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  Relief for Patients

Posted by CN Staff on March 26, 2009 at 05:14:10 PT
Editorial 
Source: New York Times 

USA -- Attorney General Eric Holder announced last week that the federal government will no longer prosecute dispensers of medical marijuana if they comply with state law. That should bring relief to people who need marijuana for health reasons and free up law enforcement resources for more important work.There is considerable evidence that marijuana can be useful in treating pain, nausea, weight loss and other symptoms associated with chemotherapy and H.I.V. and other illnesses. Thirteen states, including California, have legalized marijuana for medical purposes, which remains illegal under federal law.
The Bush administration was, nevertheless, intent on stopping the medical use of marijuana. It brought criminal charges against medical marijuana dispensaries, even ones in states that had made medical use of marijuana legal. Federal prosecutors treated their targets like common drug traffickers.In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration issued a poorly documented statement disputing marijuana’s therapeutic value. It was one of many cases in which the Bush team distorted science to justify its policies.Mr. Holder’s statement does not mean an end to all medical marijuana prosecutions. The Drug Enforcement Administration says it will continue to go after dispensaries that violate state and federal laws, like by operating as fronts for drug dealers or selling to minors.The Obama Justice Department has an enormous backlog of legal matters to work through, from enforcing long-ignored civil-rights laws to prosecuting white-collar criminals in the banking industry and on Wall Street. Mr. Holder deserves credit for recognizing that going after medical marijuana dispensers is not only bad policy, it is a distraction from work that really matters. A version of this article appeared in print on March 26, 2009, on page A26 of the New York edition.Source: New York Times (NY)Published: March 26, 2009 - Page A26Copyright: 2009 The New York Times CompanyContact: letters nytimes.comWebsite: http://www.nytimes.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml

