on a local ? business, it was one of the highest-profile moves in the Obama administration's nationwide assault on medical marijuana.
DEA and IRS agents hauled away computers, files and ? plants, leaving behind little more than office furniture. They did not disclose the reason for the raid and have not charged Lee with any crime as of yet. In an exclusive interview with The Huffington Post, his first since the raid, Lee, 49, blasted the federal crackdown as a senseless act of intimidation. "This is one battle of a big war," said Lee, "and there's thousands of battles going on all over."
"Before he was elected, [President Barack Obama] promised to support medical marijuana and not waste federal resources on this," Lee said. "About a year and a half ago, the policy seemed to change. They've been attacking many states, threatening governors of states to prevent them from signing legislation to allow medical marijuana. They've been attacking on many fronts."
Lee was a vocal advocate behind California's Proposition 19, a 2010 ballot question that sought to legalize marijuana. He put more than a million dollars behind the effort, which was opposed by the Obama administration and ultimately went down to defeat.
Medical marijuana is currently legal in California and 15 other states, plus the District of Columbia, and during his campaign for president, Obama vowed to stop the raids on medical marijuana users that were prevalent under George W. Bush, saying raiding patients who use marijuana for medicinal purposes "makes no sense."
It was in that political climate, in the fall of 2007 that Oaksterdam was founded by Lee, who started using medical marijuana for pain control more than 20 years ago, after a work accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. Often referred to as "the Princeton of ? ," the school has offered classes to would-be medical cannabis caregivers and patients in subjects ranging from horticulture to business to the finer points of running a dispensary.
About 15,000 students have graduated from Oaksterdam to date, according to Dale Sky Jones, the school's executive director. On October 15, 2010, however, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that federal authorities would continue to prosecute individuals for marijuana possession, even in states that have legalized it. That "threw a wet blanket" on enrollment at Oaksterdam, Jones said.
Then, last June, the Justice Department went even further. Deputy Attorney General James Cole argued in a memo that "caregiver" protections applied only to "individuals providing care to individuals with cancer or other serious illnesses, not commercial operations cultivating, selling or distributing marijuana." That meant ? shops, even those operating legally under state law, were vulnerable again.
Comments
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A politician lied. Shocker.
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Obama is a fraud and all, but did any of ya'll think he'd be this big a fraud? What happened to hope and change? There doesn't seem to be any serious change from this administration. It seems common sense ideas don't mean anything when pharmaceutical companies and the prison industrial complex run Obama's govt huh? Obama really sucks as a president, smh
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The user and all related content has been deleted.
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In Marvins Room wrote: »A politician lied. Shocker.
LOL I know but this article was really disappointing to me. In all seriousness I'm never voting for a Democrat again, unless he or she has a proven track record of progressive and intelligent ideas. I just didn't see this ? coming from Obama but yeah, I'll expect nothing but the worse from all politicians from this point on...... -
I voted for Obama. As far as i can tell ? has only gotten worse. Mainly the economy. Obama has failed.
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Thulsa Doom wrote: »they pulling out all the stops aint they?
like romney will legalize marijuana....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY6UTnS6Z-A
? Romney is a true ? ? . And you know the real sad ? about this?? Obama has the same position as Romney on this issue = (
Obama and Romney would BOTH arrest a man in a wheelchair and any doctor that prescribes marijuana to help treat cancer......damn ? both them ? for real. Romney is arguably the bigger ? though, he tied his dog on top of a car while he was driving it not too long ago. I guess it takes a cold hearted person to be president of the United States. Only a cold heart can keep up policies that give America the highest prison population in the world, despite making up only 5% of the world's population. -
what did you really expect though? racist whites, republicans and fox news would have a field day if a ? would legalize marijuana. and again, what kind of change did you really expect with obama? america still isnt ready for a black president, fox was claiming that obama isnt even an american up until like november.
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birdcallaveli wrote: »what did you really expect though? racist whites, republicans and fox news would have a field day if a ? would legalize marijuana. and again, what kind of change did you really expect with obama? america still isnt ready for a black president, fox was claiming that obama isnt even an american up until like november.
