The OFFICIAL WAY to LEGALIZE MARIJUANA - Obama's Change.gov

[bkadoctaj]

Originally Posted by NFloyd2357

right now:

Change.org

"Top Rated Ideas"

1. Legalize the medicinal and recreational use of marijuana

its pretty cool to see that at number 1... but not gonna lie, either something is wrong with our country or that website if that is the number one voted on issue...

although i am pretty glad about it

Again, THIS IS NOT CHANGE.GOV - OBAMA'S WEBSITE.

[letsgetPOD]

Lets refocus our efforts now to the state level, so far 100 or so letters have been sent. Send a letter to your reps about legalization, you don't even need to have an account, the web site is http://criminaljustice.change.org/ac...lize_marijuana

[Closet Smoker]

I noticed tonight Legalization of Cannabis is still the top rated in the questions, but is there anything in the agenda so far for Cannabis?

[bkadoctaj]

Originally Posted by Closet Smoker

I noticed tonight Legalization of Cannabis is still the top rated in the questions, but is there anything in the agenda so far for Cannabis?

Well, the Obama team has not begun to address the questions yet, but I'm sure they will soon enough. They can't ignore the issue now. Keep your fingers crossed.

[Closet Smoker]

Originally Posted by bkadoctaj

Well, the Obama team has not begun to address the questions yet, but I'm sure they will soon enough. They can't ignore the issue now. Keep your fingers crossed.

Trust me they are. I guess only time will tell...

[bkadoctaj]

Originally Posted by Closet Smoker

Trust me they are. I guess only time will tell...

That's the spirit man. Fight for what you believe in, unless you don't believe in fighting.

[tinker4719]

Hello all,

First, let me say that I do agree with you, that marijuana should be legalized and that the harsh prison sentences for non-violent offenders are out-of-line.

However, I think that you approached this issue at change.gov in the wrong way. One or two well-written questions, voted into the top 100 would have appeared serious & credible. But to "flood" the question process with multiple re-phrasings of the same exact question, over & over & over - that almost appears fanatical, and looks like you are trying to "strong-arm" everyone else out of the discussion & make your issue the only one that gets noticed.

While this is indeed an important issue - I don't deny that at all - I would hope that you would agree that there are other more urgent issues facing this country as well. Just because a marijuana question received the most votes, I do not believe that anyone will seriously believe it is THE #1 most important issue in the public's mind right now. Nor does a top rating mean that the team at change.gov will drop everything else to address this issue above all else.

When I saw the first question or two, it made me pause & give some serious thought to the issue - by the time I got on the fifth page of questions & had seen the same thing posted over & over again, I *almost* felt like a friend of mine who was reading beside me, laughing his head off, saying "Man, a bunch of potheads got in here & totally took over the place!" It only took one quick search on Google to find out where the votes were mostly coming from.

I truly do not mean any offence & again, I do sincerely agree with your viewpoint on this issue - but I think you would have been taken more seriously if you had simply voiced your question once or twice, and not "flooded" the question process as you did. From an "outsiders" view, it makes it much less credible.

It concerns me also, what type of precedent this sets for future question sessions at change.gov. Other groups will see this tactic & get the same idea. Next time, perhaps it will be a church group who takes over the question area with calls for mandatory bible teaching in school & fills the entire session with repeats of the same question "pushing" everyone else's questions out of the way All issues & all questions deserve to be heard - to submit the same question over & over & over, filling the entire discussion area with the same basic question repeated again & again smacks of fanaticism and does not encourage serious discussion. I applaud Obama & the team at change.gov for giving the public a voice - but if the blogs, question areas, etc end up repeatedly being "taken over" by one group of people who try to "push everyone else out of the room". these forums & tools could easily be taken away from us or restricted/moderated in some manner to try to prevent only one group from having their voice heard.