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Comment #159 posted by Hope on March 27, 2009 at 14:09:27 PT
Fight_4_Freedom
"It's time that they start to take us seriously. We aren't a big joke like they all think."Like I said, let's take the mountain top, in peace, and for peace, while they're standing around giggling. I think it's being done as we speak. Our front runner writers, cohorts, friends, speakers, and all the other "birds" of similar agreement out there, have been out front and made good use of their opportunities. They jumped to it. They were ready. Like Minutemen.
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Comment #158 posted by fight_4_freedom on March 27, 2009 at 13:56:50 PT
Dagman
I think it has a great chance of going through successfully.With Michigan winning in November, and Obama being medical marijuana friendly, I think it will pass no problem.
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Comment #157 posted by fight_4_freedom on March 27, 2009 at 13:50:38 PT
Hope #103
Sorry I missed your post. Thanks for the compliment. It feels good to work a long hard shift. But then again, it's also nice to have those "whirlwind" days where you just relax, read, and let technology amuse you. And about Obama's comment..You're right..It didn't exactly sound like he was giving us "praise". I'm going to write to him about that. Not like I'll get an actual response, but at least I can say I tried.It really makes me mad to hear that CNN "edited" DL's show sunday night. CNN will be getting an e-mail from me as well.It's time that they start to take us seriously. We aren't a big joke like they all think.
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Comment #156 posted by FoM on March 27, 2009 at 13:43:50 PT
fight_4_freedom
Glad you liked it! 
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Comment #155 posted by Hope on March 27, 2009 at 13:39:34 PT
They can't bail fast enough.
Thinking about yesterday. Wonder how many times "Legalizing Marijuana" was said out loud, on mainstream TV, yesterday in a ten to twenty minute time span there? I never saw and heard so much smirking, and smiling, twittering, and... joy, on the news before.Then someone yanked someone's leash.Whoops!Too late. Tipping point.
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Comment #154 posted by fight_4_freedom on March 27, 2009 at 13:35:52 PT
FoM 143
LOL... I love it!
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Comment #153 posted by FoM on March 27, 2009 at 11:47:46 PT
Rainbow
I basically think the price will drop. I even remember Marc Emery saying one time that when marijuana becomes legal it will cost about $35 an ounce. I agree with him on that one. When it can be grown in big fields that spread a good distance it will drop to almost nothing and that would make it not profitable for the drug cartels in Mexico to pursue.
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Comment #152 posted by Rainbow on March 27, 2009 at 11:42:04 PT
Saturate - I do not think so
FOM I was in the computer buiness and that's what they said about PCs. they will saturate the market.Well they haven't or we are buying more now than 15 years ago.The cannabis market will not be saturated unless it is now maybe.The people in high rises in NYC will still go down to the local pub and buy a beer and maybe some hash.People always need a new bong and I see great potential for the volcanizer.In addition I wear a lot of shirts and they wear out and I buy more. I would love to start buying hemp clothes.As far as supplements go I think that the oil from cannabis is the best source of fatty 3 omaega which I wouldn't mind taking everyday if readily avaialble.So I do not think the market will saturate as the products are highly consumable and the desire is to have more.Also if you have a bit of jamican you might want to try some Amsterdam special. These might not be easy to grow in the northern states like minnesota and our growing cycle is shorter than most.
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Comment #151 posted by Hope on March 27, 2009 at 09:31:15 PT
"our editorial standards."
There's a huge, widespread, diligent, "Online community" that is watching all this very carefully and immediately.The dam has broken. They can't bail fast enough.
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Comment #150 posted by FoM on March 27, 2009 at 08:22:54 PT
Oops CNN
CNN Edits Out Pot Purchase from D.L. Hughley's Final ShowThursday, Mar 26, 2009The final "D.L. Hughley Breaks the News" was taped at CNN's New York studios this afternoon. And it appears CNN higher-ups forced an edit on producers. A TVNewser tipster tells us, "a large section of a segment about marijuana legalization" was edited out of the final broadcast.Hughley recently visited a marijuana dispensary in Oakland, California after his doctor had written him a prescription for medicinal marijuana. Hughley apparently has chronic back pain.But that portion will not be shown during the segment on the final show. A CNN spokesperson tells TVNewser, "We always edit pieces to conform to our editorial standards."The final "Hughley" airs Saturday night at 10pmET.http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/cnn/cnn_edits_out_pot_purchase_from_dl_hughleys_final_show_112501.asp
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Comment #149 posted by Hope on March 27, 2009 at 08:14:12 PT
Also
Did anyone hear anything President Obama said after he did his little stand-up routine about the question?I don't think anyone else did either.
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Comment #148 posted by Hope on March 27, 2009 at 08:11:49 PT
Terry Nelson of LEAP
Did anyone see him last night on CNN? Anderson Cooper interviewed him.He did so well. Yay! Terry! Cooper was so impressed that he shook Mr. Nelson's hand vigorously at the end of the interview. I haven't seen that happen much after interviews ... if ever.Did you see how angry and discomfited the narcotics officer was that they interviewed at the same time? He was boiling. He could barely contain himself. He was on the verge of having facial tics.They were talking about ending prohibition.
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Comment #147 posted by FoM on March 27, 2009 at 08:03:39 PT
Hope
I see it that way too. This was a forum on the economy. He really tried to stay on topic and since the prices would drop if the law was totally changed he answered with a no it won't help the economy. I never thought it would be a major help and maybe that's why I laughed and didn't get upset with his answer.
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Comment #146 posted by Hope on March 27, 2009 at 07:26:51 PT
That smile...
I'll be thinking about that awhile.Looking at it, in my memory, again and again. Already hit a positive side.Can you imagine how UGLY John McCain would have acted at the suggestion? Glowering... jaw clenched...fists doubled?Also... that little smirky smile that kept coming up... on some... not all, of course... very likely was the little guilty smirk some people get of "Yeah... I'd like that more than you know"... but wouldn't admit it in public if you twisted their arm.Yeah! Equal with tomatoes!Welcome Extern and Dagman. 
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Comment #145 posted by FoM on March 27, 2009 at 07:13:33 PT
Dagman11 
I believe Illinois has the best chance it has ever had with Obama as President and also because of having a majority of Democrats in power.
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Comment #144 posted by Dagman11 on March 27, 2009 at 06:58:47 PT:
Med MJ
Not to get too far off topic, but does the medical Cannabis bill have a chance in Illinois?
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Comment #143 posted by FoM on March 27, 2009 at 06:24:25 PT
Paint With Light
Equal with a tomato is all I ask!
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Comment #142 posted by extern on March 27, 2009 at 02:06:05 PT
If you missed it...
For those of you who missed Ron Paul on CNN:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVjSyBfFM6g
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Comment #141 posted by Paint with light on March 26, 2009 at 22:45:53 PT
The dialog is beginning
I hope what we are seeing is the beginning of an honest dialog.The president did not answer with a new initiative to crack down on marijuana users.................Or cannabis users.He did not announce a $$dollar grant to crack down on California's medical community.He did not say cannabis is too dangerous or harmful to be lagalized.He did not say it was too connected with crime and violence to be lagalized.Please be grateful if for no other reason than he did not say....... "It would send the wrong message to the children."We did, even if not with the respect we deserve, get press time.As a result we will get more press time.We aren't going away.If Obama is really willing to put away dogma if favor of science, we will win, and soon.I am amazed at the postings on most news media's comments sections that I see, run so much in our favor.The effect on the economy would be the same as the tomato,, alcohol, or valium, depending on which model is chosen.I figure $500,000,000,000 over ten years is a real conservative value for the cannabis industy, if legalized.It is just a matter of time.Equal with alcohol is all i ask.Equal with a tomato would be even better.
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Comment #140 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 20:32:52 PT
John Tyler
I agree with you too.
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Comment #139 posted by John Tyler on March 26, 2009 at 20:30:03 PT
People were being nice
People were being nice when they asked if it would be a good idea to legalize cannabis to help spur the economy, because they like Obama. They want to be polite, to show respect. Stripped down to the bare essentials, we the “online audience”, we the late night keyboard pounders, we in our millions, and our tens of millions, we who supported him whole heartedly, in no uncertain terms want cannabis legalized now. The message is getting through to him. He mentioned it. He laughed about it, so what. We are persistent. Every time there is a question from Obama’s people about this or that, the response is always overwhelmingly about when will cannabis be legalized? If it is about the economy… legalize cannabis. If is about health care… legalize cannabis. Ecology… legalize cannabis. Criminal justice reform… legalize cannabis. Shows about cannabis on TV are getting super ratings. Our message is getting across. We have to keep working at it. When cannabis is legal, and the wounds have healed, hopefully we can all laugh together.    
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Comment #138 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 20:05:30 PT
Thanks, Afterburner.
I hadn't thought about that, Afterburner... that sponsorship might be playing a bigger role than I was thinking. 
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Comment #137 posted by Had Enough on March 26, 2009 at 20:02:17 PT
The Damage Done with Political Poppycock
“”It's gotta be tough trying to please all the people all the time.”That’s the problem…politicians care more about trying to please those that care more about themselves and their agenda/pocket books/bank accounts …rather than doing the right thing…************Ron Paul - PresidentDennis Kucinich - Vice PresidentBob Dylan/Neil Young - Secretary of StateWillie Nelson – Secretary of CommerceMason Tvert – Drug CzarNow there’s a line up that would benefit the whole world…
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Comment #136 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 20:01:47 PT
Dankhank
I missed it again. After Rachel Maddow is over we turn off the news and watch other things (like Discovey) so we don't have any nightmares! LOL!
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Comment #135 posted by dankhank on March 26, 2009 at 19:53:46 PT
repug ...
yes, they were both repugs.LEAP just on CNN, pretty good, Prohib still stupid, making claim refuted by prop 215 results ..prohib says he can guarantee results of legalization like he's psychic, and refuted by dutch and CA.still lots of stupid people out there.
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Comment #134 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 19:30:10 PT
Another Thing
When a person is young they try all kinds of things and have a lot of fun but when they get married and children come along things can change. Adults should be treated as adults.
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Comment #133 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 19:26:03 PT
Obama Will Understand In Time
