Drug legalization absorbs top 20 questions in YouTube’s ‘Ask Obama’ Q&A

[babsbunny]

Drug legalization absorbs top 20 questions in YouTube’s ‘Ask Obama’ Q&A

By Stephen C. Webster
Thursday, January 27th, 2011 -- 12:02 pm

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/01/excop-places-youtubes-ask-obama-vote-question-drug-legalization/

This sounds like a bit of history repeating: A community driven Q&A with President Barack Obama, sponsored by Google's video sharing website YouTube, has resulted in a single question rocketing to the top of the list, focusing on the legalization of drugs.

Another community driven Q&A, featured in 2009 by the nonprofit social action website Change.org, resulted in a similar question rising to the top, asking the president what he thought about legalizing marijuana as a way of growing the economy.

President Obama, however, appeared to take it as a joke.

[NYC Liberal]

1. You can see the questions here:

http://www.youtube.com/worldview

Top Questions:

As a police officer, I saw how waging the war on drugs has cost a trillion dollars and thousands of lives but does nothing to reduce drug use. Should we discuss legalizing marijuana and other drugs, which would eliminate the violent criminal market?
copssaylegalizedrugs

Prohibition of Cannabis has proved to be an utter failure similar to alcohol Prohibition. It has funded gangs and cartels and made criminals of people who are otherwise law abiding citizens. Do you still consider the war on cannabis to be effective?
reznnrubber

President Obama, with America holding 25% of the world's prison population, the budget of states shrinking, and the amount of debt accumulated on a national level, I ask you, will you support a civil and rational approach to ending the war on drugs?
th3rd3y3

What are the key differences between the alcohol prohibition of the 18th amendment (and the Volstead Act) and the current prohibition on marijuana which made the former a bad idea, but make the latter a good idea? I look forward to your response.
johnlynnhines

Mr. President, you gave us this forum to voice our concerns. Please acknowledge the overwhelming number of us with legitimate concerns about current drug policy, which has labeled many non-violent decent citizens as Felons, unable to rent or work. ty

[Kdillard]

2. He is not going to do it but people can certainly feel free to waste their time.

[Rageneau]

3. Obama is a sell-out and is proving it right now.

Of the first 200 most popular questions submitted to Obama via YouTube, 198 were about the failed drug war. If Obama actually cared about Americans, he would respond to the LEGITIMATE questions and concerns we have about this destructive and wrongheaded national policy.

What questions does he answer instead?

Anything BUT what the people want to hear. Super Bowl, Valentine's Day, foreign policy (sort of) but an absolute refusal (there is no other word) to answer our most urgent and serious questions about the most serious threat to our liberty and security in the history of our nation.

That can't be an accident.

That has to be a sell-out

[Starbucks Anarchist]

4. That's hardly representative of the country.

I seriously doubt with the current economic and foreign policy quagmire, etc., that most people are primarily concerned about the drug war.

I'm betting those questions were mostly submitted by college students with a limited worldview, and I say this as someone firmly against the drug war.

[Bluenorthwest]

6. Funny I assumed many of those questions come from those

with loved ones in prison while the Banksters and Bushies go free. In your expanded world view, do you think that people who have family in prison for pot do not see that as injustice to be acted upon? How about the people who live in neighborhoods ravaged by the illegal drug trade, do you think their world view is too mature to care about the shuttered buildings and vacant eyes? How about the widows and orphans of the drug war? Do they grow up and out of their mourning? How about the people with diseases well treated by marijuana, who are denied that treatment? Once they get out of college, those folks realize they should take the phenobarb and forget about justice?
I've heard there are some who are not happy with the racial disparity in arrests and jail time as well, big issue. Not exactly kid stuff either.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

10. When did I say it wasn't a big issue?

But since your assumption isn't really founded on anything, how do you know those were the backgrounds of the questioners?

It's no secret that YouTube is a very popular site amongst the 18-30 set, which is why the extreme emphasis on this particular issue (in a time of high unemployment, etc.) seems very suspect. It's the equivalent of a DU Primary poll where Kucinich is far and away the winner despite the real-world results showing the complete opposite.

In fact, I'm surprised you are sticking up for this. Why wasn't marriage equality a big issue amongst the YouTubers? Surely equality for all is more important than an issue where jail time for drug use (a chosen behavior) is by and large completely avoidable.

How do we know their cries for legalizing pot, for example, are motivated by the racial disparities in the justice system? The average bunch of YouTube comments are hardly odes to higher thinking.

[frylock]

11. assumptions..

"I'm betting those questions were mostly submitted by college students with a limited worldview..."

[Starbucks Anarchist]

17. Have you seen the average YouTube poster?

Ever looked at the comments sections? Not the most mature posts. At least my assumption is based on some evidence.

[frylock]

20. would you care to characterize the average nonprofit social action website Change.org poster?

because the question of legalization was at the top of their list as well.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

21. I'd characterize them as having low standards.

If legalizing pot (which I agree with, BTW) is their number-one issue -- more than universal health care, more than equal rights, more than tackling poverty, etc., then their priorities are out of wack.

And if you hadn't heard, it's not exactly difficult to obtain pot. Nor is it difficult to do it discreetly, out of view of the police.

[frylock]

22. right?! i mean, who gives a shit about reducing the deficit..

decreasing the burgeoning prison population, and making it easier for people to obtain cannabis for medicinal purposes? this is all about getting baked, watching cartoons, and eating cheetos.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

23. Because that's what I meant when I said I support legalizing pot.

:eyes:

Like I said before (and which you are either not reading or not comprehending), the fact that some people view it as a more important issue than universal health care and other issues that affect far more people is telling.