I imagine I will probably be flamed thoroughly for saying this & if I have offended anyone, I apologize, that is honestly not my intent. I truly do not mean offence to any of you. But again, looking at it from the viewpoint of someone "outside" your group, you damaged your credibility by "flooding" the forum, rather than helping your issue be heard & taken seriously.

[bkadoctaj]

Originally Posted by tinker4719

Hello all,

First, let me say that I do agree with you, that marijuana should be legalized and that the harsh prison sentences for non-violent offenders are out-of-line.

However, I think that you approached this issue at change.gov in the wrong way. One or two well-written questions, voted into the top 100 would have appeared serious & credible. But to "flood" the question process with multiple re-phrasings of the same exact question, over & over & over - that almost appears fanatical, and looks like you are trying to "strong-arm" everyone else out of the discussion & make your issue the only one that gets noticed.

While this is indeed an important issue - I don't deny that at all - I would hope that you would agree that there are other more urgent issues facing this country as well. Just because a marijuana question received the most votes, I do not believe that anyone will seriously believe it is THE #1 most important issue in the public's mind right now. Nor does a top rating mean that the team at change.gov will drop everything else to address this issue above all else.

When I saw the first question or two, it made me pause & give some serious thought to the issue - by the time I got on the fifth page of questions & had seen the same thing posted over & over again, I *almost* felt like a friend of mine who was reading beside me, laughing his head off, saying "Man, a bunch of potheads got in here & totally took over the place!" It only took one quick search on Google to find out where the votes were mostly coming from.

I truly do not mean any offence & again, I do sincerely agree with your viewpoint on this issue - but I think you would have been taken more seriously if you had simply voiced your question once or twice, and not "flooded" the question process as you did. From an "outsiders" view, it makes it much less credible.

It concerns me also, what type of precedent this sets for future question sessions at change.gov. Other groups will see this tactic & get the same idea. Next time, perhaps it will be a church group who takes over the question area with calls for mandatory bible teaching in school & fills the entire session with repeats of the same question "pushing" everyone else's questions out of the way All issues & all questions deserve to be heard - to submit the same question over & over & over, filling the entire discussion area with the same basic question repeated again & again smacks of fanaticism and does not encourage serious discussion. I applaud Obama & the team at change.gov for giving the public a voice - but if the blogs, question areas, etc end up repeatedly being "taken over" by one group of people who try to "push everyone else out of the room". these forums & tools could easily be taken away from us or restricted/moderated in some manner to try to prevent only one group from having their voice heard.

I imagine I will probably be flamed thoroughly for saying this & if I have offended anyone, I apologize, that is honestly not my intent. I truly do not mean offence to any of you. But again, looking at it from the viewpoint of someone "outside" your group, you damaged your credibility by "flooding" the forum, rather than helping your issue be heard & taken seriously.

Well, thank you for that post. Your point is well-taken. Nonetheless, I do believe what we have witnessed is a sign of the times. When the economic situation is so dire (my dad lost his job so I can say this - after 14 years of good work), it is no surprise that people want to legalize this substance so it can be regulated and taxed. Unless we plan on ending money all together (which is where we may be headed if this economic system collapses completely), we'd have to find a way to be sustainable. We can eliminate many problems beginning at the crux - government trust of the people. For people to trust the government, there must be a sort of reciprocity from the government: its trusting the people. It's not enough to talk about marijuana legalization as a separate issue - totally unrelated to all the other problems we're facing. It's time to address these issues, and it is judgment time for the government. Trust the people because we will trust in you.

And I will also add that a lot of people voted for Obama because they believed that even when he didn't adequately address the issue of marijuana legalization (medical or recreational use) during his campaign, he was serious about the change he promised. This is why we've taken the first legitimate chance we could get. And sure, democracy is messy. Don't we believe in the same democracy that we say we export?