Americans support medicinal marijuana by 70% bruh!!! Obama would get massive praise from the public if he ordered his Department of Justice to stop the stupid raids against medicinal marijuana shops all over the country. Even many Democrats are saying it's time to stop the raids, ESPECIALLY in this economy. These raids are putting thousands of people out of work, and worst, the money used to raid these places could be better used to combat the REALLY bad drugs, like heroin or ? .
I didn't expect massive change from the con man known as Obama, I just expected smart policies and common sense. Is that too much to ask from a man who said himself that raids against medicinal marijuana shops "didn't make sense"?
Racist White people will be racist White people, but that's no excuse for Obama to be a ? made liar who is, at BEST, the devoted lover and disciple of George W. Bush. America was ready ENOUGH for a Black president and Black family to be in charge of the White House. Throwing the race card in here isn't a good idea. Obama is losing the support of his base more and more by the day, and that's why I can pull up 5 polls from this week that show Obama losing against Mitt Romney right now. It's almost as if Obama wants his base to abandon him in 2012. He's already lost my vote, I'll never vote for a ? made ? like him again. -
kingblaze84 wrote: »birdcallaveli wrote: »what did you really expect though? racist whites, republicans and fox news would have a field day if a ? would legalize marijuana. and again, what kind of change did you really expect with obama? america still isnt ready for a black president, fox was claiming that obama isnt even an american up until like november.
Americans support medicinal marijuana by 70% bruh!!! Obama would get massive praise from the public if he ordered his Department of Justice to stop the stupid raids against medicinal marijuana shops all over the country. Even many Democrats are saying it's time to stop the raids, ESPECIALLY in this economy. These raids are putting thousands of people out of work, and worst, the money used to raid these places could be better used to combat the REALLY bad drugs, like heroin or ? .
I didn't expect massive change from the con man known as Obama, I just expected smart policies and common sense. Is that too much to ask from a man who said himself that raids against medicinal marijuana shops "didn't make sense"?
Racist White people will be racist White people, but that's no excuse for Obama to be a ? made liar who is, at BEST, the devoted lover and disciple of George W. Bush. America was ready ENOUGH for a Black president and Black family to be in charge of the White House. Throwing the race card in here isn't a good idea. Obama is losing the support of his base more and more by the day, and that's why I can pull up 5 polls from this week that show Obama losing against Mitt Romney right now. It's almost as if Obama wants his base to abandon him in 2012. He's already lost my vote, I'll never vote for a ? made ? like him again.
i agree that medicinal marijuana should be leaglized, and that the war on drugs should focus on heroin, coke, ? , and all the real/hard drugs, so im not gonna argue against that. but while that 70% looks convincing, you have to remember that most people who support legalizing it do not vote. only 35% of the population regularly votes, and that largely consists of elderly white people. elderly white people tend not to be pro marijuana and since the core voting group do not support it, that means that most politicians will not support it.
obama won the election, but he wasnt running against any real competition. mccain is a walking heart attack, and if/when he would have died then sarah palin would have been running the country. when it comes down to a black man vs a stupid white woman, the black man will win - just look at the constitution, black men were given the right to vote in 1870 and white women couldnt vote until 1919. and i wish that we didnt have to use the race card when it comes to obama, but race hasnt stopped being an issue since he first announced he would run for office.
good luck if you expect anything better from mitt romney, his stances change and become more conservative every other week. for example, look at obamacare that romney and the republicans have been bashing - its nothing more than mitt romneys plan for health care but on a larger scale.
if you really want marijuana raids to stop and for it to be legalized, then your best bet is voting green party. -
In Marvins Room wrote: »I voted for Obama. As far as i can tell ? has only gotten worse. Mainly the economy. Obama has failed.
Sadly you are right. I'm seeing people beg for money on the trains and the street more than ever before. As news outlets are reporting, most new jobs being created are in low wage industries, and many if not most of the well paying jobs we saw in the 1990s are forever gone. It's going to be very interesting times for many people this decade. Even worse, I don't think Obama has any real ambitions left in him. He caves in on everything, so even if he does have good ideas at times, he's always very willing to throw it under the bus if Republicans scare him enough, As the tax debate proved, he gets scared very easily. -
birdcallaveli wrote: »kingblaze84 wrote: »birdcallaveli wrote: »what did you really expect though? racist whites, republicans and fox news would have a field day if a ? would legalize marijuana. and again, what kind of change did you really expect with obama? america still isnt ready for a black president, fox was claiming that obama isnt even an american up until like november.