Obama is good at making blunders with jokes. He'll learn. It's gotta be tough trying to please all the people all the time.
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Comment #132 posted by The GCW on March 26, 2009 at 19:23:47 PT
Just received from the Green Party:
Wouldn't it hurt the economy to make ALCOHOL ILLEGAL?If so, then why wouldn't it help the economy to make MARIJUANA LEGAL?-0-Why are you driving Americans to drink, Mr. President?-0-During today's On-line Presidential Town Hall, President Barack Obama acknowledged that the most popular questions he received from the American people were in regard to marijuana, and whether making it legal, regulating it, and treating it like alcohol could generate revenue, create jobs and help the economy."I don't know what this says about the online audience," he said, laughing along with those in attendance. "The answer is no, I don't think that [is] a good strategy."What this says about the online audience is that they're either more informed or less ideological than he is when it comes to the subject of marijuana. And although the President's small, hand-picked audience might have been laughing with him, millions of Americans are either laughing at him... or not laughing at all.If you're one them, please visit http://www.WhiteHouse.gov today and use the on-line form to send a quick message to President Obama, letting him know you are outraged by his position on marijuana, as well as his continued failure to provide any logical explanation for it to the American people. Then be sure to forward this message along to others.We also encourage you to ask him:• Wouldn't it hurt the economy if local, state and federal governments were not receiving billions of dollars in alcohol-related tax revenue? If so, then why wouldn't it raise equally valuable tax revenue when it comes to marijuana?• Wouldn't it hurt the economy if millions of Americans lost their jobs producing, distributing, selling, and promoting alcohol? If so, then why wouldn't it create these types of jobs when it comes to marijuana?Most importantly, be sure to ask him: Why are you so accepting of alcohol use and the economic benefits that accompany it, yet so opposed to the use of a far safer substance and its surefire economic benefits?Is it because your presidential campaign received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the alcohol industry? ($432,170 to be exact, according to OpenSecrets.org)Is it because alcohol is your recreational drug of choice (these days)? Just why do you prefer Americans use a drug that contributes to tens of thousands of deaths each year instead of one that contributes to ZERO? Why do you prefer they use a drug that contributes to domestic violence, sexual abuse, and other violent crimes instead of one that has never been found to contribute to such problems? Why do you prefer people use alcohol rather than make the safer choice to use marijuana instead?
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Comment #131 posted by Had Enough on March 26, 2009 at 19:20:25 PT
Silver Lined Dark Clouds
Yes FoM he will have to answer to his smirking, comedian style performance…but how will he… is the question.Question…What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t come back? Answer…A stick…That stick/bone he just threw just might turn into a boomerang…and come back to smack him and his handlers right in the forehead.I’m sure by now…that he and his people have realized they stepped into something really, really smelly. Not only the blogs but also even the mainstream media propaganda pumps/TV ad machines are giving it airtime.That is the only silver lining I can find.Peace is all we want…Leave people alone…do no harm.
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Comment #130 posted by The GCW on March 26, 2009 at 19:20:17 PT
FoM,
I'm glad You pointed that out:He didn't say no to anything--except that it wouldn't help the economy. Our economy can't be fixed that easily. It's a real mess.-0-There is no doubt in the world that regulating the superplant would HELP the economy!!!!!! See, Economy 101It isn't a matter of FIXING the economy; it's a matter of helping it.The economy is going to need more than one or 2 or 3333 fixes...
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Comment #129 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 19:08:19 PT
One More Thought
I learned when I was young that I could get more money or whatever I wanted from my father if I didn't push him. If I pushed him I didn't get very far. I asked for things I wanted slowly and methodically and got what I wanted most times. I think that way I guess.
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Comment #128 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 19:03:15 PT
fight_4_freedom
I don't think he was trying to mean but funny. He was smiling while he said it. To me it was I know where you are coming from. He didn't say no to anything except that it wouldn't help the economy. Our economy can't be fixed that easily. It's a real mess.
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Comment #127 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 19:00:28 PT
afterburner 
It's really good to see you. I agree with what you are saying.
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Comment #126 posted by fight_4_freedom on March 26, 2009 at 18:58:30 PT
FoM
I'm not really upset with his answer, more just with his comment about the online audience. I'd certainly like to know what he meant by that.  
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Comment #125 posted by afterburner on March 26, 2009 at 18:47:34 PT
A better question
This tortoise was offended by the cherry-picked issue, handled in a dismissive way, fueling the ignorant ridicule by the on-stage audience. A improved question would be, "President Obama, does your administration plan to continue to allow the sale of cannabis to be unregulated and untaxed, funneling black market dollars to dangerous, blood-thirsty criminal gangs and destabilizing local governments and the justice system?" Thank you, paul armentano & itsonlyaplant, for your reasoned input. I am willing to wait a little longer for the President to convince the hard-core prohibitionists that there is a better way to handle our issue. Many of the comments at CNN show the vast fear and misunderstanding that continues to deform debate on this issue. (I could stand to read only a few of them before I felt a great unease.) It takes time to put new policies and jobs into place, so that the scientifically-based solutions we want are possible. Rescheduling is primary. More US research is needed to confirm that done in the last 10+ years in Europe, Canada, Jamaica and other countries. Treatment alternatives need to be expanded and funded and incarceration needs to be decreased and defunded.As for the Main Stream Media, they are self-censored by the fact that their largest advertisers are pharmaceutical producers and beverage companies. [They say], "Tame down the truth about cannabis as an enhanced alternative for healing or recreation, OR ELSE lose the advertising dollars of the sponsors." This is the "Free Press." Ignore the sponsors behind the curtain, pulling the strings!"The pusher don't care if you live or if you die." --Steppenwolf. I call agents provocateur, re meth and crack, turning the cities into battlegrounds of paranoia, scaring the mothers and their babies, hardening the hearts of the fathers. Let’s not be fooled into another horrific crackdown like the ’70s and ’80s. ego destruction or ego trascendence, that is the question.
Agent provocateur - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Comment #124 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 18:32:19 PT
The GCW
I agree.
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Comment #123 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 18:30:44 PT
Had Enough 
Because Obama laughed he will have to answer why he laughed.
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Comment #122 posted by The GCW on March 26, 2009 at 18:25:16 PT
Paul; as usual You hit bull's-eyes.
What's so funny dude?-0-This isn't just about profits for long term cannabis legalization. It's also a matter of how much money will not be wasted.-0-And then there's this:The bottom-line: Cannabis could and should be re-legalized for many reasons including morally, while disregarding the credible economics viewpoint. It's time to stop caging responsible adult humans for using a damn plant.Dude.-0-And I trust this issue will keep coming up.Obama may initially be caught off guard on this issue and it may make Him laugh and blush and all but He'll get used to hearing it and may well think more about the issue and be able to talk about it with out laughing.Obama was a stoner. Once a stoner always a stoner -even if He doesn't use cannabis now.I didn't see the video etc. but My guess is He laughed the laugh of the stoner. Isn't that cute- now get rid of the smirk and get rid of the luciferous laws pertaining to the superplant.
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Comment #121 posted by Had Enough on March 26, 2009 at 18:11:31 PT
Blood Money
Every person in favor whom pushes this drug war, especially those that profit from it, has the blood of all those injured/maimed/killed... on his or her hands. Not to mention those who have had their freedom, livelihoods, properties, bank accounts, etc... taken from them.Obama, Congress, and all that goes with it...can stop this right now. And yet the beat goes on… On and on and on….Not funny at all…it’s not a matter to snicker or laugh over…period...Time to stop this madness...NOW!!!
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Comment #120 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 18:05:54 PT
Interesting Article
Former Drug Free America Director Endorses Medical Marijuanahttp://www.opposingviews.com/articles/opinion-former-drug-free-america-director-endorses-medical-marijuana
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Comment #119 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 17:40:25 PT
Hope
It is easier. The drug cartel situation will bring the issue of marijuana up again since Mexico is a big deal right now and will be for a few weeks I think. If our government could take the sting out of marijuana laws it would help at least a little with the drug cartel problem. It wouldn't cure the big and complex problem but it would help.
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Comment #118 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 17:36:32 PT
Lol!
It's easier to surf the internet than TV stations!When I've caught anything about it anywhere, they spoke more respectfully, in some cases, than I expected. Some still couldn't keep fleeting, little smirky smiles off their faces. In reference to the drug war and Mexico, I saw it mentioned more than once, that considering the seriousness of the question, it didn't seem right that Obama would dismiss any possibility quite so easily as he did on the legalization of marijuana question at the virtual town hall.
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Comment #117 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 17:35:17 PT
Dankhank
Aren't they both Republicans? Shouldn't they have had a Democrat? Most times that's what CNN seems to do. I really didn't see but the last minute.
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Comment #116 posted by Dankhank on March 26, 2009 at 17:33:33 PT
AC360 at 10ET
c brown said more on the drug war ...
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Comment #115 posted by Dankhank on March 26, 2009 at 17:31:48 PT
yes ....
wasn't too good ...
Ron Paul got thumped by Istook ...
ron was pushing conservative values ... state's rights
Istook was all about damage control ... he says we can't give up ...
Istook says recent data says kids using pot ... down 25%
wonder if any but the DEA say that ...
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Comment #114 posted by mydnytmover on March 26, 2009 at 17:28:22 PT
cnn
They kinda rudely cut Ron Paul off at the end he did not look to happy, they invited him there for a debate and the debate only lasted 4 or 5 minutes?? what a joke
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Comment #113 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 17:26:47 PT
Reefer Madness Redux
March 26, 2009URL: http://www.capitolhillblue.com/node/16641
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Comment #112 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 17:24:12 PT
CNN
I quick turned on CNN and saw the end but it wasn't good. I'm sorry I missed it but I had on MSNBC.
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Comment #111 posted by mydnytmover on March 26, 2009 at 17:13:14 PT
