cannabisnews.com: MJ Users Not High Priority for President Obama
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MJ Users Not High Priority for President Obama
Posted by CN Staff on December 14, 2012 at 05:49:18 PT
By Devin Dwyer
Source: ABCNews.com
Washington, D.C. -- President Obama says recreational users of marijuana in states that have legalized the substance should not be a "top priority" of federal law enforcement officials prosecuting the war on drugs. "We've got bigger fish to fry," Obama said of pot users in Colorado and Washington during an exclusive interview with ABC News' Barbara Walters.
"It would not make sense for us to see a top priority as going after recreational users in states that have determined that it's legal," he said, invoking the same approach taken toward users of medicinal marijuana in 18 states where it's legal. More of Barbara Walters' exclusive first joint, post-election interview with President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama airs tonight on "20/20" at 10 p.m. ET on ABC stations. Obama's comments on marijuana are his first following Colorado and Washington voters' approval of Nov. 7 ballot measures that legalize the recreational use and sale of pot in defiance of federal law. Marijuana, or cannabis, remains classified under the Controlled Substances Act as a Schedule I narcotic whose cultivation, distribution, possession and use are criminal acts. It's in the same category as heroin, LSD and "Ecstasy," all deemed to have high potential for abuse. Obama told Walters he does not – "at this point" – support widespread legalization of marijuana. But he cited shifting public opinion and limited government resources as reasons to find a middle ground on punishing use of the drug. "This is a tough problem, because Congress has not yet changed the law," Obama said. "I head up the executive branch; we're supposed to be carrying out laws. And so what we're going to need to have is a conversation about, How do you reconcile a federal law that still says marijuana is a federal offense and state laws that say that it's legal?" The president said he has asked Attorney General Eric Holder and the Justice Department to examine the legal questions surrounding conflicting state and federal laws on drugs. "There are a number of issues that have to be considered, among them the impact that drug usage has on young people, [and] we have treaty obligations with nations outside the United States," Holder said Wednesday of the review underway. As a politician, Obama has always opposed legalizing marijuana and downplayed his personal history with the substance. Obama wrote in his 1995 memoir, "Dreams from My Father," that he would smoke pot regularly with his high school buddies who formed a "club of disaffection." The group was known as the "Choom Gang," says Obama biographer David Maraniss. "There are a bunch of things I did that I regret when I was a kid," Obama told Walters. "My attitude is, substance abuse generally is not good for our kids, not good for our society. "I want to discourage drug use," he added. While the administration has not prioritized prosecutions of marijuana users and small-scale distributors in states where it's legal, it has not ceased prosecutions altogether. The Justice Department has continued raids on pot providers – including in states where they are legal – in an approach that experts say is more aggressive than Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush. "I never made a commitment that somehow we were going to give carte blanche to large-scale producers and operators of marijuana – and the reason is, because it's against federal law," Obama told "Rolling Stone" in an interview earlier this year. It "is a murky area," Obama told the magazine, "where you have large-scale, commercial operations that may supply medical marijuana users, but in some cases may also be supplying recreational users. In that situation, we put the Justice Department in a very difficult place if we're telling them, 'This is supposed to be against the law, but we want you to turn the other way.' That's not something we're going to do." Obama and the Office of National Drug Control Policy say the negative impacts of widespread marijuana legalization loom large. Legalization would lower the price of "weed," thereby fueling its use and triggering more widespread negative health effects and subsequent costs of care, the administration says in its official policy position. Officials also say legalization would do little to curb drug violence or eliminate cartels. "When you're talking about drug kingpins, folks involved in violence, people who are peddling hard drugs to our kids and our neighborhoods that are devastated, there is no doubt we need to go after those folks hard," said Obama. "It makes sense for us to look at how we can make sure that our kids are discouraged from using drugs and engaging in substance abuse generally," he said. "There's more work we can do on the public health side and the treatment side." More of Barbara Walters' exclusive first joint, post-election interview with President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama airs tonight on "20/20" at 10 p.m. ET on ABC stations. Colorado and Washington are the first states to legalize recreational use of marijuana, presenting a fresh challenge for the Obama Justice Department to navigate in a second term. While public opinion has shifted toward legalization over the past few years, Americans remain divided about the personal use of pot. Fifty percent of American adults oppose legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use, while 48 percent would support such a measure, according to a November ABC News/Washington Post poll. