Marijuana Law Reform No Longer a Political Liability, It’s a Political Opportunity
January 13th, 2009

Voting ended late last week on the President-Elect¹s website Change.gov. As was the case in December, questions from the general public pertaining to marijuana and drug policy reform proved to be extremely popular.

Of the more than 76,000 questions posed to Obama by the public, the fourth most popular question overall called on the incoming administration to cease arresting and prosecuting adults who use cannabis. And in the sub-category “National Security,” the most popular question posed by the public pertained to amending U.S. drug policies as a way to try and halt the ongoing violence surround illicit drug trafficking in Mexico and other nations.

But you wouldn’t know it by listening to the administration’s latest video response (posted online here) ‹ as neither issue received even a passing mention from incoming White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. (The Obama administration’s woefully inadequate response to last month’s top-rated marijuana law reform question — “Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a multi-billion dollar industry right here in the U.S?” — appears at the bottom of the Change.gov page, “Open for Questions Round 2.”)

Is it at all surprising to see that the Obama team has decided to hide their collective heads in the sand when it comes to the issue of reevaluating America’s ineffective and antiquated marijuana policies? Not at all. But by doing so, the President-Elect and Congress are missing the bigger picture.

The overwhelming popularity of the marijuana reform issue — as manifested on Change.gov, Change.org (which is conducting its own online poll of the top issues facing America; the legalization of marijuana tops the list), and even here on the Hill (where my most recent blog posts have each garnered several hundreds of readers’ comments, almost all of them supportive) — illustrate two important points.

One: there is a significant, vocal, and identifiable segment of our society that wants to see an end to America¹s archaic and overly punitive marijuana laws. Two: the American public is ready and willing to engage in a serious and objective political debate regarding the merits of legalizing the use of cannabis by adults.

Rather than rebuff the public’s calls for drug policy reform, the new administration ought to be embracing it.  After all, many of the same voters that put Obama in the White House also voted by wide margins in November to liberalize marijuana laws in two states — Michigan and Massachusetts — and in nearly a dozen municipalities.

In short, marijuana law reform should no longer be viewed by legislators a political liability.  For the incoming administration and for Congress, it is a political opportunity.  The public is ready for change; in fact, they are demanding it. Are their representatives listening?

By National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Deputy Director Paul Armentano
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 at 10:31 am and is filed under The Administration .
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   1.

      The El Paso City Council votes tonight on whether to overturn the mayor’s veto on their unanimous recommendation that El Paso ask its federal representatives to just begin the discussion about drug prohibition and whether we need to re-think our strategies in the War On (Certain American Citizens Using Non-Pharmaceutical, Non-Alcoholic, Tobacco-Free) Drugs in light of failing economies and Mexican drug cartel violence.

      Imagine - the city that started marijuana prohibition 94 years ago might be the first city to help end it!

      The Attorney General of Arizona, dismayed by the Mexican drug cartel violence, voices an opinion that we ought to just legalize marijuana, as that would take 70% of the cartel’s profit - but then backs away because there are “still hurdles to clear” regarding legalization.

      Glenn Greenwald in Salon was reporting on the Israeli offensive into Gaza. He notes that Democratic voters oppose and Republican voters support the offensive, but on the whole, the people are evenly divided on the issue. Greenwald asked if there is any other issue where the public is evenly divided, yet the politicians on both sides of the aisle are in complete lockstep agreement?

      Legalizing marijuana would be that issue. The most recent Zogby polls have shown a 49%-48% plurality in favor of taxing and regulating marijuana like Jagermeister or Bacardi 151, and polls over this decade have consistently shown support for medical uses of marijuana at between 70%-80%. Yet our politicians march in 100% lockstep toward supporting the continuation of harassment, arrest, and incarceration of marijuana users and seizure of their property.

      Wake up, Washington! The People by a >70% margin believe the War on Drugs is a failure. Your failure to heed the will of The People tells us you have ulterior motives in maintaining prohibition.

      Comment by Russ Belville — January 13, 2009 @ 2:31 pm
   2.

      For an Administration that has promised to base policy upon SCIENCE, the brusque dismissal of this issue, not once, but twice, is disheartening in the extreme. The vote count (I believe) on the marijuana-related questions far outnumbers the count on any other issue, and all Obama is willing to offer is a succinct BUZZ OFF! Now, that’s some Change. Not.

      Comment by bamage — January 13, 2009 @ 2:55 pm
   3.

      Does something happen to the brain of a new president when it comes to this issue?

      Obama is addicted to nicotine. I used to be addicted to that also as I inhaled, that was the point. But through education I learned that it’s bad for ya. So you know? I made up MY OWN MIND AND QUIT. We as Americans should be able to decide what is harmful and what is not. All of us now know that tobacco is bad, umkay? We saw the bodies. Now PE Obama, stop the bullshit, legalize it and let us decide (not the liars at the DEA) what’s bad for us, and what’s good for us. It’s not really the government’s job to restrict it. It’s your job to make us aware of its dangers… just like the old Surgeon General did back in the 60’s. He finally got his point across without arresting 20,000,000 people!

      Comment by moldy — January 13, 2009 @ 3:18 pm
   4.

      “Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.”

      -Abraham Lincoln (1809-65) U.S. President.

      Speech, 18 Dec. 1840, to Illinois House of Representatives

      Comment by Bpeace — January 13, 2009 @ 3:30 pm
   5.

      I don’t understand in this day and age how so many politicians can turn a deaf ear to the issue. Are you(Congress) going to arrest another 2,000,000 of your constituents before you see what has happened to our country. Please support reform on this issue, it is the will of the people!

      Comment by Mike Davis — January 13, 2009 @ 3:33 pm
   6.

      5th district NJ, I voted for my current representatives thinking they would do some good for our opinions and beliefs but, I keep getting re-routed like I’m chasing my own tail. NJ has it’s own medical marijuana laws working through the system as we speak but since voter initiative is unheard of in this state my voice will have to lay on seemingly def ears. If it fails that is just one more vote they will lose. Can you hear us now?

      Comment by Mike T — January 13, 2009 @ 3:49 pm
   7.

      No other issue recieves as loud of a public outcry, and as mute of a response from both the government and national media as Marijuana Law reform. The politicians have got to catch up to the people they represent on this issue.

      Comment by Asemili — January 13, 2009 @ 3:53 pm
   8.

      The administration that ends marijuana prohibition will win the voting hearts of 10’s of millions and go down in history as the Admin. that finally turned the tables on politics trumping science

      Politicians; for the sake of America, please listen to the people and end this nightmare of misinformation that is costing America billions of dollars and arresting millions of tax paying US citizens

      Comment by Dave — January 13, 2009 @ 4:08 pm