[bkadoctaj]

Cannabis Issues Dominate Obama's "Open for Questions" Website

President Elect Obama is known for reaching out beyond the beltway to take the pulse of the nation. His website, Change.gov offers all of us the chance to communicate our hopes, dreams, fears and needs. This is governance from the ground up, the way it was meant to be. A new program just instituted on the website, is one where citizens may pose specific questions, and others can vote on their importance, bringing significant questions to the top of the list.
In the short twenty four hours the “Open for Questions” segment of Obama’s change.gov website actually stayed open, 7300 questions were posted, 10,000 people participated and 600,000 votes were cast for the most important issues on people’s minds. Guess which question had the most votes?
"Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?"
Yes, it’s true. With all of the incredible and difficult issues facing us today, the question above was the most prominent in people’s minds. Questions two through six, in order of popularity, read:
"What will you do as President to restore the Constitutional protections that have been subverted by the Bush Administration and how will you ensure that our system of checks and balances is renewed?"
"What will you do to establish transparency and safeguards against waste with the rest of the Wall Street bailout money?"
"Will you lift the ban on Stem Cell research in your first 100 days in office?"
"What will you do to promote science and mathematics education to Elementary and Middle School students?"
"Will you appoint a Special Prosecutor - ideally Patrick Fitzgerald - to independently investigate the gravest crimes of the Bush Administration, including torture and warrantless wiretapping?"
I want you to get this. Constitutional protections, the Wall Street bailout, stem cell research, elementary and middle school education, and the investigation of torture and warrantless wiretapping by the Bush Administration played second fiddle to a demand for a change in marijuana laws. Not only that, the seventh of the top ten questions reads as follows:
"13 states have compassionate use programs for medial Marijuana, yet the federal gov't continues to prosecute sick and dying people. Isn't it time for the federal gov't to step out of the way and let doctors and families decide what is appropriate?"
trumping questions about our farming policies, use of mercenaries in our military, and “greening’ the environment.
Then there’s this one, just missing the top 10 by one slot:
"The US "War on Drugs" wastes billions every year tracking down and incarcerating non-violent users. What is your position on the legalization of marijuana? How do you feel about treating rather than imprisoning users of harder, addictive drugs?"
Question 12 was one about universal health care. Here is Question 13:
"How will you fix the current war on drugs in America? and will there be any chance of decriminalizing marijuana?"
Question 14 asks the president to preserve Net Neutrality. Here’s question 15:
"What kind of progress can be expected on the decriminalization and legalization for medicinal purposes of marijuana and will you re-prioritize the "War On Drugs" to reflect the need for drug treatment instead of incarceration?"
Questions 16 and 17 reflect requests for solar energy investment, and banking accountability, and 18 reads:
"The U.S. has the world's highest incarceration rate, largely due to the War on Drugs. Our prisons are festering pits of rape, racism, and gang violence, and divert a lot of tax money to the corrupt prison industry. How can we fix this?"
This is followed by a demand to sever the relationship between the FDA and big pharma, and requests for more investment in high-speed passenger rails.

So, here’s a quick tally. Two of the top ten, and six of the top twenty questions addressed our government’s policies surrounding cannabis (recreational and medicinal) and the War on Drugs in general.
It doesn’t end there. Following question 21 about tax incentives to home owners for installing energy efficiency measures we have:
"Would you consider the legalizing of growing hemp (not marijuana) for food, clothing and bio-fuel use?"
and
"Drug control policy in America is a mess, most specifically with regards to marijuana. Federal and state laws are in conflict all over the country. What do you plan to do about this? Will you allow the states to make their own determinations?"
After that folks asked about public transportation, gay marriage, sustainable farming practices, and abuse of executive power. Then we get to questions 28 and 29,
"What about the use of Hemp and finally legalizing marijuana for personal use?"
"If we did not have over 2 million people in jail, many of which on marijuana charges, we would save billions a year and keep families together. Will you commit to a comprehensive drug treatment plan that will help keep families together?"
These two queries just edged out a request to prevent bailout recipients from using the money for lobbying.
Apparently, the arrest of nearly 1,000,000 otherwise law abiding citizens each year for mere possession of cannabis, the relentless persecution of the sick and dying, and the continued incarceration of 1 out of every 100 adults, (and the imprisonment, jailing, probation or parole of 1 out of every 31 adults) is finally getting on peoples nerves,
Yes, these questions will not go away. Lawmakers around the country will have to suck it up and realize that, as Barney Frank put it: this is an area where the public is way ahead of the politicians. And those politicians will eventually have to address issues such as the ones brought up in questions 33 and 34
"What will you do to ensure that the government takes scientific research into account when making laws? Especially when it comes to questions about the legalization of marijuana and the use of medical marijuana."
and
"On the campaign trail, you said you would put an end to the federal raids on medical marijuana patients. Will you implement this policy within the first year of your term?"
Get my point? Are you listening?

