Liberal Democracy

Liberal Democracy
The Free State

Friday, September 23, 2011

Marijuana Community: Dylan Ratigan- 'Legalizing Marijuana is Number One Issue At the White House GOV Website!'

Source:Marijuana Community- MSNBC anchor Dylan Ratigan, talking about marijuana legalization, being talked about at The White House.

"Legalizing Marijuana is Number ONE Issue At the White House GOV Website!" 


The White House is clearly not interested in decriminalization of marijuana as far as decriminalizing it. Just one issue that I disagree with them on, but there are plenty of people who are in the country who are interested in it, which is why we are now seeing measures on ballots in states to decriminalize marijuana. California being one in 2010 and Colorado will be at least one in 2012. 

Now the question will be will the Obama Administration if they were to get reelected (and thats a big if at this point) would not get in the way of Colorado and not force anti-marijuana laws in that state. I doubt it, they don't seem to be a big believer in states rights and federalism (Letting states pass and enforce their own laws) I hope they would stay out of the way of Colorado and let them mange their own laws and enforce their own drug policies. 

Drug enforcement from the Obama Administration, which is a big disappointment to me because Barack Obama is clearly a very intelligent man with a great legal background. Along with Attorney General Eric Holder and they must be able to see that our War on Drugs is not working and has failed and that it's time we try something else. And decriminalization of marijuana would be a way to reform our drug policies, letting people decide for themselves whether to use a drug thats about as dangerous as alcohol, instead of arresting people for smoking or possessing pot. 

Decriminalization of marijuana is a bi-artisan issue with bipartisan support in Congress with Representative Ron Paul and Representative Barney Frank one of the oddest of odd couples having a bill together to do this. The lessons that we learned from alcohol prohibition of the 1920s and 30s, can be applied to marijuana prohibition from 1937 up till today, that if people want to do or use something bad enough, they'll find a way to do it whether it's legal or not. 

People have been smoking marijuana since 1937 and a lot of them have never been to prison for it. People who are smart with pot and don't get addicted to it, similar to alcohol prohibition. People still drank and organized crime made a lot of money off if alcohol by producing and selling it (tax free by the way) because they obviously weren't going to report those activities to government. 

So if we were smart (which is a gigantic if) we would decriminalize marijuana and treat it like alcohol. And regulate and tax it like alcohol to make it as safe s possible. Decriminalization of marijuana is clearly not the biggest issue that President Obama is facing today. But it's important enough because with our failed forty-year so-called War on Drugs. That they at least look at their drug policies and if anything step back and let the states try some different things here. And see what happens from them.