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Marijuana Legalization Tops List of Questions for Obama in Online Poll

By dark12, Dec 13, 2008 | Updated: Dec 13, 2008 | 16 Comments | 878 Views | Politics
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  1. dark12
    (SALEM, Ore.) - I am not surprised that the number one thing Americans are asking President-elect Barack Obama is whether or not he is going to legalize marijuana. Generations are changing and evolving and the taboos around cannabis are slowly falling away.
    American industries can harness the power of this multi-billion dollar, still mostly black market business. The attitude of people in this country is in a mode of great anticipation and change. Barack Obama is already on the record saying he does not want to use the Justice Department to bust state operated medical marijuana dispensaries.

    People submitting questions in this Online event seem to identify the legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana overall, as a top priority.
    I included the top ten and a link to the page that allows you to see all of the other questions that people seek to have answered by Barack Obama.
    Other hot topics are Wall Street, Stem Cell Research, and for a lack of better terms, retribution against the Bush Administration for things like illegal wiretapping and the authorization of torture.

    Since its launch Wednesday, the "Open for Questions" tool processed over 600,000 votes from more than 10,000 people on more than 7,300 questions.

    Voting came to a close Friday, December 12th, at 12:00 AM Eastern Time, so that the team can prepare answers to some of the most popular questions.

    Pilot projects like "Open for Questions" depend on feedback from users to better understand how to make participation intuitive and productive.
    Obama's team stated, "Participation in Open for Questions outpaced our expectations, and we're looking forward to rolling it out again next week. We're tremendously excited about the promise of tools like this that offer Americans a level of access that has historically been hard to come by."
    By voting questions up, users have been able to convey to the team which major issues -- including the auto industry, health care, ethical standards, and others -- are the most important to this community.

    As one of the only essentially mainstream news organizations Online that covers legal medical marijuana seriously, Salem-News.com has earned a worldwide and national reputation as the only Website that offers an experienced doctor who is an expert on the subject, for question and answer interviews based on visitor's questions.

    Dr. Phillip Leveque is a World War Two veteran and his education, background and experience in multiple specialties, places him among the most qualified doctors in the nation. He writes from the perspective of an Osteopath, Pharmacologist and Toxicologist.

    I am glad to see the value of this natural herb gaining acceptance for its potential value as a legal and taxable commodity, and we do not consider this as any kind of an underground or taboo subject when we report about it. Medical marijuana is legal in Oregon and many other places, and the patients have very few places to turn. We are glad to fill that void.
    Over the next few days, some of the most popular questions selected by the Change.gov community will be answered by the Transition team, and their responses will be posted on their site.

    The Questions Americans are Asking Barack Obama
    Currently in the lead: "Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?"
    - S. Man, Denton

    Second place question: "What will you do as President to restore the Constitutional protections that have been subverted by the Bush Administration and how will you ensure that our system of checks and balances is renewed?"
    - Kari, Seattle

    Third place question: "What will you do to establish transparency and safeguards against waste with the rest of the Wall Street bailout money?"
    - Diane, New Jersey

    Sixth place question: "Will you lift the ban on Stem Cell research in your first 100 days in office?"
    - James_M, Nashville, TN

    Fifth place question: "What will you do to promote science and mathematics education to Elementary and Middle School students?"
    - JasonWyatt, Raleigh, NC

    Sixth place question: "Will you appoint a Special Prosecutor - ideally Patrick Fitzgerald - to independently investigate the gravest crimes of the Bush Administration, including torture and warrantless wiretapping?"
    - Bob Fertik, New York City

    Seventh place question: "13 states have compassionate use programs for medial Marijuana, yet the federal gov't continues to prosecute sick and dying people. Isn't it time for the federal gov't to step out of the way and let doctors and families decide what is appropriate?"
    - Greg, Minnesota

    Eighth place question: "What do you plan to do to our food industry to make it more sustainable? Will there be changes to our farming policies?"
    - Jentry, Lincoln, NE

    Ninth place question: "What will you do to end the use of mercenary forces (ie Blackwater) by our military?"
    - Betsie, Mtn Home, AR

    Tenth place question: "What will you do first to reduce pollution/waste and incentivize greener behavior across the country?"
    - Diane, Boston, MA

    To learn what others are asking Obama, visit the Website "Open for Questions" and read many more inquiries for President-elect Barack Obama. That Website can be found at: change.gov/page/content/20081211_openforquestions

    Tim King Salem-News.com
    http://www.salem-news.com/articles/december122008/barack_cannabis_12-12-08.php

