Mr. Obama Breaks Promise on Medical Marijuana...

[lib2DaBone]

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2010/jul/21/coalition_calls_obama_withdraw_m


Coalition Calls on Obama to Withdraw Michele Leonhart DEA Nomination

A coalition of five drug reform organizations called Wednesday for the Obama administration to withdraw the nomination of Michele Leonhart to be DEA administrator. The career DEA veteran is currently the agency's acting administrator. The groups are the Drug Policy Alliance, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, the Marijuana Policy Project, NORML and its California affiliate, California NORML, and Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

The call comes in the wake of recent DEA raids against medical marijuana providers in California, Colorado, and Michigan, including one two weeks ago in Mendocino County, California, aimed at the first person to register with the county sheriff under a new cultivation ordinance. Last year, Attorney General Eric Holder issued a memo instructing the Justice Department, of which the DEA is a part, to not persecute medical marijuana patients and providers who are in compliance with state laws


It's not just Leonhart's recent actions that are raising the alarm among reformers. As we reported when she was nominated, Leonhart had a close and friendly relationship with a serial perjuring DEA informant, "super snitch" Andrew Chambers, who was paid $2.2 million by the agency for his work between 1984 and 2000 despite repeated findings by federal courts that he was not believable. Leonhart defended Chambers and his credibility despite all the evidence to the contrary.-------------------------------------

Sounds like Mr. Obama can't control the corrupt DEA.. whose budget rivals TSA. Corrupt, dirty, opressive, secretive,... way to go Mr. Obama...better call Rham and see what he wants to do?

[babylonsister]

1. And what promise did he break? Thx. nt

[lib2DaBone]

3. Do I have to go thru with the exercise? Google it yourself...

[babylonsister]

6. Excuse me! I'm not up on the latest weed controversy, sorry. nt

[bigwillq]

9. Weak excuse

It's your thread. I think you needed to include that.

[Radical Activist]

25. You made a claim that isn't in the article. You need to defend it.

You shot yourself in the foot with that BS headline.

[JonLP24]

4. Obama Administration to Stop Raids on Medical Marijuana Dispensers

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Wednesday outlined a shift in the enforcement of federal drug laws, saying the administration would effectively end the Bush administration’s frequent raids on distributors of medical marijuana.

Speaking with reporters, Mr. Holder provided few specifics but said the Justice Department’s enforcement policy would now be restricted to traffickers who falsely masqueraded as medical dispensaries and “use medical marijuana laws as a shield.”

In the Bush administration, federal agents raided medical marijuana distributors that violated federal statutes even if the dispensaries appeared to be complying with state laws. The raids produced a flood of complaints, particularly in California, which in 1996 became the first state to legalize marijuana sales to people with doctors’ prescriptions.

Graham Boyd, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union drug law project, said Mr. Holder’s remarks created a reasonable balance between conflicting state and federal laws and “seem to finally end the policy war over medical marijuana.” He said officials in California and the 12 other states that have authorized the use of medical marijuana had hesitated to adopt regulations to carry out their laws because of uncertainty created by the Bush administration.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/us/19holder.html

[G_j]

5. thank you nt

[babylonsister]

7. Thanks! nt

[Canuckistanian]

19. There's that weasly word - "effectively"

Not "completely" or even "definitely".

It allows "EXCEPTIONS" that you can easily drive an 18-wheeler through.

[katandmoon]

2. What the fucking hell is his problem?!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. From Obama's memorandum:

The prosecution of significant traffickers of illegal drugs, including marijuana, and the disruption of illegal drug manufacturing and trafficking networks continues to be a core priority in the Department’s efforts against narcotics and dangerous drugs, and the Department’s investigative and prosecutorial resources should be directed towards these objectives. As a general matter, pursuit of these priorities should not focus federal resources in your States on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana. For example, prosecution of individuals with cancer or other serious illnesses who use marijuana as part of a recommended treatment regimen consistent with applicable state law, or those caregivers in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state law who provide such individuals with marijuana, is unlikely to be an efficient use of limited federal resources. On the other hand, prosecution of commercial enterprises that unlawfully market and sell marijuana for profit continues to be an enforcement priority of the Department. To be sure, claims of compliance with state or local law may mask operations inconsistent with the terms, conditions, or purposes of those laws, and federal law enforcement should not be deterred by such assertions when otherwise pursuing the Department’s core enforcement priorities.

Typically, when any of the following characteristics is present, the conduct will not be in clear and unambiguous compliance with applicable state law and may indicate illegal drug trafficking activity of potential federal interest:

*
unlawful possession or unlawful use of firearms;
*
violence;
*
sales to minors;
*
financial and marketing activities inconsistent with the terms, conditions, or purposes of state law, including evidence of money laundering activity and/or financial gains or excessive amounts of cash inconsistent with purported compliance with state or local law;
*
amounts of marijuana inconsistent with purported compliance with state or local law;
*
illegal possession or sale of other controlled substances; or
*
ties to other criminal enterprises.