CNN
CNN is talking about marijuana with Ron Paul now
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Comment #110 posted by dankhank on March 26, 2009 at 17:12:09 PT
still talking about it ...
Campbell Brown on legalization soon CNN
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Comment #109 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 17:03:39 PT
Hope
I think more like a tortoise then a hare. I believe slow and steady as you go and in the end the tortoise will win when the hare wears himself out. I always loved that story as a child. It made sense to me.
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Comment #108 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 16:59:59 PT
This problem in Mexico,
naturally, connects with marijuana prohibition.They aren't laughing about that.
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Comment #107 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 16:57:17 PT
Being accused of multiple voting...
I seriously doubt that. I for one, didn't even vote. I think the question, in even this venue, is important. But I didn't even vote and I would be very surprised if I were the only one of us, the online community, that didn't. I can't get registered. Or I used to couldn't. I haven't tried in a long time.The question did concern the economy. It's even been discussed here before. So I do indeed, stand with them in that it is right to ask the question. I definitely consider myself to be a part of what he referred to as "The online community". I guess. I don't live here, but I would rather surf the net than watch tv, usually, when I have time. I try to make time, too. "Online community"? That's interesting.
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Comment #106 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 16:44:31 PT
Just a Comment
I didn't even ask a question but I voted on some of the questions. 
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Comment #105 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 16:41:40 PT
Fight_4_Freedom
"I don't know what this says about the online audience."Depending on what "Is is", I don't like the sound of it.What's he saying? Whatever it is, I doubt we'd consider it flattering.
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Comment #104 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 16:40:05 PT
News Article From The Mercury News
Obama's Online Town Hall Ranges from Marijuana to MeningitisBy Frank Davies, Mercury News Washington BureauMarch 26, 2009WASHINGTON — In the first online town hall held in the White House, President Barack Obama Thursday mixed wonky policy talk, personal anecdotes and flashes of humor as he explored a new way to reach people and advance his agenda.About 67,000 viewers watched the live webcast on whitehouse.gov, which was also carried by several cable news outlets. Over two days, 92,933 people submitted 104,081 questions, and used the Web tool Google Moderator to cast 3.6 million votes on which questions the president should answer.Obama called the town hall "this experiment we're trying out. I promised to open up the White House to the American people, and this event ... marks an important step toward achieving that goal."The event also had its pitfalls. While online participants were told the subject was the economy, the White House Web site was inundated by questions about legalizing marijuana. Prompted by NORML, a group pushing legalization, thousands logged on to make those questions some of the most popular."I don't know what this says about the online audience," Obama said with a chuckle. "We want to make sure it was answered. The answer is no — I don't think that is a good strategy to grow our economy."Complete Article: http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12004274
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Comment #103 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 16:37:38 PT
Fight_4_Freedom Comment 83
Good job on your workday! "All work and no play, makes Jack, and plenty of it.":0)I didn't get much done today at all between the computer and TV. It's like a whirlwind. 
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Comment #102 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 16:32:58 PT
Perhaps...
I should mute this deeply flawed thing.That's probably how I missed it the first time, though.
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Comment #101 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 16:31:16 PT
I'm pretty awed
at how "Controlled" our "Free Press" is.I knew it was... but this is so blatantly obvious.The "free" press and media are quite deeply owned. But then again they have been for many, many years. Remember Randolf Hurst?They're entertaining us and "Guiding" us ... part of "The Plan for America"?
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Comment #100 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 16:23:02 PT
Somebody told them to shut up...
and they did.
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Comment #99 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 16:22:28 PT
The talking heads are blabbering
a hundred miles an hour... about town hall meetings, and whatnot... fast as they can. No mention of the question.Who is pulling these obvious strings on these networks ? Why?
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Comment #98 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 16:19:25 PT
Amazing
What's going on here?Maybe I was on the phone last time when they fulfilled their "Tease".
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Comment #97 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 16:16:19 PT
I'm reaching the part of the rebroadcast
of Hardball... when they apparently get new orders. Maybe I missed it when they talked about it before after promising to get to the question ... right before the last commercial break. Which is STILL on.
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Comment #96 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 16:08:34 PT
fight_4_freedom
I don't get upset about what I didn't expect when it comes to asking about legalization. That word is a hard word to handle for many people. I wish a question about rescheduling would have been asked and answered.
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Comment #95 posted by fight_4_freedom on March 26, 2009 at 16:00:36 PT
FoM Comment 52
Very True
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Comment #94 posted by fight_4_freedom on March 26, 2009 at 15:47:59 PT
Comment #61
Thank You Paul.
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Comment #93 posted by fight_4_freedom on March 26, 2009 at 15:45:53 PT
ABC nightly news just showed Obama
answering that question at the town hall meeting. I definitely didn't like what I heard. I figured that would be his answer. But what is he suggesting when he says..."I don't know what this says about the online audience." I think the combination of this and a rough 11 hour day at work has got me all worked up. Time to relax.
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Comment #92 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 15:40:06 PT
Hope
I just saw that on CNN. 
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Comment #91 posted by Mahakal on March 26, 2009 at 15:27:09 PT
Hope
The silence is deafening.They are scared.
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Comment #90 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 15:10:26 PT
Blitzer hinting at talking about a question
that was more popular than any other at the town hall meeting.
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Comment #89 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 15:04:54 PT
Cruising the networks...
They have shut down all reference to the marijuana question. Not a peep anywhere that I can see.
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Comment #88 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 14:51:44 PT
Itsonlyaplant comment 86
Well done.Thank you.
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Comment #87 posted by Mahakal on March 26, 2009 at 14:39:14 PT
yoshi
It just isn't true that most people brew their own beer, even though it's legal for adults to do so. Most people won't grow their own cannabis, either. There will always be a market for both, and tax revenues will not disappear just because we can avoid buying what we can grow for ourselves.
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Comment #86 posted by itsonlyaplant on March 26, 2009 at 14:37:08 PT
Laughing matter
After reading and seeing what is obviously thought of our cause I decided to write to our President. I encourage all of you out there to do the same and tell your friends, loved ones, and collegues to do so as well (I posted the link below). We can't be ignored or laughed away any more. (A side note that I'm probably going to get flamed for but I feel is important so here it is) I urge you all to please consider doing away with the name marijuana when referring to cannabis, that name was tagged as a means to demean and demonize cannabis as something it's not. I stopped referring to cannabis as marijuana because I felt it is a serious issue and we should all fight to turn it back into what it should be. Rant over :) Back on point, here is my letter to President Obama.Dear President Obama, I am interested to know why the subject of cannabis legalization is such a laughing matter to our elected officials. I as well as millions of people who voted for you in November 2008 think cannabis prohibition is the major cause of the on going cartel wars in Mexico. We feel that the time has come to end what started as a racially motivated issue which has turned into an ideological one. Cannabis prohibition has done nothing more than increase the number of cannabis consumers from less than what is estimated at less than 20,000 in 1937 to tens of millions in 2009. As well as increasing consumer numbers the prohibition of cannabis has ruined millions of lives as a result of arrest on charges of mainly possession. We all hear of how detrimental cannabis is, however the fact is that you, I, and tens of millions of Americans are living proof that past or current cannabis use is absolutely not harmful. We are doctors, lawyers, nurses, policemen, firemen, chefs, students, presidents, mothers, daughters, fathers, and sons. We are functional, responsible, and concerned adults and we are tired of being treated like we aren't. As a thoughtful, caring elected official who knows the reality of cannabis I implore you to take this matter seriously as it does impact many facets of our national life. Every day I watch every news outlet and see Mexican narco-terror and how it is estimated that between 60-80% of the cartel's profit comes from cannabis. It doesn't take a Harvard economist to see the writing on the wall. The American public has shown that we are not dimwits as was thought by many past administrations. We elected someone who we perceived as thoughtful, and who genuinely cares about our beloved country. Please don't let down the tens of millions who believe in this issue, we're counting on you as our elected President to hear our voices. Thank you most sincerely,
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
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Comment #85 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 14:36:01 PT
Yes
It's already on.
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Comment #84 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 14:35:49 PT
Thanks Hope
We are jumping back and forth between MSNBC and CNN.
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Comment #83 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 14:35:02 PT
comments read on the air...
During the Situation Room. Which might be on right now.
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Comment #82 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 14:32:54 PT
cafferty/cnn
They will select comments to read on the air.
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Comment #81 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 14:29:54 PT
cnn poll ... somewhere on the page... I think
http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/26/time-for-us-to-legalize-drugs/#comments
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Comment #80 posted by yoshi on March 26, 2009 at 14:23:11 PT:
No profits in long term legalization
In the short run there could be tax revenue or new small businesses, or even cannabis cigarettes by the tobacco companies. But ultimately if everyone could grow plants in backyards, balconies, rooftops,grow closets and a true free market was allowed global corporations would not be able to make large profits.