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  1. 100mg Methylphenidate
    Cheaper better weed with a larger variety anywhere you go. Even swim has to admit that'll be nice, and he doesn't care for weed that much.
    100mg Methylphenidate, Dec 14, 2008
  2. dark12
    Yea. This is HUGE news for the entire world really.
    I cannot wait to see his view on the topic!
    dark12, Dec 14, 2008
  3. dopeboymajic420
    swim kinda bein cynical here but he doubts shit will change. obama might be a ll more liberal but i dnt think his influence is enough for this and i dnt think he will risk rejection over an issue like this.
    dopeboymajic420, Dec 14, 2008
  4. cra$h
    swim's predicting federeal regulation, but not prohibition in around 15 years min. But it would be nice to just walk into a store and just get your fix, like a convenience store. No worries about being robbed, getting caught by police/family, or getting cut/laced shit. But a man can dream, cant he?
    cra$h, Dec 14, 2008
  5. dark12
    New article on the issue:

    Pot Supporters Bang on Obama's Doors for Drug Reform

    16 of the top 50 overall questions posed to the new administration on the Change.gov site pertained to drug law reform.

    Change.gov, the Web site of President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, has now closed the Web page "Open for Questions."

    After receiving nearly 100,000 total votes on more than 10,000 public policy issues, the most widely voted on question for Obama is:

    "Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion-dollar industry right here in the U.S.?"

    (Equally impressive, 16 of the top 50 overall questions posed to the new administration pertained to drug-law reform. Now do we have your attention?)

    According to the Change.gov site, "Over the next few days, some of the most popular questions selected by the Change.gov community will be answered by the Transition team, and their responses will be posted here on the site."

    So does this mean that the Obama will post a response to the public's outcry for tangible marijuana-law reform? Or will the incoming administration choose to remain silent on the one progressive issue that the American public, but not their elected official, is "buzzing" about?

    Meanwhile, over at the Web site Change.org (which is not affiliated with the Obama administration), your votes (nearly 2,500 of them as of this morning) have made the question, "Should we legalize the medicinal and recreational use of marijuana?" the top-rated idea on the Web site!

    According to the site, there will be a second round of voting (this first round ends on Dec. 31) in January to determine which top 10 ideas are presented to the Obama administration on Inauguration Day.

    Finally, over at the highly popular Web site Digg.com, more than 2,500 visitors have added their support for making marijuana-law reform a key platform of the incoming administration. You can join the discussion here.

    It was just over a month ago when statewide marijuana-law reform initiatives in Massachusetts and Michigan prevailed with more votes than America's soon-to-be 44th president -- once again reaffirming the widespread popular support for changing our nation's antiquated and punitive pot laws. It wasn't clear that either the national media or the incoming administration was listening then. Are they listening now?

    Paul Armentano, NORML at 1:43 PM on December 12, 2008
    http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/112401/
    dark12, Dec 14, 2008
  6. Richard_smoker
    I agree with the cynical notion that once he's actually in office and sworn in to the duties of commander in chief, much of the liberal talk goes out the window in favor of more "realistic," tried-and-true conservative actions. he might still "think" liberally, but he'll be under tremendous pressure to act conservatively. In fact, even on his campaign--especially the final stretch--tones of moderate (hint:mildly conservative) rhetoric were used to counter McCain & Palin's accusations.

    There is one thing though that no one likes to talk about which i think might actually PUSH President Obama into some actions that might lax marijuana laws. the fact that he is a BLACK MAN.

    think about it. think about how many black men are currently serving prison terms for drug-related offenses? think about how many black men have completed prison sentences for drug-related offenses?

    surely, in the end, it will be President Obama's race that will determine his policies on marijuana and other drugs.

    again, this is just my opinion, but i believe it is a VALID opinion. i know that everyone hates 'that guy' who brings up the race card...in an ideal society, we wouldn't even know what a 'race card' was. In my opinion, the heart of this issue reveals an ongoing repression of the black man. Obama is our national symbol of victory over that oppression.

