Report: Obama to Take On Drug War in Second Term

[boxman15]

According to ongoing discussions with Obama aides and associates, if the president wins a second term, he plans to tackle another American war that has so far been successful only in perpetuating more misery: the four decades of The Drug War.

Don't expect miracles. There is very little the president can do by himself. And pot-smokers shouldn't expect the president to come out in favor of legalizing marijuana. But from his days as a state senator in Illinois, Obama has considered the Drug War to be a failure, a conflict that has exacerbated the problem of drug abuse, devastated entire communities, changed policing practices for the worse, and has led to a generation of young children, disproportionately black and minority, to grow up in dislocated homes, or in none at all.

SNIP

The next time a celebrity makes it seem like legalizing marijuana is the be all and end all of drug law reform, slap him in the face. (Metaphorically, unless you want to get your time on TMZ). Legalizing pot is the least of it. Getting politicians to understand how their actions contributed to the problem is a lot harder and requires more effort, but will ultimately pay off. If mandatory minimum sentences are reduced, for example, judges will be in a much better position to consider family structure when pronouncing a sentence. This local discretion could mean the difference between an intact family and a broken one.

Beyond that, since the United Ststes isn't about to legalize or regulate the illegal narcotics markets, the best thing a president can do may be what Obama winds up doing if he gets re-elected: using the bully pulpit to draw attention to the issue.

But he won't do so before November.

Read More: http://www.gq.com/news-politics/blogs/death-race/2012/07/exclusive-in-his-second-term-obama-will-pivot-to-the-drug-war.html#ixzz1zTnDaKAI

It's an excellent read, if you have the chance.

[HopeHoops]

1. The "war on drugs" was a failure before it began. Oh, and "just say 'NO'." just SO works.

[Greybnk48]

4. Hey! It works as good as the other abstinence only

program. Come on.

[HopeHoops]

5. "works as well" - grammar police. But yes, they were both failures.

[randome]

2. For those who want legalization of pot, the best thing to do is push for decriminalization.

Because that's something nearly all of us can agree on.

[Comrade Grumpy]

11. For those who want the legalization of pot, the best thing to do is push for legalization.

Decrim is a timid halfway measure that only deals with personal use. Yes, decrim is good as far as it goes, but it doesn't go far enough.

Actual legalization is on the ballot this year in Colorado and Washington, and maybe Oregon (they have a couple more days to get those last final signatures in there).

Legalization is polling at 50% or higher nationwide.

[Greybnk48]

3. Look for big Romney donations coming from the for-profit prison

Corps. They're thriving on/feeding on our ridiculous drug laws and racial discrimination.

[rusty fender]

6. That's why he doubled down on it in his first term

so that in his second he would have more "credibility" when "taking it on".

What BS.

[frazzled]

7. This article is badly mistitled

There's really nothing about the president's actual plans or any sourcing for the claim. It's really a movie review and opinion column.

While it may be true that Obama will focus on legal aspects of the drug war in a second term, this article is not the place to read about it.

[Life Long Dem]

12. +1 nt

[tularetom]

8. Of course the "war on drugs" is a failure, any war is a failure

You can't treat a human weakness (addiction), or a human condition (poverty), like they are the act of an aggressor.

Consequently all these "wars" have degenerated into a search for scapegoats, and have spawned a whole new class of suckers-at-the-government-tit.

Moreover, our bogus wars are actually working against each other. The "war on drugs" actually makes it harder for the "war on poverty" to succeed.

I know we all love wars, but it's time for Americans to wake up and realize we really aren't very good at them.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

9. hmm, yes some addictions are hard to break, and confronting them is hard...

"Getting politicians to understand how their actions contributed to the problem is a lot harder and requires more effort, but will ultimately pay off." Maybe there is some rehab available for the law and order types, prison and MIC lobbyists. Naw, just lock em up and throw away the key, give 'em some tough love.

[superpatriotman]

10. kicked and recommended!