Americans support medicinal marijuana by 70% bruh!!! Obama would get massive praise from the public if he ordered his Department of Justice to stop the stupid raids against medicinal marijuana shops all over the country. Even many Democrats are saying it's time to stop the raids, ESPECIALLY in this economy. These raids are putting thousands of people out of work, and worst, the money used to raid these places could be better used to combat the REALLY bad drugs, like heroin or ? .
I didn't expect massive change from the con man known as Obama, I just expected smart policies and common sense. Is that too much to ask from a man who said himself that raids against medicinal marijuana shops "didn't make sense"?
Racist White people will be racist White people, but that's no excuse for Obama to be a ? made liar who is, at BEST, the devoted lover and disciple of George W. Bush. America was ready ENOUGH for a Black president and Black family to be in charge of the White House. Throwing the race card in here isn't a good idea. Obama is losing the support of his base more and more by the day, and that's why I can pull up 5 polls from this week that show Obama losing against Mitt Romney right now. It's almost as if Obama wants his base to abandon him in 2012. He's already lost my vote, I'll never vote for a ? made ? like him again.
i agree that medicinal marijuana should be leaglized, and that the war on drugs should focus on heroin, coke, ? , and all the real/hard drugs, so im not gonna argue against that. but while that 70% looks convincing, you have to remember that most people who support legalizing it do not vote. only 35% of the population regularly votes, and that largely consists of elderly white people. elderly white people tend not to be pro marijuana and since the core voting group do not support it, that means that most politicians will not support it.
obama won the election, but he wasnt running against any real competition. mccain is a walking heart attack, and if/when he would have died then sarah palin would have been running the country. when it comes down to a black man vs a stupid white woman, the black man will win - just look at the constitution, black men were given the right to vote in 1870 and white women couldnt vote until 1919. and i wish that we didnt have to use the race card when it comes to obama, but race hasnt stopped being an issue since he first announced he would run for office.
good luck if you expect anything better from mitt romney, his stances change and become more conservative every other week. for example, look at obamacare that romney and the republicans have been bashing - its nothing more than mitt romneys plan for health care but on a larger scale.
if you really want marijuana raids to stop and for it to be legalized, then your best bet is voting green party.
You're pretty much on point here. What I still don't understand though is why is Obama so willing to alienate his base?? He knows his base wants medicinal marijuana to be completely legal, so why these dumb ? raids all over the nation, even in states that have legalized it?? WTF is going on in Obama's head?!!
First the war in Afghanistan, now this ? ? Young voters would come back to him in droves if he took care of this issue, but I guess Obama really is the Uncle Ruckus character Tavis Smiley and Cornel West compare him to these days, I doubt I'm wrong....... -
Check-out the info within this link - whoever said that 70% of the populous want marijuana legalized are distorting the facts. Imo -- My state has decriminalized it, HOWEVER they are closing a lot of the dispensaries....using fear tactics.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/144086/New-High-Americans-Support-Legalizing-Marijuana.aspx -
Check-out the info within this link - whoever said that 70% of the populous want marijuana legalized are distorting the facts. Imo -- My state has decriminalized it, HOWEVER they are closing a lot of the dispensaries....using fear tactics.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/144086/New-High-Americans-Support-Legalizing-Marijuana.aspx
I said 70% of Americans support medicinal marijuana, as your own link states.....I never said most Americans support legalizing marijuana completely, although I definitely feel it should be. But here is what your own link says, lol......
A separate question in the poll asked about legalizing marijuana for medical use, and found support significantly higher than it is for legalizing the use of marijuana in general. Seventy percent of Americans say they favor making marijuana legally available for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce pain and suffering. -
Obama 2012!!!
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kingblaze84 wrote: »Check-out the info within this link - whoever said that 70% of the populous want marijuana legalized are distorting the facts. Imo -- My state has decriminalized it, HOWEVER they are closing a lot of the dispensaries....using fear tactics.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/144086/New-High-Americans-Support-Legalizing-Marijuana.aspx
I said 70% of Americans support medicinal marijuana, as your own link states.....I never said most Americans support legalizing marijuana completely, although I definitely feel it should be. But here is what your own link says, lol......