And if the deficit is a concern to somebody, having universal health care and/or dramatically reducing defense spending would go a lot farther in achieving that goal. If the prison population is a problem, they can do something about the for-profit prison industry. And if people want pot for medical reasons, it is quite easy to obtain some at minimal cost.

But I can definitely see how it rises to be the number-one issue for some people. After all, what's a few dead soldiers in useless wars and what's the big deal about someone getting buried in medical debt because of their health problems? Clearly, legalizing pot is far more important.

:eyes:

[frylock]

27. people aren't going to care about the wars until another republican is in the white house..

certainly not around here. i've been asking this question for the last two years; where are the damn war protests?!

[Hippo_Tron]

5. I believe he will respond

He will say something along the lines of, we need to change our policy so that first time offenders get treatment rather than prison time. But no he's not going to come out in favor of legalization because he's a politician and it's not politically safe to do so.

[Bluenorthwest]

7. Of course, he is a politician and it is not politically safe

on the other hand, great is the power of the person who understands that there is not such thing as safe and procedes accordingly. The theory that one can be President and also safe is like the theory of walking between the raindrops. Not only do you still get wet, you also look funny crossing the street.
I do get what you mean. In my field, the safe players wind up teaching high school, in politics they wind up in charge.

[jenmito]

9. He WAS asked and he answered a question about legalizing drugs. Is he still a "sell-out"? n/t

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

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

[frylock]

15. i LOVE obama..

he is the GREATEST, most BENEVOLENT human being to ever grace the heavens and earth. is that better mods? fuck me.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

24. Because those are the only two options.

Either complete worship or complete disappointment. :rofl:

[jenmito]

8. Obama most certainly did NOT take the question as a joke...

He gave a serious answer. He said he's against legalizing drugs but he's for both trying to keep non-violent, first-time offenders out of jail and trying to get them in programs to get them to stop/change instead. I don't remember his whole answer but it's not true to say he took the question as a joke.

[frylock]

13. i don't know what this errr uhhh sez about the online community hahaha..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YTrrqEdrI8&feature=fvw

[jenmito]

16. I don't know what your post has to do with MY post. n/t

[frylock]

19. Obama most certainly did NOT take the question as a joke...

i just posted video EVIDENCE of him yukking it up. here it is again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YTrrqEdrI8&feature=fvw

evidently the "online community" consists of nothing but stoners.

[joshcryer]

25. Yes, he was teasing, but he said "we wanted to make sure this question was answered."

He followed up his teasing with a moderate "let's answer the question."

[jenmito]

30. That's not video of yesterday's Q&A. THIS is:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2011/01/27/your-interview-president-2011

[jenmito]

28. That is not video of the event from yesterday. Again-he did NOT take the question as a joke.

You can post an old video if you want to, but it just smacks of desperation on your part.

[iamthebandfanman]

18. yeah, that would explain him laughing

at the question when it was asked.

[jenmito]

29. You are not talking about yesterday's interview. Here it is:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2011/01/27/your-interview-president-2011

[jefferson_dem]

14. A joke? Watch it again. "Obama: Drug Legalization 'Worth A Serious Debate'"

Obama: Drug Legalization 'Worth A Serious Debate'

WASHINGTON -- Drug legalization is an "entirely legitimate topic for debate," President Barack Obama said Thursday during his online YouTube town hall, in response to a question from a former deputy sheriff who has turned sour on the drug war.

In endorsing such a debate, Obama went further than any president has since the start of the war on drugs, which can be traced back at least to President Richard Nixon, but more realistically to the early 20th century, when the federal government began criminalizing drugs that had long been legal.

Obama, who said again toward the end of his answer that drug legalization is "worth a serious debate," lent legitimacy to a policy area that has long been relegated to the "unserious" corner of American political discourse.

His answer indicates an evolution in his administration's approach to the question of legalization. In the past, Obama has not treated the issue with the same respect.

In 2009, during a similar online event, the president paused to address the hundreds of questions that had been submitted regarding marijuana and drug policy. "Can I just interrupt, Jared, before you ask the next question, just to say that we -- we took votes about which questions were going to be asked and I think 3 million people voted," he said to aide Jared Bernstein. "I have to say that there was one question that was voted on that ranked fairly high, and that was whether legalizing marijuana would improve the economy -- (laughter) -- and job creation. And I don't know what this says about the online audience -- (laughter) -- but I just want -- I don't want people to think that -- this was a fairly popular question, we want to make sure that it was answered. The answer is no, I don't think that is a good strategy -- (laughter) -- to grow our economy in 2009."

<SNIP>

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/27/obama-drug-legalization-debate_n_815074.html

[Fly by night]

26. I am planning to apply for a Presidential pardon for my federal medical marijuana conviction.

Later today, I will post an OP asking for help from interested DUers in that effort. To date, I believe no federal medical marijuana felon has ever been pardoned by any President.

Someone has to be the first. I'd dearly love it to be me.

Actually, what I would dearly love is for all prisoners of conscience in the medical cannabis arena to be pardoned en masse. If President Jimmy Carter could pardon all Vietnam era draft evaders who ran to Canada, President Obama can pardon all of us who decided not to run; but to stay here to fight for science, common sense and compassion -- and against senseless social control.

I applaud President Obama's remarks yesterday.

Stay tuned ....