One reason the federal government made alcohol illegal was to stop rural americans from producing their own fuel (alcohol). Controlling the population is always the role of government. Sure was easy to get the sucker Americans to buy into 9-11, and the impending doom of weapons of mass destruction.
Welcome to the new world, you're the enemy
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Comment #79 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 14:19:44 PT
It looks to me like there may have been
a sudden change in the agenda of Hardball, too.I guess I'll have to endure it to see.
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Comment #78 posted by OverwhelmSam on March 26, 2009 at 14:19:08 PT
Good Job FoM
Lots of sources to confirm Obama's stance on marijuana. It's official as I expected it would be. I also expect his approval ratings to go down, sharply. But you're right FoM, I guess he's doing a pretty good job overall. His foriegn policy is questionabled, but we'll see how that turns out. One things for sure, he's either genius, or a genius politician.
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Comment #77 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 14:18:10 PT
Suddenly...
and noticeably. 
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Comment #76 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 14:17:35 PT
abruptly
is what I meant. 
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Comment #75 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 14:16:30 PT
A signifigant "somebody"
must have noticed how many times legalized marijuana was being said and stopped it completely and abrubptly. Completely. Was that the "Fifteen minutes of fame" for "The Question"?Somebody shut that baby down. 
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Comment #74 posted by Mahakal on March 26, 2009 at 14:14:02 PT
What's so funny?
You know, Barack, racism isn't funny. You know that very well. So when you laugh at policies which at their core are themselves racist, I wonder what's going through your mind. An estimated 12 percent of African-American men between 20 and 34 are in jail or prison. According to the ACLU, an African American is 12 times as likely as a white person to be cited for marijuana possession, and blacks who are cited are more likely to be charged, more likely to be convicted, more likely to be sentenced, and more likely to serve time.But keep on laughing, you know?
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Comment #73 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 14:12:26 PT
dang
Pat's apoplectic.Don't know if I can take this. May have to change it or mute it.
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Comment #72 posted by BGreen on March 26, 2009 at 14:08:14 PT
Is it really funny, Mr. Obama?
Mr. Obama, is it really funny that you, our first African-American President, had you have been caught by law enforcement doing the drugs you have admitted using at this point in history, you not only probably wouldn't have been able to attend College, you also would NOT have had ANY career similar to the one you now have?Mr. President, if you would have been caught up in the system you're apparently defending and promoting, your life would have been tragically destroyed, NOT by the drugs but by the legal system.That, Mr. President, is as wrong as wrong gets, and it is just as wrong to inflict that type of barbaric injustice on to any other American as well.How many other young men and women will NEVER have a chance to achieve greatness because of our failed war on drugs?If Mr. Obama still thinks it's fair to punish others for something he himself admits doing, then maybe Mr. Obama should just give up his life as he knows it and live a life of hardship and poverty, just like the millions of victims of this government's foolish actions.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #71 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 14:04:40 PT
Pat Buchannan
on Chris Matthews right now.
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Comment #70 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 13:51:33 PT
The Fact That Obama Laughed
It opens a door for us to ask him why he thinks it's funny when people get arrested and jailed in some states if caught with it in their possession.
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Comment #69 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 13:49:03 PT
Rainbow
There would be a market until it became saturated. I was looking down the road a year or two.
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Comment #68 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 13:46:07 PT
MSNBC
I don't know what's going on on other channels. But I'm amazed to hear "Legalizing marijuana" very often on MSNBC. Looks like that "Plan for America", whatever that is, that our President supports, may have backfired. LOUDLYIt's not funny and many people know it.Thanks for fighting them, Paul. You speak for many millions of people. Thank you.We have a pretty good 'clue' of what's next, after the ridicule, and the fighting.That 'full circle' that used to make me feel so frustrated, is growing tighter every time we go through it.Sort of like an upward spiral. 
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Comment #67 posted by Rainbow on March 26, 2009 at 13:45:12 PT
There is a great market.
FOM said Cannabis when it can be grown in everyones back yard will be like people growing tomatoes. People will give it away like we do our garden vegetables.If this is true then why do we have grocery stores? Everyone can create their own beer (5 gallons in less than a month) but we still have taverens and pubs and off sale liquor.Sorry but there is a huge market for the stuff and not everyone can or wants to grow it. If you want a certain strain would you wait till it grows up in the summer or go down and buy a bit.If you wanted soem of the Amber oil would you make it yourself or go buy some of our fri3nds Amer who knows how to create it.What about all the industrial uses for Hemp that would come about instead of buying HEmp from China.No this is a cop out and he is loosing my interest quickly.I too do not like being dissed and taken for a fool.
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Comment #66 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 13:11:32 PT
Twice in the last ten minutes on MSNBC
"The Question" as come up.I could swear they cut out much, if not all, the laughter and had only some of the applause. I must be causing myself some sort of self protective deafness.
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Comment #65 posted by paul armentano on March 26, 2009 at 13:10:00 PT
Ideology not Public policy
There needs to be a rationale given for one's opposition -- otherwise it's simply ideology.http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Obama_holds_online_town_hall_meeting_0326.htmlHowever, later on Thursday afternoon during the White House press briefing after multiple reporters asked marijuana-related questions, Obama Administration spokesman Robert Gibbs unequivocally said that the president opposed legalization.Among other things, Gibbs was asked if he has the economic data or a study to back up Obama's claim that marijuana legalization would not be a good strategy."He opposes the legalization -- I'll do this for the president," Gibbs stated. "I neither emailed my question in or voted for it but he opposes the legalization of marijuana and I'll say I did that without even the slightest bit of laughter."When pressed as to why Obama opposes legalization, Gibbs said, "He does not think that is -- he opposes it. He doesn't think that is the right plan for America."
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Comment #64 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 13:09:51 PT
Mr. Armentano.
Very well done.Thank you.
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Comment #63 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 13:04:14 PT
Marijuana Legalization Not Good For The Economy
March 26, 2009 The legislative battle to legalize pot in California has gained so much attention that President Obama can no longer ignore it. In an online town hall meeting Obama rejected the argument that legalizing, regulating, and taxing marijuana would be a good way to raise money in this recession. URL: http://www.usnews.com/blogs/risky-business/2009/03/26/obama-marijuana-legalization-not-good-for-the-economy.html
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Comment #62 posted by Had Enough on March 26, 2009 at 12:49:22 PT
Paul
Thank You…so very much.and a tip of helmet to you...KoC - Knights of Cannabis
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Comment #61 posted by paul armentano on March 26, 2009 at 12:40:33 PT
No laughing matter
President Obama: What Is So Funny About Taxing And Regulating Marijuana?Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:34:32 By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
Share This Article    Speaking live moments ago President Barack Obama pledged “to open up the White House to the American people.”Well, to some of the American people that is.As for those tens of millions of you who believe that cannabis should be legally regulated like alcohol — and the tens of thousands of you who voted to make this subject the most popular question in today’s online Presidential Town Hall — well, your voice doesn’t really matter.Asked this morning whether he “would … support the bill currently going through the California legislation to legalize and tax marijuana, boosting the economy and reducing drug cartel related violence,” the President responded with derision.“There was one question that was voted on that ranked fairly high and that was whether legalizing marijuana would improve the economy and job creation, and I don’t know what this says about the online audience,” he laughed.“The answer is no, I don’t think that [is] a good strategy.”Obama’s cynical rebuff was short-sighted and disrespectful to a large percentage of his supporters. After all, was it not this very same “online audience” that donated heavily to Obama’s Presidential campaign and ultimately carried him to the White House?Second, as I’ve written previously in The Hill and elsewhere, the overwhelming popularity of the marijuana law reform issue — as manifested in this and in similar forums — illustrates that there is a significant, vocal, and identifiable segment of our society that wants to see an end to America’s archaic and overly punitive marijuana laws.The Obama administration should be embracing this constituency, not mocking it.Third, will somebody please ask the President: “What is it that you think is so funny about the subject of marijuana law reform?”Since 1965, police have arrested over 20 million Americans for violating marijuana laws, yet nearly 90 percent of teenagers say that pot is “very easy” or “fairly easy” to obtain. That’s funny?According to this very administration, there is an unprecedented level of violence occurring at the Mexico/US border — much of which is allegedly caused by the trafficking of marijuana to the United States by drug cartels. America’s stringent enforcement of pot prohibition, which artificially inflates black market pot prices and ensures that only criminal enterprises will be involved in the production and sale of this commodity, is helping to fuel this violence. Wow, funny stuff!Finally, two recent polls indicate that a strong majority of regional voters support ending marijuana prohibition and treating the drug’s sale, use, and distribution like alcohol. A February 2009 Zogby telephone poll reported that nearly six out of ten of voters on the west coast think that cannabis should be “taxed and legally regulated like alcohol and cigarettes.” A just-released California Field Poll reports similar results, finding that 58 percent of statewide votes believe that regulations for cannabis should be the same or less strict than those for alcohol.Does the President really think that all of these voters are worthy of his ridicule?Let the White House laugh for now, but the public knows that this issue is no laughing matter. This week alone, legislators in Illinois, Minnesota, and New Hampshire voted to legalize the use of marijuana for authorized individuals. Politicians in three additional states heard testimony this week in favor of eliminating criminal penalties for all adults who possess and use cannabis. And lawmakers in Massachusetts and California are now debating legally regulating marijuana outright.The American public is ready and willing to engage in a serious and objective political debate regarding the merits of legalizing the use of cannabis by adults. And all over this nation, whether Capitol Hill wants to acknowledge it or not, they are engaging in this debate as we speak.Sorry Obama, this time the joke’s on you.
