At Americas summit, President Obama says no to legalizing drugs By Christi Parsons and Matea Gold / Tribune Washington Bureau \t\t\t\t\tSunday, April 15, 2012 CARTAGENA, Colombia - President Barack Obama sought Saturday to emphasize the robust economic relationship between the United States and Latin America, and he flatly ruled out legalizing drugs as a way to combat the illegal trafficking that has ravaged the region. Facing calls at a regional summit to consider decriminalization, Obama said he is open to a debate about drug policy, but he believes that legalization could lead to greater problems in countries hardest hit by drug-fueled violence. "Legalization is not the answer," Obama told other hemispheric leaders at the two-day Summit of the Americas. "The capacity of a large-scale drug trade to dominate certain countries if they were allowed to operate legally without any constraint could be just as corrupting, if not more corrupting, than the status quo," he said. Obama told Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, host of the summit, that he is willing to discuss whether American drug laws are "doing more harm than good in certain places." Santos wants the countries participating in the summit to consider alternatives to what many leaders consider the failed war on drugs, possibly including regulating marijuana and even cocaine the way that alcohol and tobacco are. Other leaders also have urged such a dialogue despite the political discomfort it may cause Obama in an election year. "In spite of all the efforts, the illicit drug business is still buoyant, drug addiction in all countries is a serious public health issue, and drug trafficking is still the main provider of funding for violence and terrorism," Santos said. "An in-depth discussion around this topic is needed, without any biases or dogmas, taking into consideration the different scenarios and possible alternatives to more effectively face this challenge." The focus on drug trafficking - as well as a scandal involving alleged misconduct by Secret Service agents and military personnel - threatened to overshadow Obama's main mission in Colombia: to tout the benefits of a strong economic relationship across the hemisphere. "I think that oftentimes in the press the attention in summits like this ends up focusing on, 'Where are the controversies?'" Obama said during a morning session. Some of those issues seem "caught in a time warp, going back to the 1950s and gunboat diplomacy and Yanquis and the Cold War, and this and that and the other," he said. "That's not the world we live in today." He praised a recently negotiated trade agreement with Colombia as a "win-win." He did not say whether Colombia has met the terms of a labor rights plan that Congress set last year as a condition of passage of the agreement. The trade accord was strongly opposed by union leaders, who complained of the dangerous conditions facing members of organized labor in Colombia. Obama avoided confrontations with the region's most anti-American leaders. Cuba's president, Raul Castro, was not invited to the summit. And Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, who is highly critical of U.S. policy, abruptly canceled plans to attend. Chavez, who suffers from cancer, will travel to Cuba instead for radiation therapy, Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said on state TV.
There's not enough face palm memes in the world for his position on this. So I won't even try Oh what the hell......
How about just taking baby steps and decriminalizing marijuana first? Then we can move on to full on legalization.
Hey every other country in the world: The Single Convention Narcotics Act is a voluntary treaty. You are not obligated to continue taking the U.S. funny money. You don't need Mr. Double Speak Obama to grant you a hall pass. Pull the plug already. Wait, what's that? You like the money too much? I'd love to be in a room where the "problems in some areas" and what that really means is discussed. "We want big pharma to make billions and this is now getting in the way." Something along those lines I'm sure is what was meant. Barry, you are one lying POS.
It's probably never going to be legal.... cali didn't legalized it so U.S is fucked. Try again in 2020 i guess.
With this attitude it won't get legalized. You have to do your part to make it happen. As for what Obonehead said he is a paid puppet who is not going to last much longer. This next election will tell the tale of what will happen in the arena of Cannabis legalization.
Do yall not know there trying to impeach him? his bosses got up on national tv and flat out told america's people's congress that they dont need permission from The people's will ie Congress to make war that the Un is who they must Ultimatly ask permmission from and then they will inform Congress last.. The bill of rights and the constitution Strickly forbid this Plainly and Bluntly. Congress is our only way for us to directly effect change.That's the real reason there trying to make it all look like Congress's fault cos there the Only people we can actually vote in or vote Out if need be..
While the corporations can buy political support to keep prohibition in place,,they can't buy the people. As public opinion ramps up against the WoD,questions to candidates during the next 6 months at every political event would go a long ways to forcing congress to act. Think of a good one and fire it off,,there must be 3 million questions that could be asked showing the farce of prohibition. """With 70% of American's supporting medical marijuana legalization why are we still spending billions of tax dollars putting young nonviolent people in jail?""
What the fuck does Obama know anyways? Yeah, they brief him but still, its nowhere close to reality. Latin America is the biggest exporter of cocaine and cannabis. Thanks to the illegal status of drugs here, mafias and drug cartels rise, corruption flows everywhere, and many persons have their status and life destroyed, either by the taboo that consumption of drugs is, or by the hard drugs that can be found anywhere because they are not regulated, like pure cocaine, cocaine base paste, etc. Legalize and regulate. Save money and lives.