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 points. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat who personally opposed legalization, on Monday formally approved the voter-backed amendment to the state constitution legalizing recreational use of marijuana. The measure will allow individuals to possess one ounce of pot and up to six marijuana plants and licensed stores to sell marijuana starting next year. Washington State last week officially became the first to allow recreational use of marijuana when a voter-approved ballot measure took effect. In both states, pot use remains illegal in public. Eighteen states have approved the use of marijuana for medicinal use with a doctor's order. Federal law still prohibits all use and sale of marijuana. Obama told Walters he does not – "at this point" – support widespread legalization of marijuana. But he cited shifting public opinion and limited government resources as reasons to find a middle ground on punishing use of the drug. "This is a tough problem, because Congress has not yet changed the law," Obama said. "I head up the executive branch; we're supposed to be carrying out laws. And so what we're going to need to have is a conversation about, How do you reconcile a federal law that still says marijuana is a federal offense and state laws that say that it's legal?" The president said he has asked Attorney General Eric Holder and the Justice Department to examine the legal questions surrounding conflicting state and federal laws on drugs. "There are a number of issues that have to be considered, among them the impact that drug usage has on young people, [and] we have treaty obligations with nations outside the United States," Holder said Wednesday of the review underway. As a politician, Obama has always opposed legalizing marijuana and downplayed his personal history with the substance. Obama wrote in his 1995 memoir, "Dreams from My Father," that he would smoke pot regularly with his high school buddies who formed a "club of disaffection." The group was known as the "Choom Gang," says Obama biographer David Maraniss. "There are a bunch of things I did that I regret when I was a kid," Obama told Walters. "My attitude is, substance abuse generally is not good for our kids, not good for our society. "I want to discourage drug use," he added. While the administration has not prioritized prosecutions of marijuana users and small-scale distributors in states where it's legal, it has not ceased prosecutions altogether. The Justice Department has continued raids on pot providers – including in states where they are legal – in an approach that experts say is more aggressive than Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush. "I never made a commitment that somehow we were going to give carte blanche to large-scale producers and operators of marijuana – and the reason is, because it's against federal law," Obama told "Rolling Stone" in an interview earlier this year.ABC News' Jason Ryan contributed to this report. Source: ABCNews.com (U.S. Web)Author: Devin DwyerPublished: December 14, 2012Copyright: 2012 ABC News Internet VenturesWebsite: http://www.abcnews.go.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/trCaXiJmContact: http://www.abcnews.go.com/onair/email.htmlCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #17 posted by Had Enough on December 15, 2012 at 08:48:58 PT
Hope
I just saw that…But with a little bit of imagineering…either word would fit… :)
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #16 posted by Hope on December 15, 2012 at 00:18:47 PT
"Equal with Lettuce and Tomatoes"
Yup. When we can landscape with the hemp plant.Which leads me to another thought. We can landscape with castor, and oleander plants, and loco weed (datura). That's so weird, but we can't, by law, landscape with the beautiful and soil cleaning, life giving hemp plant. Birds would love it. They would love it. Nature would love it. The price would eventually be like that of any other cultivated plant or herb and the choice to use it, or plant it or not, is the individuals, as it should be.(I think spell check is doing something lately like some cell phones do. It's correcting things by changing words to something else entirely and we never even notice it doing it. Had Enough, I think you probably really did write fingers or something like it and spell check changed it to figures. I don't know. Maybe not. But I'm thinking something like that might be happening.)
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #15 posted by Hope on December 15, 2012 at 00:03:51 PT
Comment 12 Dr. Ganj
And ending crap like that is one of the brightest things about the future.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #14 posted by Hope on December 15, 2012 at 00:00:57 PT
I love that sentence. Those words.