http://www.norml.org
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Comment #60 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 12:35:29 PT
FoM
You probably know that, among children, you have to segregate lefties and righties at a dining table. I know. I had two left handed children and two right handed children. They cannot sit next to each other very closely to eat. Righties on one side. Lefties on the other. It works beautifully. My two lefties were born to another woman. She suggests that the side they were fed from as babies had something to do with it. I'm always careful to watch which hand a baby seems to favor. I don't want to interfere with whats going on with that, naturally, if I can keep from it ... except that they have to learn to live with righties, too.
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Comment #59 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 12:33:57 PT
Hope
Thanks Hope. I liked that.
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Comment #58 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 12:26:06 PT
Famous Lefties
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT8qWldqaBE
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Comment #57 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 12:25:38 PT
Had Enough
He answered a question that would be no. 
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Comment #56 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 12:22:53 PT
"Comedian-in-Chief"
Imagine that?MSNBC"Comedian-in-Chief"
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Comment #55 posted by Had Enough on March 26, 2009 at 12:21:34 PT
Question about the Question???
There were many questions regarding the effect it would have on the Drug War on the Southern Border...And many more about the medical aspects…And many about being arrested and having otherwise law abiding citizens rung through the judicial system and having records that follow them for life…How come his handlers had him address it on an economic issue instead of the others…???I think it was just another ‘softball’ way to dodge and sidestep the issue…It was like the audience watching the Johnny Carson Show… Watch the stage…when the host snickers and ‘makes funny’…and then when the applause sign comes on everybody enthusiastically respond…And I’m not laughing, or applauding, with that hand picked audience…
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Comment #54 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 12:10:40 PT
Hope
I know that when I started using my left hand my teacher and mom tried to get me to use my right hand but finally gave up. It is odd living in a right handed world. I never see one way to be the absolutely correct answer to a question. 
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Comment #53 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 11:57:58 PT
FoM
It's not so silly to think that. A lot of people and scientists would agree with you. Left handed people often, I think, process from the right side of their brain, initially, more than right handed people. I learned when I broke my shoulder that practicing using and strengthening the off hand side, in my case, the uninjured side, was a beneficial experience in many ways. It kind of stirs up that right side of the brain thinking and strengthen it a bit more, too, I suspect.
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Comment #52 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 11:48:03 PT
Hope
That's right. Even bad news is better then no news when it comes to TV coverage.
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Comment #51 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 11:46:53 PT
Hope
On a silly note. I think I understand Obama because he is left handed like me. I swear we think differently then right handed people. We've always been on the low end of the totem pole.
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Comment #50 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 11:45:25 PT
*Smile*... 
Of all the questions, what question is making the most news?
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Comment #49 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 11:43:33 PT
Hope
As I think about all the feelings we have about what Obama said I get to wondering. He is smart. He is a broad thinking person. Cannabis when it can be grown in everyones back yard will be like people growing tomatoes. People will give it away like we do our garden vegetables. That would cripple the drug cartels and make it a non money making commodity in my opinion.
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Comment #48 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 11:34:02 PT
MSNBC
They're still laughing at us. They'll be laughing all evening and, of course, those who have laughed at us all along will be encouraged to laugh some more.It could have been handled better.Like maybe, "I understand your concern. It will be dealt with, perhaps not so much as an economic issue, but the issue will not be ignored as it has in the past. It's obviously an important issue to many people."
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Comment #47 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 11:09:29 PT
CBS Blog: Obama: Legalizing Pot Won’t Grow Economy
By Brian Montopoli March 26, 2009 President Obama just wrapped up an online town hall meeting in which he answered questions submitted to the White House web site.As CBS News' Chief Political Correspondent Marc Ambinder points out, the top-rated questions in the “budget” and “fiscal stability” sections of the submissions page concerned the legalization of marijuana.(Here’s one: “With over 1 out of 30 Americans controlled by the penal system, why not legalize, control, and tax marijuana to change the failed war on drugs into a money making, money saving boost to the economy? Do we really need that many victimless criminals?")Hotsheet did not expect President Obama to address the pot questions during the town hall, particularly after the event opened with a pair of relatively straightforward questions. But we were wrong: the president interrupted the event midway through to address the issue.“…we took votes about which questions were going to be asked, and I think 3 million people voted or 3.5 million people voted,” he said. “I have to say that there was one question that was voted on that ranked fairly high, and that was whether legalizing marijuana would improve the economy and job creation.”The president then joked that “I don't know what this says about the online audience,” prompting laughter from the roughly 100 people gathered in the White House East Room for the event.“…but I just want -- I don't want people to think that -- this was a fairly popular question,” he continued. “We want to make sure that it was answered.”And then he answered it in a way that must come as a disappointment to legalization advocates – though they could at least take solace in the fact that he did not flatly state that he opposes legalization.“The answer is, no, I don't think that is a good strategy to grow our economy,” the president said. His answer prompted applause from the audience.URL: http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/03/26/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4894639.shtml
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Comment #46 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 11:04:14 PT
Obama Says No To Legalizing Marijuana* 
 March 26, 2009 
 President Barack Obama is in the midst of his virtual townhall meeting, taking questions submitted online through the White House website. The public got to vote on which questions should be asked and he noted that one of the more popular questions was whether legalizing marijuana would be a good idea, especially as a way to spur economic activity."I don't know what this says about the online audience," Obama joked. "The answer is no, I don't think that is a good strategy to grow our economy."It's a topical question, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declaring yesterday en route to Mexico that decades of anti-drug policy have failed.There's an asterisk, though, for anyone who might wonder what the meaning of is is. He dismissed economic growth as a rationale for legalization. He didn't explicitly rule out legalization per se, perhaps on other grounds. Former presidents of Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, for instance, recently issued a report suggesting that decriminalizing marijuana would erode the drug cartels' profits, violence and power.Copyright: 2009 The Dallas Morning News, Inc.http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/03/obama-says-no-to-legalizing-ma.html
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Comment #45 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 10:56:25 PT
From The LA Times Blog
Obama Addresses Marijuana Questions in Online Town Hallhttp://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/03/obama-addresses.html
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Comment #44 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 10:53:48 PT
From CNet.com
Obama's Virtual Town Hall Takes Legalize-Pot Detourhttp://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10205063-38.html
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Comment #43 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 10:50:54 PT
Obama
I am not a single issue voter. I think he will need to answer a question that isn't a pointed question better.
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Comment #42 posted by dongenero on March 26, 2009 at 10:48:17 PT
Obama
This posturing will lose him more support than it will gain him.The people who would agree with prohibitionist policy are mostly against him already. They will not come over to his side based on this. He may very well lose support of many progressives. I'm not a single issue voter but, dancing around this particular issue could be a deal breaker.
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Comment #41 posted by Had Enough on March 26, 2009 at 10:42:20 PT
Spell Check again #40
Builderbergers…
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Comment #40 posted by Had Enough on March 26, 2009 at 10:39:28 PT
Online audience…
Obama also added this, with a smirk on his face to boot.“I don’t know what this says about the online audience, but I don’t want people to think”Well I say he knows…and he is cow towing to the status quo…He is also surrounded by Builderburgers too…
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Comment #39 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 10:30:42 PT
Laughing
I can't bring myself to 'laugh at myself' concerning this matter.I cried. More than wept... I cried.It's still painful to me, after all these years, and so very much of it, to be ridiculed.I'm not down. I didn't take to my bed and curl up in a fetal position. I'm hurt. I'm offended. I'm angry. I'm calm. Mostly. I'm working on it.
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Comment #38 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 10:30:21 PT
Had Enough 
Thank you. If we had over 38% in favor of marijuana legalization I would be miffed to. Medical marijuana has a much higher percentage of people who agree with it.
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Comment #37 posted by OverwhelmSam on March 26, 2009 at 10:23:21 PT
Obama Not In Favor of Marijuana Legalization
It appears Obama has struck his colors:Obama opposes legalizing marijuanahttp://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D975QL000&show_article=1
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Comment #36 posted by HempWorld on March 26, 2009 at 10:19:38 PT
Sorry Obama, today, starting yesterday, I felt
horribly let down. As I warning I posted your picture smoking reefer right next to your Repugnant buddy Aahrnold!I will post your picture on all my websites if you continue to diss us!
On a mission from God!
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Comment #35 posted by Sam Adams on March 26, 2009 at 10:16:15 PT
FOM - picture
excellent! thanks for the link - we'll hold it in reserve, give him more time before plastering the picture everywhere, this latest raid looks real bad though, it seems to go directly against what he said last week. The fact that it's in SF looks like the DEA making a statement that they're still fighting the cultural war regardless of what Holder said, frightening.
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Comment #34 posted by Had Enough on March 26, 2009 at 10:12:16 PT
FoM
I admire your recognition of silver linings in dark clouds…that is a rare quality found in people these days…
 
