I wish Obama would discuss legalization in a serious manner

[Hippo_Tron]

I don't expect Obama to come out in favor of legalization because he is a politician and it's not a great political move. But I wish that he and others could discuss the issue seriously. When Obama mentioned the word "marijuana" the audience just burst out laughing. Obama wasn't really much better, making his remarks about the "online community". It seems like every time this issue comes up, people just laugh it off as "oh those crazy potheads..."

It would be progress (albeit slow progress) if Obama and others would just take the issue seriously. We spend billions locking up these "criminals" who have their lives ruined by the prison system and often turn to actual crime after they get out of prison. That's really no laughing matter.

[Scooterliberal]

1. be smart

the 1st black president is not gonna talk about legalizing weed during his 1st 100days in office. If he gets a 2nd term, then I think he'll actually make it legal.

[iamthebandfanman]

2. how about just ending the war on drugs

or decriminalization...

hes made statements before that he supported those ideas...

he has said tho that hes not in favor of full legalization before...
i dont expect that either...

but i do expect drug law reform of some sort.

how can he be against the war on drugs and allow people to be put in jail, not only put in jail but sentenced to MANDATORY sentences...

[Scooterliberal]

4. He's a politician that wants a 2nd term

What part of that don't some of u get. If he were to get a 2nd term, I think he would definitely try to change some of the drug laws. Conservatives would be pissed if he all of a sudden wanted to legalize drugs. He may even lose some liberal support.

[iamthebandfanman]

6. well thats your view point

conservatives are already pissed about anything and everything the last i checked anyway.

nothing he does will satisfy them.


i think this is another case of people would be okay with it once the results of it started to take shape.


once people see drug addictions rates dont really rise and jails have room for real criminals..
and we get to save all that money wasted on putting them there...

some people will never lose their fear of drugs, because its so ingrained...
but at some point youve got to prove them wrong...
you cant do that by doing nothing.

lets hope it atleast does happen before hes outa office (after that 2nd term ;) )

[Hippo_Tron]

3. Not expecting him to support legalizing

I'm just asking him to answer the question without making a joke out of it. That is all...

[Dawgs]

10. Did you even read the original post?

All we're asking is that Obama talks about in a seriuos manner. Nobody is asking him to legalize it.

[kristopher]

5. Take a look at this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5339509

Coming for a vote:

SEN. WEBB’S NATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMISSION ACT OF 2009
March 2009

SUMMARY

The National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009, introduced by Senator Jim Webb on
March 26, 2009, will create a blue-ribbon commission charged with undertaking an 18-month, top-
to-bottom review of our entire criminal justice system. Its task will be to propose concrete, wide-
ranging reforms designed to responsibly reduce the overall incarceration rate; improve federal and
local responses to international and domestic gang violence; restructure our approach to drug policy;
improve the treatment of mental illness; improve prison administration; and establish a system for
reintegrating ex-offenders.

WHY THIS LEGISLATION IS URGENTLY NEEDED

• The United States has by far the world’s highest incarceration rate. With five percent of the
world’s population, our country now houses twenty-five percent of the world’s reported
prisoners. More than 2.38 million Americans are now in prison, and another 5 million remain on
probation or parole.

• Our prison population has skyrocketed over the past two decades as we have incarcerated more
people for non-violent crimes and acts driven by mental illness or drug dependence.

• The costs to our federal, state, and local governments of keeping repeat offenders in the criminal
justice system continue to grow during a time of increasingly tight budgets.

• Existing practices too often incarcerate people who do not belong in prison and distract from
locking up the more serious, violent offenders who are a threat to our communities.

• Transnational criminal activity, much of it directed by violent gangs and cartels from Latin
America, Asia and Europe, has permeated the country. Mexican cartels alone now operate in
more than 230 communities across the country.

• Mass incarceration of illegal drug users has not curtailed drug usage. The multi-billion dollar
illegal drugs industry remains intact, with more dangerous drugs continuing to reach our streets.

• Incarceration for drug crimes has had a disproportionate impact on minority communities,
despite virtually identical levels of drug use across racial and ethnic lines.

• Post-incarceration re-entry programs are haphazard and often nonexistent, undermining public
safety and making it extremely difficult for ex-offenders to become full, contributing members of
society.

LEGISLATION: REVIEW AND FINDINGS

The Commission shall review all areas of Federal and State criminal justice practices and make
specific findings, to include an examination of:

• Reasons for increase in the U.S. incarceration rate compared to historical standards
• Incarceration and other policies in similar democratic, western countries
• Prison administration policies, including the availability of pre-employment training programs and
career progression for guards and prison administrators
• Costs of current incarceration policies at the federal, state & local level
• The impact of gang activities, including foreign syndicates
• Drug policy and its impact on incarceration, crime and sentencing
• Policies as they relate to the mentally ill
• The historical role of the military in crime prevention and border security
• Any other area that the Commission deems relevant

LEGISLATION: DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION

The Commission shall make recommendations for policy changes designed to:

• Re-focus incarceration policies to reduce the overall incarceration rate while preserving public
safety, cost-effectiveness, and societal fairness
• Decrease prison violence
• Improve prison administration, including competence & career enhancement of administrators
• Establish meaningful re-entry programs for ex-offenders
• Reform our nation’s drug policies
• Improve treatment of the mentally ill
• Improve responses to international & domestic criminal activity by gangs & cartels
• Reform any other aspect of the system the Commission determines necessary

CO-SPONSORS, SUPPORTERS

The National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 has already garnered wide support from
Senate leadership, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the Obama Administration.

