Because it has apparently become Drug Week here at PoliBlog, I would note the following from The Politico (and currently headlining Memeorandum): Pot-related questions deluge W.H.
The more than 92,000 people who responded either have Cheech and Chong senses of humor or there is a deep concern in America — undetected by the media — about the decriminalization of marijuana, its possible use for medicinal purposes and its potential as a new source of tax revenue.[...]
In this moment of national economic crisis, the top four questions under the heading of “Financial security” concerned marijuana; on the budget, people voted up questions about marijuana to positions 1-4; marijuana was in the first and third positions under “jobs”; people boosted a plug for legalizing marijuana to No. 2 under “health care reform.” And questions about decriminalizing pot occupied spots 1 and 2 under “green jobs and energy.”
Obama’s response?
After taking questions lower on the list, Obama addressed the pot issue head on, noting the huge number of questions about marijuana legalization and remarking with a chuckle, “I don’t know what that says about the online audience.”“The answer is no, I don’t think that is a good strategy to grow our economy,” he said, as the audience in the room applauded and joined him in a laugh.
I am struck by the unserious treatment of the issue by both the reporter and the President.1
Given the cost of marijuana enforcement policies, the damage it does to civil liberties, the very real potential revenue from taxation, as well as legitimate questions about medical application,2 this is actually a very legitimate public policy question.
And to answer the Politico’s question, this isn’t about Cheech and Chong senses of humor, but is, if fact, about a real concern held by some in the US about this issue. Although, clearly, there was some self-selection bias going on here as well.
I am with Andrew Sullivan on the issue:
The dismissiveness toward the question of ending Prohibition as both a good in itself and a form of tax revenue is, however, depressing. His answer was a non-answer. I’m tired of having the Prohibition issue treated as if it’s trivial or a joke. It is neither. It is about freedom and it’s deadly serious
FYI: Marc Ambinder excerpts the President’s complete answer on the subject.
Sphere: Related Content- Standard drug-post related disclaimer: I am not, nor have I ever been a user of marijuana. [↩]
- It is legally extremely difficult to do serious research on the topic, btw, as the law treats the material in question as devilspawn. [↩]
March 26th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
I’ve long been dismissive of the issue, but it’s becoming a bit hard to ignore.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
It was a purely political answer. Obama wants to score some social conservative points right now. Legalizing pot, like it or not, will get some panties in a wad down here because folks don’t fully understand it.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
[...] –Steven Taylor agrees with Andrew Sullivan that the pot issue is not one to be taken lightly: I am struck by the unserious treatment of the issue by both the reporter and the President.1 [...]
March 26th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Al Mod:
Quite true, and I certainly recognize that fact. And if it were seriously discussed there would be more than some panties in a wad, especially down here.
March 26th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
three reasons:
1) Cannabis was made illegal with great pressure from industry that wanted to use wood products instead of hemp — even though hemp is much easier to grow, much more effective, cost efficient, and useful.
Strike 1 for greed
2) Cannabis has over 120 psychoactive compounds. The FDA is nervous about any drug with more than 1 or to compounds in it.
Strike 2 for incompetence
3) Cannabis is a highly effective drug and could wipe out huge profits by competing with much more dangerous and deadly and expensive pharmaceuticals. Plus, it has the effect of calming the population, reducing their work ethic, and creating a healthier population. All three of these effects are not good for our gross domestic product.
Strike 3 for insantity.
Pot smokers, go take head meds and join Britney Spears! Support our corporate prison system! Support our drug industry!
March 27th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Yes, you hit the nail on the head .
thanks ,Dave Green
March 27th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Dave Green is right.
One could argue that administrations don’t want to deal with ending marijuana prohibition bacause it would wipe out many cushy gov’t jobs as well as the whole private sector related to said prohibition. Think of all those narco cops/feds/admin and prison constructors etc.
March 27th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
The questions about Legalization of Cannabis are valid and important questions concerning our nation’s economy and our Constitutional promise of “Freedom”. We the People WANT CANNABIS LEGALIZED and we KNOW that it will indeed help the economy. Please do not brush off the majority of American citizens with a joke! This is no laughing matter! The U.S. Government’s policy of arresting nearly 1 million of its citizens per year for Cannabis is no laughing matter.
Let me tell you “what this says about our online audience” – It says “Mr. President, We the People demand the restoration of our original freedoms to consume Cannabis! We know Cannabis to be a plant that will solve many of the issues facing this country now, and if you will study real facts you will know this to be true. We the People want the Medicinal Properties of Cannabis, the Economic Boost from Cannabis, the Green Ecological Benefits of Cannabis as well as a Safe Alternative to the horrible and very deadly Alcohol and Cigarettes that are totally legal under U.S law.”
Not all of us can handle hard drugs like Alcohol (which I hear the U.S. Government can and does drink large quantities of). Yet we are asked - as they take over ¾ of a million of us yearly to jail - “Why don’t you just Drink?” Alcohol is NOT a safe alternative!
Cannabis would be great for the economy and would stop much of the violence in the U.S. and Mexico.
Does this really seem to be a laughing matter?
Please Legalize Cannabis!
March 27th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
[...] criticism. Pete Guither at DrugWarRant rounds up a host of responses. Steven Taylor at PoliBlog is also exasperated. And not surprisingly, the good folks at the Marijuana Policy Project are not pleased. I [...]
March 27th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Fiddleman , I bent to that pressure,”why don’t you just drink!”. Unfortunatly I ignored the fact that I’m an alchoholic. For nearly 20 years I offended people and nearly killed myself in an attemt to be like “those normal folks”. I may not have learned to spell,but I lived long enough to just
give up.
What you say is true, drinking is not a safe way to go, for me any way.
The way I’m looking at this is, at least Barack has an opinion, hopfully he has a mind. I don’t think that Bush has either one sometimes.
From this point at least, there seems to be something which we can work with.
It’s so frustating sometimes when we know and are confident. I have more friends than I can count who have either been killed in this drug war or have drunk themselves to death , or are incarcerated it makes me get sad.
I have the opprotunity to listen to the birds sing, I get to watch the wind blow through the trees. I further have the obligation to right a wrong which has devistated so many for too long.
If we truly have a free society, then our path should be there.
Thank you so much for pointing out the drinking thing, I didn’t have the guts to say it.
Dave Green