White House Dismisses Marijuana Petitions: Marijuana Legalization More Popular Than Obama

[Better Believe It]

PRESS RELEASE

Saturday, October 29, 2011
White House Dismisses Popular Marijuana Petitions
Polls Show Marijuana Legalization More Popular Than President Obama

WASHINGTON, DC -- Late Friday night the White House issued a typical evasive rejection of the several marijuana legalization petitions that collected more signatures than any other issue on its "We the People" website. Even though recent polls show that more voters support marijuana legalization than approve of President Obama's job performance, the White House categorically dismissed the notion of reforming any laws, focusing its response on the possible harms of marijuana use instead of addressing the many harms of prohibition detailed in the petitions.

One of the popular petitions, submitted by retired Baltimore narcotics cop Neill Franklin, called on the Obama administration to simply stop interfering with states' efforts to set their own marijuana laws.

"It's maddening that the administration wants to continue failed prohibition polices that do nothing to reduce drug use and succeed only in funneling billions of dollars into the pockets of the cartels and gangs that control the illegal market," said Franklin, who serves as executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), a group of cops, judges and prosecutors who support legalizing and regulating drugs. "If the president and his advisers think they're being politically savvy by shying away from much-needed change to our drug policies, they're wrong. The recent Gallup poll shows that more Americans support legalizing marijuana than support continuing prohibition, so the administration is clearly out of step with the people it claims to represent. President Obama needs to remember his campaign pledge not to waste scarce resources interfering with state marijuana laws and his earlier statement about the 'utter failure' of the drug war."

Five of the top 10 petitions on the "We the People" site are about some aspect of marijuana or drug policy reform. The eight marijuana petitions that the White House's Friday rejection was intended to address have collectively garnered more than 150,00 signatures.

This isn't the first time that marijuana policy reform has proven popular in online forums hosted by the White House. A question from LEAP member and former sheriff's deputy MacKenzie Allen got the most votes in a White House YouTube forum this January. Marijuana questions also dominated the White House's "Open for Questions" online town hall in March 2009 and the Obama transition team's Change.gov website in late 2008. Each time, the administration has issued terse rejections that contradict Obama's 2004 statement that "we need to rethink and decriminalize our marijuana laws."

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) represents police, prosecutors, judges, FBI/DEA agents and others who want to legalize and regulate drugs after fighting on the front lines of the war on drugs and learning firsthand that prohibition only serves to worsen addiction and violence. More info at http://www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 29, 2011
CONTACT: Tom Angell - [phone] or [e-mail]

http://copssaylegalize.blogspot.com/2011/10/white-house-dismisses-popular-marijuana.html

[Angry Dragon]

1. and the US government (the people) hold a patent on

marijuana for its medical properties
DEA runs marijuana farms (15 I think)
Big Pharma does marijuana research without being shut down

It is all a plot to let Big Pharma to profit from medical marijuana

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. Thanks for listening to us Obama. You rock!

:sarcasm:

[Gregorian]

3. I've finally realized that petitioning doesn't work. OWS works.

We can't ask any more. We must demand. We must repeal this failed government. Of course that means dragging the weight of conservatives while working to shed the reptilian skin that is our unresponsive government.

It is time for the New Declaration of Independence.

[tridim]

4. There are several other Cannabis/hemp petitions on the WH site..

That have not been answered/dismissed. Please sign all that you agree with.

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petitions/trending/0/2/0/

[Fumesucker]

5. Yes, the White House needs more material for the President's stand up gig..

[tridim]

6. I didn't expect you to sign them.

Just keep throwing your tantrums and blaming Obama for "crackdowns" that he had nothing to do with.

[Fumesucker]

7. When you tell me the DOJ is not part of the executive branch..

Can you say that?

[tridim]

8. Why would I tell you that?

I'm interested in what actually happened in CA, not some bullshit ratfucking hypothetical cooked up by people who want to throw Obama out for something he didn't do.

[Fumesucker]

9. Where did you get the idea I wanted to throw Obama out?

You are drawing conclusions from a faulty premise.

I want Obama to do the right thing for the American people as a whole instead of wealthy special interests.

[tridim]

10. Supporting legal MMJ is the right thing to do for the American people.

As soon as we get over the Scheduling hurdle (after Obama's reelection), then we can demand full legalization.

In the mean time, petitioning the Government is our Constitutional duty. Not bothering is akin to giving up.

Do you agree with the crap Dreamsmoker posts every day? If so, I have to assume you want to throw Obama out.

[Fumesucker]

11. The White House statement just released was a blatant and knowing lie..

And even if it wasn't the "logic" could be taken apart by a smart eighth grader.

We can't legalize marijuana because it's addictive..

Alcohol and tobacco are legal and both are more addictive than marijuana.

[tridim]

12. Agree with that. So you're just giving up?

I'm not.

That said, I'm not sure what that has to do with Obama's support for legal MMJ. :shrug:

And again, do you agree with Dreamsmoker's posts?

[Fumesucker]

13. There's no point in dealing with people who lie to you when you both know it's a lie.

What basis is there for dialogue?

And anyone else who gets into the same position is going to tell exactly the same lies.

[ArcticFox]

14. US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President

His leaving them in constitutes continuing approval of all that they do.

[Better Believe It]

15. And act on the orders of the Attorney General who serves the President

The crackdown on medical pot is White House policy. It's not a few U.S. attorneys acting on their own.

[ArcticFox]

16. Thanks

Just wish more people understood these things.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tridim]

21. You should know that the OP regularly posts untruths intended to defeat Obama

Take what he says with a ton of salt.

[Uncle Joe]

17. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Better Believe It.

[Better Believe It]

19. So I wonder how many votes Obama will lose due to this government crackdown

[hobbit709]

20. "More popular than Obama"?

better not let a certain cheerleader see that.

[SidDithers]

22. Unrec...

keep trying.

Hey, remember when you posted this 2 weeks ago? Recycling is good for the environment.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=439&topic_id=2136817

:rofl:

Sid