    So, although I remain cynical in some regards, he very well COULD surprise the hell out of me.
    -DICK
    Richard_smoker, Dec 14, 2008
  7. dark12
    I think the only reason he started getting more conservative toward the end was to grab the voters that were on the fence after Clinton was knocked out.
    dark12, Dec 14, 2008
  8. Richard_smoker
    ^^^ valid point. i admit this would have been nothing short of intelligent political strategy on his part.

    however, there remains the issues of presidential debriefing in the immediate short-term period following being sworn in. This is supposedly when the civilian becomes commander in chief and thus, suddenly privy to mountains of classified information regarding national security and potential threats to the nation.

    it is common knowledge that the defense-side of intelligence is heavily weighted to the right. And, this makes sense because their jobs are largely dependent on a high degree of paranoia and taking (most) threats seriously. Also, there is a tendency to do what has "always worked in the past" when dealing with issues of military and homeland security-type issues.

    and yes, i know that it didn't work on 9/11. but in my opinion this incident did nothing but FUEL right-wing, big dick, strong-arm thinking. because---well, look what can happen even WHEN you're working from a strong defensive strategy?

    dark12, one other issue that MIGHT even use your argument against you is this: When it comes down to the wire, all first term presidents have one singular objective: RE-ELECTION. thus, perhaps Obama's 'best' strategy would be to continue to appeal to moderates and conservatives while taking a series of SMALL, spaced-out actions that reflect his liberal viewpoint.

    just a thought. actually, i hope i'm wrong. -DICK
    Richard_smoker, Dec 14, 2008
  9. dark12
    Good points.
    I definitely agree with your idea about a first term president's goals. I wouldn't expect any serious changes to happen until his second term anyway.
    Only time will tell, but this issue is just amazing to me because not only does it represent our president giving a crap about what we think; but it also shows that many Americans are very concerned about our drug policy. Of course this was an online poll, and most of the internet is much more liberal than the general population.... even so...
    dark12, Dec 14, 2008
  10. guldenat
    It is interesting to note that when President Clinton was first elected, his first two years of office he legislated quite liberally... and his third and fourth years he moved more toward the center for reelection purposes. It is possible we will see a similar strategy with Obama.

    By the same token, a President must make decisions concerning what is important to them, because they only possess the political capital to make a few major changes. Bush was able to do quite a lot because 9/11 empowered him, but this is mostly atypical. If drug reform or even decriminalization is on Obama's to do list, I will be pleasantly surprised.
    guldenat, Dec 15, 2008
  11. Richard_smoker
    you think???

    some of the most idiotic, narrow-minded bullshit i've ever seen comes in the way of like 15 "FORWARDS" per day from my dad.

    when i say they're bad, i mean they are BAD!!!

    i've tried many times to talk him into STOPPING the practice of forwarding emails altogether...just the sheer ignorance of some of them have to be seen to be appreciated. and they're all generated within and occasionally injected into a giant circle of dumb, right-wing, Fanatical Fundamentalist Christians--mostly white.

    it's embarrassing. honestly, i never really thought of Americans as being 'anti-Islamic' until i took a moment to read through one of thousands of messages that i usually route straight to the recycle bin. Fear. Ignorance. Internet. Email-forwards. in my mind they're all one and the same. but perhaps it's because ANYTHING that is "out there" finds safe-haven on the internet...?

    i mean, just look at THIS site! you wouldn't see most of this shit being discussed so candidly on CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, etc. Maybe it's the same for all fringe-groups or extremists...
    -DICK
    Richard_smoker, Dec 15, 2008
  12. dark12
    UPDATE:

    ridiculous...

    http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/open_for_questions_response/
    dark12, Dec 16, 2008
  13. podge
    Ridiculous is right, a one line answer/dodge..... with no real explanation even after the large amount of people who are clearly concerned about the issue.
    podge, Dec 16, 2008
  14. Richard_smoker
    yeah, i think he's going to have to pick his battles carefully to maintain any bit of the presidential 'bad-assery' that has typically characterized traditional american presidents.

    he really does have some big shoes to fill being that he's the first black president ever. he's going to have to set a really big example to prevent being seen as some kind of let-down.

    I'm not being negative, just saying the way i think it is going to be. while i don't think he's actually necessarily against legalization, i just don't think its going to be within his strategical decision-making. -DICK
    Richard_smoker, Dec 16, 2008
  15. Lou1024
    Its not going to happen. Any progress that will be made will be on a state level.
    Lou1024, Dec 17, 2008
  16. 100mg Methylphenidate
    I really doubt more than maybe 1/4 of americans would really be okay with legalizing weed. Everybody else assumes (might I add, wrongfully) that once that happens everybody's going to be high all the time and doctors are going to start seeing shit and mess our surgery's up and our youth will just be a bunch of potheads for life. Just like we are with alcohol and cigarettes. Wait. Nevermind. Those are safer and don't take over anybody's life. My baddddddd. I forgot about that.
    100mg Methylphenidate, Dec 17, 2008
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