Thank you for that…but I’m still miffed…The audience didn’t just laugh, they applauded his answer too…Although we are getting closer…every roadblock impedes the way to freedom and heath for everyone and more people left to suffer.I’ve Had Enough of this stuff…and I know others have too!!!
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Comment #33 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 10:11:06 PT
ripit
I agree.
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Comment #32 posted by ripit on March 26, 2009 at 10:09:49 PT
 i see everybody askin 
for straight out legalization and i don't see that happenin. we need it rescedulded first and formost! small steps ppl !plain and simple.theres no way were going anywhere without it!
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Comment #31 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 10:04:32 PT
Sam
Here's the picture of Obama smoking.http://drugsense.org/url/4NJ0AI2O
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Comment #30 posted by Dr Ganj on March 26, 2009 at 10:03:51 PT
And The Raids Continue!
Just as weird luck would have it, I was just at this club
SELLING MY HONEY OIL at 1pm yesterday! (Legal under Senate Bill 420, by the way)
This a very small club, and because of road repair in front, business has been very slow for them.
The budtender barely had enough to pay me for just a
few grams of my "Amber Oil". 
So, I find it really strange the DEA would bother with
such a puny club, when right across the Bay is Harborside dispensary, where the owner (Stephen DeAngelo) has openly bragged about how his club brings in more than 10 million dollars a years, and had 980 customers come in to buy
cannabis products in just ONE DAY last week!
So, for all you out there thinking Eric Holder's comments
might be true, and Obama would stop the raids, here's solid proof that when the DEA wants to have a little fun, and grab some cash & stash- they will continue to terrorize the medical marijuana community.
And for all you thinking about starting your own club, and getting rich- good luck, as you'd better have a great attorney, and big bail money. Remember Charles Lynch?
As I said in the past a hundred times....
See you in court! 
>>>>>(03-25) 22:05 PDT San Francisco -- Federal agents raided a medical marijuana dispensary in San Francisco Wednesday, a week after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder signaled that the Obama administration would not prosecute distributors of pot used for medicinal purposes that operate under sanction of state law.U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents raided Emmalyn's California Cannabis Clinic at 1597 Howard St. in San Francisco's South of Market district mid-afternoon. They hauled out large plastic bins overflowing with marijuana plants and loaded several pickup trucks parked out front with grow lights and related equipment used to farm the plants indoors.The dispensary had been operating with a temporary permit issued by the Department of Public Health. "Based on our investigation, we believe there are not only violations of federal law, but state law as well," DEA Special Agent in Charge Anthony Williams said in a prepared statement. Williams, who runs the San Francisco field office that covers a territory stretching from Bakersfield to Redding, would not specify the alleged violations. The information was under court seal. "As of now, we are prohibited from releasing further details of the case. Items of evidentiary value were seized and no arrests have been made," Williams said.A source in San Francisco city government who was informed about the raid said the DEA's action appeared to be prompted by alleged financial improprieties related to the payment of sales taxes. DEA Special Agent Casey McEnry, spokeswoman for the local office, would not comment on that information.Representatives from Emmalyn's could not be reached for comment. It was not clear whether they were on the premises when authorities arrived.Word of the raid spread quickly in the medical marijuana advocacy community via text-message. About a dozen people, many with cameras in hand, gathered in front of Emmalyn's as federal agents guarded the front entrance. The scent of marijuana wafted through the crowd and several bystanders shouted epithets at the agents as they walked by.Emmalyn's provides marijuana for free to poor people on Wednesdays."It's awful that raids like this are still happening. Public opinion favors medicinal marijuana," said Troy Dayton, senior development officer for the Marijuana Policy Project, a national organization that advocates for the decriminalization of marijuana, particularly for medicinal purposes. Thirteen years ago, California became the first of more than a dozen states to legalize medical marijuana, although federal law still prohibits its use. In a marked shift from Bush administration policy, Holder said last month that dispensaries only would be prosecuted if both state and federal drug laws were thought to be violated. 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/25/BA5B16N9LR.DTL
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Comment #29 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 10:02:25 PT
dongenero 
Thank you.
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Comment #28 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 09:58:22 PT
Sam
I can laugh at myself. He didn't growl or look mean. The question was an easy one to say no to in my opinion.We marijuana or cannabis enthusiasts have created so much over the years and there are large numbers of us online.
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Comment #27 posted by dongenero on March 26, 2009 at 09:58:09 PT
poorly posing the question...
gives an out.If you just ask if legalization will help the economy, it can be shrugged off with a "no".A better question may be how does the arrest of 800,000 otherwise law abiding American citizens per year help ANYTHING?How does a "war" against half of our citizens achieve ANYTHING positive for our country?How authority for federal legislation regarding citizen's use of a plant fall under Constitutional authority?How does discrimination,harassment and asset seizure of a class of Americans become federal and state revenue generation under our Constitution?Effect on economy has nothing to do with it unless you're just figuring out how to seize more from people, by arresting them or by taxing them. This issue is not about the economy, it's about justice.It's one thing to tax people. It's quite another to seize their assets, remove their voting rights, ruin their chances for gainful employment.
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Comment #26 posted by Sam Adams on March 26, 2009 at 09:55:03 PT
FOM
just being half-serious again - he pretty much spoke directly to us - the online audience - if there is a way to address CNews he just did - and he ridiculed us and laughed at us.He doesn't know what the question "says about us", that's an insult, it says that we're not brainwashed and we want policies that will improve our country.Do we need to dredge of the picture of him smoking a joint? Maybe every cannabis reform and discussion website in the US should put that on the front page.If cannabis isn't out of Schedule One by 2010 we should start posting that picture everywhere!
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Comment #25 posted by Sam Adams on March 26, 2009 at 09:52:05 PT
Hillary
this sounds so good....they need to connect the dots, end prohibition, tell the police unions they can use their money and toys for something else.....http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2009/03/26/us_antidrug_policies_have_failed_clinton_says/"Neither interdiction nor reducing demand have been successful," Clinton said, noting that "we have been pursuing these strategies for 30 years.""Clearly what we've been doing has not worked," Clinton told reporters on her plane at the start of her two-day trip. She said it was unfair for the United States "to be creating a situation where people are holding the Mexican government and people responsible. That's not right."
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 09:49:31 PT
Sam
What do you mean you were dissed?
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 09:48:15 PT
Had Enough
The fact that he and the audience laughed is better then we need to gather up those marijuana people that are online and ask questions that should never be asked or answered. We are enlightened but many people in society are still in the dark ages as far as thinking outside the box.I don't expect much so I appreciate even small steps. That's the way I look at about everything.
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Comment #22 posted by Sam Adams on March 26, 2009 at 09:47:06 PT
Obama and "online audience"
don't know about the rest of y'all, but I just got "dissed" by Obama and I don't like it. 
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Comment #21 posted by Had Enough on March 26, 2009 at 09:41:18 PT
more funny business…
Drug wars and murders on the southern border…20 million people arrested for pot…No knock raids on wrong addresses and with 92 year olds getting shot and killed…with Leo’s falsifying statements to judges to obtain warrants and trying to cover it up…Babies and mothers being killed by the Peruvian Air Force…Crosslin Farm raids…People like runruff sitting in Federal Prison for gardening…And the list goes on…All fueled by the ‘Drug War”Not so funny…those people laughing haven’t a clue, or have their heads shoved someplace where they can’t see or hear…
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 09:40:07 PT
Obama's Marijuana Question and Answer
Excerpt: Obama had some fun with at least one question, saying he doesn't think legalizing marijuana is a good strategy for turning around the economy. Obama told the audience that one of the most popular questions was whether legalization of the illicit drug would help pull the nation out of the recession. The president jokingly said: "I don't know what this says about the online audience." In a serious response, he said he didn't think that was a good economic policy. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090326/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_online
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Comment #19 posted by Sam Adams on March 26, 2009 at 09:38:33 PT
follow the money
runruff, just think of the billions in cash that must be laundered every year - who does it? Bankers.Gee, how are their ethics and character? Bankers wouldn't do any underhanded right? Bankers wouldn't corrupt the government and laws so they can get rich while the whole country goes down the toilet, would they?And they're teamed up with every law enforcement dept. in the US, plus all the paramilitary federal agencies, some that we don't even know about
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Comment #18 posted by runruff on March 26, 2009 at 09:32:48 PT
I'll tell you all something!
There is something [someone] nefarious lurking in the shadows.Are there agents of "no change" standing by to make sure no president will favor legalization?Election after election it is the same. Roselyn Elders, Jimmy Cater, and many more were summarily dismissed after recommending legalization. Obama went from , it's a failure, to, just no to reform.Is there some goons out there or in there that get these people in a room and say," we make accidents happen. If you get out of line your wife and kids could have a terrible accident."A billion dollars a day? Oh yes, you can hire a few useful idiots on that kind of cash flow! That is just the least this WoD means to the bloody profiteers! People who hide behind the misery and bloody mayhem, are worse and more evil than the drug lords because they pretend to be good while they are not! Millions of people need to open there eyes and realize what the game is. I won't hold my breath!
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Comment #17 posted by Had Enough on March 26, 2009 at 09:25:12 PT
Funny business
I’m with HempWorld…If this issue weren’t so serious…I might be laughing instead of seething with frustration…Status quo seems to still prevail…over innocent bystanders of ‘hope for change’…Yeah…real funny…’buisness’…
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Comment #16 posted by Sam Adams on March 26, 2009 at 09:24:09 PT
SF raid working link
not goodhttp://www.kron4.com/News/ArticleView/tabid/298/smid/1126/ArticleID/872/reftab/36/t/DEA-Raids-Cannabis-Clinic-in-San-Francisco/Default.aspxI see that yesterday Hillary is running around saying "we've been trying the WOD for 30 years and it's been a total failure" and then Obama commits millions of dollars more to doing the same thing. And a few million more for "drug courts", as if drug courts are going to stop 100 million people from using cannabis.we need more states to opt out of MJ arrests, prohibition is not going to end in a top-down way
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 09:18:09 PT