A separate question in the poll asked about legalizing marijuana for medical use, and found support significantly higher than it is for legalizing the use of marijuana in general. Seventy percent of Americans say they favor making marijuana legally available for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce pain and suffering.
Americans have consistently been more likely to favor the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes than to favor its legalization generally. I'm one of those who oppose it being legalized across the board - this nation doesn't need another generation of misfits & dope fiends....I'm not saying/implying weed is dope. Yes I know its considered an herb.
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yall ? me with this whole obama failed they tell you he failed you believe it ? illegal on the fed books so they not supposed to enforce the law. plus this is the justice dept not president obama... damn yall aint learn ? in school
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I honestly have no clue who i am going to vote for... they are all pieces of ? in one form or another.
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lordhonka2 wrote: »yall ? me with this whole obama failed they tell you he failed you believe it ? illegal on the fed books so they not supposed to enforce the law. plus this is the justice dept not president obama... damn yall aint learn ? in school
Obama can easily tell the Justice Dept to back off with an executive order, he's still the president last I heard.....I'm guessing you never learned much in American govt class?? If you want me to teach you a thing or too about executive orders, I'll be happy to. -
This post is for you Lord Honka......Obama told the Justice Department just last year to STOP enforcing The Defense Of Marriage Act......here's a link for you my student......
http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=40477
WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - On February 23, 2011, President Barack Obama ordered the US Justice Department to stop defending marriage. The Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder, the Nation's Chief Law Enforcement Officer released a statement which can be read in its entirety here. The Attorney General sent a five-page letter to Congress setting forth the President's decision to no longer enforce the Defense of Marriage Act. It was a copiously footnoted effort to legally defend the President's unilateral decision to not defend Federal law. The letter can be read here.
--Did I teach you something Lord Honka? Class dismissed. -
Only the old racist white folk still think that weed is badd as ? . Once they die out in another 20 years, America will get better socially.
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Only the old racist white folk still think that weed is badd as ? . Once they die out in another 20 years, America will get better socially.
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so Obama is Pro ? 's and Anti Weed. Damn time for a legitmate third Party...
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usually it's pretty easy for me to defend oboma on issues where it seems like the ultra-liberals feel disappointed for him not being jimmy carter part 2 but this one is tough. to me this is a clear case of the candidate obama seeing things from the same perspective as the rest of us but the president obama being privy to information that makes it clear to him just how deep this drug war goes.
regardless of all the articles and information that comes out about how much the u.s. would make by decriminalizing weed (all drugs actually, but for argument's sake just ? ) there's just to many people that profit off prohibition...
you have the private prisons/slave camps, the cartels, the mafias that do the importing and exporting, the shipping companies, the police, the border patrols, the mid-level and low-level dealers, the lawyers, judges, prosecutors and public defenders, the pharmaceutical companies, the local politicians, lobbyists and so on.
i haven't smoked weed in about 10 years so i'm far from a pothead but it's still clear to me that even as the president of the u.s. if you even give the hint that you're serious about stopping all those people's money from flowing you're going to have a tough time breathing air let alone getting reelected.
my only real problem with the pro-marijuana legalization crowd is that they seem to be somewhat shortsighted so it's easy for the media to characterize them as a bunch of hippies when the fact is the majority of the u.s. would prefer the legalization of ? for various reasons whether they smoke it or not.
just imagine if during prohibition you had a bunch of ? alcoholics pushing for the repeal of the 18th amendment. the fact is that it wasn't advocates for drinking that ended alcohol prohibition but just a general public sentiment that it was more trouble than it was worth.
ok now that i've written the longest post i've ever written on this site i'll wrap it up like this...
i've lived in big cities, small towns and a few different countries; i've known all types of different people whose politics i either agree or disagree with to varying degrees but I've never actually met a human being that thinks marijuana should be illegal. -
Bando Calrissian wrote: »usually it's pretty easy for me to defend oboma on issues where it seems like the ultra-liberals feel disappointed for him not being jimmy carter part 2 but this one is tough. to me this is a clear case of the candidate obama seeing things from the same perspective as the rest of us but the president obama being privy to information that makes it clear to him just how deep this drug war goes.
i feel this way too about many issues. Once your in that office you learn a hell of a lot more than when u where just campaigning.
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