[terisan]

7. Take a lesson from the Bankers-Be Forceful, not wishful. If you believe strongly in

something ignore those who counsel patience. The people unfairly imprisoned have been patient enough, haven't they?

The Wall Street Bankers were not patient in demanding what they think they paid for with their massive campaign contributions. They were successful.

[FrenchieCat]

8. I found it odd that this was the issue that received so many votes

for the forum, personally. The President may have found this a bit humorous, but I found it a bit off-putting as it gave more of an insight as to what is important to the on-line community.....I guess....considering the number of problems we currently face at this time.

I realize that some say that discussing legalizing Marijuana makes sense because there are many who are incarcerated in our jails due to it, but I haven't seen those stats, to determined if it is a result of marijuana or other drugs. I know that many of the young people in Junvenile Hall may be there because of marijuana...but I'm not sure how legalizing it helps them, as I would imagine that they would be underage, if it were made legal.

I know that in the Black Community, Marijuana is destructive to our young people, and I'm not sure if legalizing it would do anything about that. Seems like concentrating on education and promoting national service and personal confidence would be a bit more productive.

What I would like to see is medical Marijuana made legal everywhere. I'm in California, and so I know that may make a difference....and why legalizing all Marijuana doesn't make it in my top 10 of "things to do".

[Adelante]

9. Not so odd, part of it was organized

NORML sent out an alert and probably other pro-legalization groups did, too. Once it was there, it gained a lot of approval, because a whole lot of people who support Obama agree with it. I tend to agree with Hippo_Tron that a serious treatment of the issue would have been better than joking it off and that such a serious discussion is needed. Maybe not talking about it at all might have worked, I don't think so, and Obama couldn't really do that, because the vote was too high to ignore. I favor legalization as a practical matter. God knows how much money has been drained by this useless war on drugs and clearly it would be a jobs-creator and a revenue enhancer. I worry more about kids illegally drinking alcohol than about smoking a joint. The vast majority don't even continue smoking pot in adulthood, anyway. But I don't think putting Obama between a rock and a hard place is the way to get it done. Pressure would better be exerted on Congress at the local level - they are in the business of changing laws. Obama has too much other stuff going on and as an admitted smoker in his youth, advocating legalization would open him up to his enemies in a very damaging way. For the life of me, I don't understand why anyone can be surprised that Obama is not pushing legalization or why he should be pressured in a public WH forum to do something he can't do and won't do. Let Congress take the heat and let Obama get done what he can do, I say.

[Dawgs]

11. Frenchie, there are many things that don't belong in our ten, but...

that doesn't mean our President can't talk about them in a seriuos way.

"considering the number of problems we currently face at this time."
Legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana will do a lot more than just free a few people from jail. It would create billions(like 60+) in savings and tax revenue for states like California. And, the number of jobs it would create for growers and sellers would be in the tens of thousands.

This isn't just about getting high.

We're talking about something that would help stimulate our economy.

[BeFree]

12. Dawgs

Did you hear Bernie Madoff was a toker? Neither did I, but betcha that's what made him go all ponzi on us.

[Bluenorthwest]

14. Some really funny statistics, laughing matters for sure

Last year police made almost 830,000 arrests for marijuana law offenses in the United States. 89 percent of those arrests were for posssession for personal use. Those arrested were in many cases fired from their jobs and denied school loans and other public assistance. The arrests consumed an estimated 4.5 million law enforcment hours and cost billions of dollars. That is even more hilarious because we are so broke!
But here, maybe this one is more your sense of humor:
Arrest statistics for smoking or possessing marijuana in public in New York City from 1980 through 2006 found that blacks were four times as likely as whites to receive jail time for possession of marijuana. Hispanics were three times as likely. In 2002 about 2.4 percent of all marijuana users were arrested for marijuana possession. The arrest rate for blacks was 94 percent higher! Now, face it, that is just flat out funny, nothing important at all, just fodder for jest and jocularity! 94% higher! They said higher, how funny!

All I expect from the President is that he answer the questions he asked for in the serious manner in which the citizens ask them. Making light of a very serious issue that involves thousands in jail and billions of wasted dollars is just wrong. In fact, asking for questions and then mocking the askers is wrong, no matter what the question. It is rude and counter productive.

[Hippo_Tron]

15. They wouldn't be in juvenile hall if marijuana were legal

If the cops catch kids with alcohol they call their parents and maybe write them a ticket. Maybe they arrest them and hold them in jail for a little while. Nobody goes to prison, though. Frenchie, you know as well as I do that when those kids go to juvenile hall for a little pot, their odds of going to college or getting ahead in life become very slim because of the stigma associated with having been in prison. Meanwhile rich kids who get caught can afford a lawyer who will get them off with community service that gets erased from their record.

I don't argue that substances should be restricted to minors. But I think sending kids to juvenile hall for pot when they don't is far more destructive to their lives than marijuana. Teenagers black and white, rich and poor do experiment with drugs. Yes it can lead to some bad consequences. But sending them to prison for it is not the answer.

[noamnety]

13. k&r

Agreed, and I'm not even a pot/drug user - at all.

It's not a war on drugs, it's a war on poor minority communities. You're right, it's not a laughing matter.

[butterfly77]

16. I think he will but not right now..

that is the same with other issues. I think that he is trying to do the really big things first and that is what repubs know and they they don't like it. I really don't think he should say it now with what is going on on the border..

I am waiting to see how it plays out, I was really surprise yesterday when I heard just about every talking head discussing it and they all were saying yes to legalization, they are scared especially when you hear Pat Buchanan and Bill O'Lielly saying it may need to be legalized and many others I heard..