Hope
Yes they did laugh. Taxing marijuana and making it helpful to fix the economy doesn't make sense to people in general. Money is made because it is illegal. If it was legal it wouldn't cost anything practically anymore.I want to see him answer a question on re-scheduling marijuana which would lower the penalties. Get it out of Schedule I where it never should have been. 
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Comment #14 posted by HempWorld on March 26, 2009 at 09:16:31 PT

Yeah Hope, that's right, never mind that mari
juana, is the country's largest cash crop because of Anslinger and the DEA.Ha, ha, ha, that's so funny!And then there is that funny study by Jeffrey Miron from Harvard who calculated that marijuana legalization would save 10-14 Billion.Ha, ha, ha, that's just too funny!And then the fact that marijuana cures cancer, ha, ha, now that one just tops it all ... ha, ha, ha ...
On a mission from God!
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Comment #13 posted by Had Enough on March 26, 2009 at 09:15:05 PT

Online Town hall
Open (???) for questions...Most popular question…Obama just says No!!!

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Comment #12 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 09:12:19 PT

Our question...
He made a comedy routine out of it. People laughed.
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 09:12:18 PT

Obama Answered A Marijuana Question
He said no he doesn't think it would grow the economy.I don't either on that one. The price would drop so low that any tax wouldn't amount to much.
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Comment #10 posted by mykeyb420 on March 26, 2009 at 09:04:01 PT

raid in SF
The DEA raided a MMJ club in San Fran yesterday,,,so much for the government telling the truth
DEA raid
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Comment #9 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 09:02:57 PT

Got it...
Thanks so much!
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 08:58:31 PT

Hope
It's live right now on the news. I'm watching MSNBC.
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Comment #7 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 08:57:26 PT

FoM
I think I must be in the "Improving Education" virtual hallway. I think I'd best check out what's going on there, before I go back out to the lobby and try again.:0)They answer the questions today, don't they?
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 08:49:19 PT

Hope
I just checked Budget and Green Jobs & Energy and they are still the top questions voted on.
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on March 26, 2009 at 08:43:54 PT

Open for questions
No longer open for questions... and "cleaned up" of any "frivolous" questions about marijuana prohibition. I'm so sick of the grinning idiots that don't seem to have a clue that this question is about bloodshed, about death, about ruined lives, and for what? Now they show the most "Popular" questions. All traces of our questions have either disappeared or have been swept way back somewhere. I've gone in fifty questions deep and nary a sign of any question pertaining to marijuana prohibition yet.
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Comment #4 posted by E_Johnson on March 26, 2009 at 07:53:08 PT

Could someone please write them a letter?
I don't have email right now or I would remind them that minors get cancer too and nowhere in Prop 215 was the use of medical marijuana restricted to adults.They keep trying to talk about medical marijuana but in the end they make it sound like beer or vodka -- where the law forbids minors to have it.Can someone please correct their mistakes here? I don't have email this week or I would have already done it myself.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 07:52:23 PT

Live Video on MSNBC: Online Town Hall Meeting
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22887521#22887521
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 07:44:45 PT

Will Obama Cave to the Marijuana Lobby?
Will Obama Cave to the Marijuana Lobby? Answers at 11:30 amBy Nicholas Thompson March 26, 2009 http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/03/will-obama-cave.html
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on March 26, 2009 at 06:17:44 PT

Top Questions On Open For Questions
URL: http://www.whitehouse.gov/openforquestions/Popular Questions: Budget 
 "With over 1 out of 30 Americans controlled by the penal system, why not legalize, control, and tax marijuana to change the failed war on drugs into a money making, money saving boost to the economy? Do we really need that many victimless criminals?"Ryan Palmer, Dallas, TX  
 
   
***"Mr. Obama, Thank you for allowing us to ask our questions to you, unfiltered. What is your stance on legalizing marijuana federally, taxing it and regulating much like alcohol and tobacco? I believe that the Drug War has failed, and needs overhaul."Brian, Minneapolis, MN  
  
*** "I am not a marijuana user, but I do believe that making marijuana legal could provide some relief as to it could be heavily taxed and regulated. Legalization of marijuana will also be a detriment to the drug cartels in Latin America."Ryan McLaughlin, Rindge, NH / Quakertown, PA  *** 
  
 "Have you considered legalizing marijuana and taxing/regulating it like alcohol? Marijuana is America's largest cash crop. The tax revenue from marijuana sales would provide a massive source of new revenue and cut the insane costs of the "Drug War.""Matt S, Huntsville, AL  *** 
 
  
 "Mr. President, we the people continue to ask you this general question, please do not fail to respond: Will you allow science and common sense to reign and end this failed WAR ON DRUGS starting with the legalization and taxation of Marijuana?"Mark B, Sterling,VA  
 
  
 "Should the recreational use of marijuana be legalized and taxed if it will help California reduce its budget deficit? How will you and the federal government respond if such a law is passed by the California legislature?"JHawk, Santa Barbara, CA  ***Popular Questions: Green Jobs & Energy
  ""Will you consider decriminalizing the recreational/medical use of marijuana(hemp) so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and a multi-billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?”"Green Machine, Winchester,Va 
 
 
***
 
  
"Has your administration given any serious thought to how legalizing marijuana could help solve the economic crisis? We could tax this green product and create an influx of cash while reducing violence created by the war of drugs & illegal trafficking"Ashley, Brooklyn, NY  

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