I feel a wondrous joy, a relief, a sense of peace when I read them. They are just beautiful."Marijuana officially became legal in Washington state last week; it becomes legal in Colorado next month."The night sky is deep blue and filled with stars behind this cold dark storm of driving sleet.The people in Colorado and Washington really are Safer. In so many ways.Polishing up my Shades, too.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #13 posted by Had Enough on December 14, 2012 at 20:15:51 PT
Déjà vu
We have heard this before about the medical states and how the Feds were supposed to consider it a low priority and not mess with them…then they raided them big time…I’m just hoping this time it gets re-scheduled…or removed entirely as it should be…Keeping figures crossed on this end…***Equal with Lettuce and Tomatoes… :)
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #12 posted by Dr Ganj on December 14, 2012 at 08:28:02 PT
85 To 92 Years
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/prosecutor-recommends-probation-for-montana-cannabis-partner/article_776966ef-ec97-5d9d-bf75-0765ecb511c0.html"After pleading guilty to various drug charges, Richard Flor was sentenced to five years in prison, but died behind bars from medical complications. Daubert was sentenced to five years of probation. Williams, the only medical marijuana provider to fight federal charges, was found guilty of eight drug-related counts and is in federal prison awaiting sentencing. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of between 85 to 92 years, depending on various calculations.Sentencing for both Williams and Lindsey is set for early January."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This is one of the reasons why Colorado and Washington state voted to change their laws. It's stunning such a tragic prison sentence can be given to someone who uses/sells a plant!
When will the world realize prohibition is a failed policy?
Kill somebody, go to prison- and then get released. Sell marijuana, go to prison, never get out, and finally die.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #11 posted by FoM on December 14, 2012 at 07:37:09 PT
The GCW
Yes Sir! Really dark shades!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #10 posted by The GCW on December 14, 2012 at 07:27:06 PT
FoM,
Really dark shades.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #9 posted by runruff on December 14, 2012 at 07:24:39 PT
Fancy talk for;
He looked down and dug his toe in the dirt,rolled his eyes and spat, clearly a perplexed man!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #8 posted by FoM on December 14, 2012 at 07:22:44 PT
HempWorld
He inhaled because that was the point. I did worry when he was elected that he would hesitate to be 100% honest because he has children. It changes the thinking of people when they have children in the home.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #7 posted by HempWorld on December 14, 2012 at 07:13:10 PT
"There are a bunch of things I did that I regret
when I was a kid,"What a hypocrite!You weren't a kid, you were an adult! Quite a difference!Obama is making excuses for his Master, Rocky! That is the only way I can make sense of it. President Obama is an african American and because of this alone, he is obliged to save his fellow brothers and sisters but he is letting them down, to rot in jail!Drug use is bad, alcohol and cigarettes, good!Remember that kids! That is the illogical and unscientific bs as usual!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #6 posted by FoM on December 14, 2012 at 07:03:15 PT
The GCW
The futures so bright I gotta to wear shades!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #5 posted by The GCW on December 14, 2012 at 07:02:00 PT
Good news Friday
Obama will not go after states where pot is legal http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22192153/obama-will-not-go-after-states-where-pot
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #4 posted by FoM on December 14, 2012 at 07:01:34 PT
Obama Will Not Go After States Where Pot is Legal
December 14, 2012President Barack Obama says he won't go after Washington state and Colorado for legalizing marijuana.
In a Barbara Walters interview airing Friday on ABC, Obama is asked whether he supports making pot legal. He says - quote - "I wouldn't go that far."
But the president won't pursue the issue in the states where voters legalized the use of marijuana in the November elections. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law.
Obama says - quote - "It does not make sense from a prioritization point of view" to focus on drug use in states where it is now legal.
Marijuana officially became legal in Washington state last week; it becomes legal in Colorado next month.Copyright: 2012 Associated Press
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #3 posted by The GCW on December 14, 2012 at 06:58:28 PT
Obama's first joint, post-election interview...
From what I've just read it appears Obama will not be trying to take back the vote and will allow adults to use cannabis as written in law in CO & WA. The question then is how will store fronts be handled by the feds? It looks like they may be handled like medical store fronts, give or take.It also looks like Obama is giving room or rather an invititation for congress and others to change the Schedule I substance classification, which takes the pressure off having to enforce federal law.There is also mention of international treaties, which may be or become a minor issue. That may be no issue at all.So far things are looking brighter. The worst case potential will not become reality.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #2 posted by ekim on December 14, 2012 at 06:36:37 PT
MI lawmakers pass MMJ laws in middle of the nite
http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/12/medical_marijuana.html
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #1 posted by FoM on December 14, 2012 at 05:52:22 PT
The Children
It is not an issue. No one thinks children should use any substance so we should legalize for adults. Why are adults always punished because of the children?
[ Post Comment ]
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