http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/can...stions-website

[Affliction420]

I agree with tinker in a way too.

but

with so many different rephrasings it'll be easy to get them all done at once it'll just show obama's level of impact if not full legalization

[arcadianskies77]

Tinker I appreciate the post and insight. It seems to me that you are unconsciously marginalizing the issue by asking us as a forum to tone down our support.

The fact is, many of us weren't even aware of this activity until after the voting had already ended. What you are witnessing is the true importance of this issue among Americans. And whatever the nature of the future polls conducted on that website, I will congratulate whichever issue reaches the top in popularity. You cannot condemn a forum or any other community for coming out in large numbers and voicing their opinions. People will be heard.

When you look into all the issues surrounding the prohibition of cannabis and hemp, which effect everyone in this country, maybe you'll get a feel for why so many people are so passionate about this.

[bkadoctaj]

In response to all of those questions on marijuana, its legalization, decriminalization, and medical use... Obama's team has said:

President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.

I sincerely hope I'm not the only one who realizes this is not a satisfactory, open, or transparent response.

[LetsGetCheezed]

Originally Posted by bkadoctaj

In response to all of those questions on marijuana, its legalization, decriminalization, and medical use... Obama's team has said:

President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.

I sincerely hope I'm not the only one who realizes this is not a satisfactory, open, or transparent response.

that was the worst response to any of the questions this really burns me up

[bkadoctaj]

Originally Posted by LetsGetCheezed

that was the worst response to any of the questions this really burns me up

If the answer doesn't improve, his support will drop very quickly among Americans sincerely tired of half-ass answers.

[bkadoctaj]

Another source appears to want to give Obama the benefit of the doubt:

The Real Reason Obama Won’t Support Marijuana Legalization

Much has been made of the fact that a marijuana legalization question was ranked #1 when President-elect Obama opened his Change.gov website up to questions from the public. In an open vote, the public spoke loudly and clearly that marijuana reform was the very first issue that the new President should address. For our trouble, we’ve been rewarded with the sorriest excuse for an answer that Obama’s transition team could possibly have provided:

Q: "Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?" S. Man, Denton A: President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.

Care to elaborate? You see, we all knew what the answer was. The point was that we all wanted to know why.
As frustrating and insulting as it is to witness an important matter brushed casually to the side without explanation, Obama’s answer actually says a lot. It says that he couldn’t think of even one sentence to explain his position. Within the vast framework of totally paranoid anti-pot propaganda, Obama couldn’t find a single argument he wanted to associate himself with. That’s why he simply said "No. Next question."
All of this highlights the well-known fact that Obama agrees that our marijuana laws are deeply flawed. He‘s said so, and has back-pedaled recently for purely political reasons. If Obama’s transition team tried to give an accurate description of his position on marijuana reform it would look like this:

Q: "Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?" S. Man, Denton
A: President-elect Obama will not use his political capital to advance the legalization of marijuana. While he agrees that arresting adults for marijuana possession is a poor use of law enforcement resources, he believes that the issue remains too controversial to do anything about it.

It’s really that simple, which makes our job quite difficult. Any ideas?

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle_...ama_won_t_supp

Non-controversial idea: a government-funded comprehensive study of the pros and cons of marijuana legalization/decriminalization/sanction.