[babylonsister]

13. Thank you for exposing the real truth not noticeable in this thread. nt

[Fumesucker]

14. Do you think cannabis is a "dangerous drug"?

Is it your opinion that Obama honestly believes that cannabis is a "dangerous drug"?

Bear in mind that Obama has admitted being a consumer of both cannabis and cocaine in his youth and in his case he actually did inhale.

[BklnDem75]

29. Does it matter?

An illegal act is an illegal act.

[Fumesucker]

31. It was illegal in sixteen states for Obama's mother and father to be married when he was born..

Was that a moral law, one that should have been enforced?

[SidDithers]

28. Facts are good...nt

Sid

[w4rma]

10. This year Democrats are running on "But, we're not as bad as them". What will they run on in 2012?

This is because Obama allowed Rahm to saturate his administration with DLCers who should be on the unemployment rolls.

[bigwillq]

11. Like Bush

I don't think Obama surrounded himself with a very good team.

[AnArmyVeteran]

22. It's like the 2nd string players from the bush regime.

[griffi94]

12. it looks as if he said one thing

and then did the opposite. i don't think anybody should be surprised by now.
he's a politician, he says what he has to say and then does what's best for his position.
i think he will continue to disappoint the people who were expecting something different than a business as usual politician.

[bigwillq]

16. Good post.

Good points. :thumbsup:

During the primaries, I always thought he was just another politician. I never understood what all the hoopla was about. He ran a great campaign and he was "packaged" very well; but I never bought into the packaging.

[mitchtv]

17. that says it ,griffi

I am not disappointed since I expected nothing from a runof the mill politician

[UTUSN]

15. Anything else?!1 n/t

[babylonsister]

18. The DEA is corrupt, too? Do you have something to

back that up? Thx.

And how long has it been corrupt?

[G_j]

20. OMG

tell me you're kidding!

[Fumesucker]

21. Of course the DEA is corrupt..

They lie continually about "drugs" in general and particularly about the "dangers" of cannabis.

Their very existence demands that they do so..

[babylonsister]

23. Again, I'm not up on how bad they are.

As for cannabis, I probably would if I could, so I agree with most people, this is a joke.

But isn't their job to combat drugs and drug use, especially the bad shit, and we know it's out there.

So we'd be better off without drug enforcement? Maybe so; I never gave that much thought.

[Fumesucker]

24. Comparatively speaking "drugs" are not really that dangerous..

http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30

[eShirl]

26. So a war on sexual behaviors could potentially save more lives than the war on drugs.

interesting

[Fumesucker]

27. More than likely such a "war" on sexual behaviors would make things worse..

It is simply impossible to make people stop engaging in sex, sexual behavior is one of the primal drives and can even be stronger than the drive to survive.

Compared to trying to get people to stop having sex trying to get people to stop doing drugs is laughably easy.

[RainDog]

30. yes, we'd be better off if we did not treat drugs as a criminal issue

and instead approached the issue of drug use and abuse as a public health issue.

Portugal has gone this route and drug usage has dropped, more people are seeking drug treatment and fewer teenagers use drugs.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=portugal-drug-decriminalization

The DEA has been lying about cannabis for decades. For five years now Canada has been producing Sativex, which is liquid cannabis, not a synthetic, which is used by patients with MS to relieve symptoms of their illness.

The DEA and the FDA are responsible for scheduling of drugs. Cannabis is now a schedule 1 drug, which means it has no medicinal value. This is clearly a lie.

14 states, plus D.C. now have medicinal marijuana laws - the states recognize the medicinal value of cannabis. The Veterans Administration is now the first federal agency to recognize the medicinal value of cannabis for treatment of PTSD.

The AG, at Obama's request, could call for a hearing to reschedule cannabis. This is the rational thing to do, considering the available evidence. No one, however, can ever make the claim that the majority of the American people are rational, esp. regarding cannabis. But that's because we have a legacy of 70 years of outright lies.

This legacy of lies makes it hard for the federal govt to change its position. However, to not change its position is even worse because it creates a climate in which the federal govt loses all credibility on this issue and leads to doubt about its claims for anything - including things that are actual harmful substances.

If we want to keep cannabis out of the hands of kids (and that is something I think is a good idea) we would regulate it and have it sold in stores and prescribed in pharmacies with severe penalties for anyone selling to a minor - just like with alcohol.

[librechik]

32. more good news from the disappointing and apparently ignorant administration

Does Obama not do any research on these appointments himself? Does he just say yes my hands are tied to every suggestion his RW handlers give him? What a joke.

[Ichingcarpenter]

33. At least he's not using Backwater anymore to bust Clinics

See...... things are getting better.......Now, how many billions are spent
on this 'War on Drugs'?.....I know what the Pharmaceutical companies spend on it.
with your ' healthcare' billions and every politician they buy.

Yes they did use Blackwater and I documented it and Raw Story verified it.