Obama: ‘I don’t mind debate’ but no to legalizing drugs..........

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Unbreakable

Bluelighter
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President Barack Obama continued his opposition towards legalizing drugs, including marijuana, this weekend ahead of the Summit of Americans in Colombia.


“I don’t mind debate around issues like decriminalization,” Obama said. “I personally don’t agree that’s a solution to the problem. But I think that given the pressures a lot of governments are under. Under resourced, overwhelmed by violence, it’s completely understandable that they would look for new approaches. and we want to cooperate with them. I don’t think legalization of drugs is the answer.”

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ecvat2v1I58


Source:

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/04/...tm_campaign=Feed:+TheRawStory+(The+Raw+Story)
 
It's really no surprise. Even though I disagree with the president, legalizing all drugs isn't the most popular idea in the country. In order for politicians to be on board with such a move, the populace has to be on board first. We have a biased perspective, with BL being a harm reduction forum. I don't think the general public is as enthusiastic about legalization as we are.
 
The fucked up thing is he probably does believe there would be no harm in legalization of marijuana. He just doesn't want to be the "token black guy." I could just see fox news' headlines "The president on drugs?!?! First he lowers crack sentences, now he wants to legalize marijuana?"
 
slimvictor said:
Please, go ahead and debate all you want.
That way, you can feel like this is a free country.
However, you have no chance for any real change, regardless of what your debates may lead to.
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Fuck me typing about it, you put it pretty well.
Fuck. USA elect better presidents! They fuck over us other countries :(
 
That's so disappointing to hear that from him, not that I expected him to do anything positive for the war on drugs, but the stepped up and continuous raids on dispensaries after they went against his statement to cut back on them. Also all these dispensaries are getting close up letters before we come shut you down. Although he's a puppet it's looking worse and worse for people that were hoping for partial (cannabis) legalization and regulation. Not only would they benefit from taxing it, create more jobs, give people an alternative for medicine and a way to enjoy yourself, but think about the possible effect it would have on reducing crime and ruining peoples futures by arresting them. You say you want the youth to have a positive future, but it's quite hard when they are profiling a group and busting them as if they're ruining the world. It's a damn shame BOO THIS MAN!
 
jaurk said:
Fuck me typing about it, you put it pretty well.
Fuck. USA elect better presidents! They fuck over us other countries :(
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We'd love to (well not my family, since they're a bunch of right-wing conspiracy theorists), but when you only have two viable parties, the Theocratic Corporatist Party and the Bureaucratic Corporatist Party, there ain't much ya can do.
 
It doesn't make sense to me that our government is still so quick to shoot down an almost sure solution to somewhat stabilize our economy, lower crime rate, and save millions of dollars on the state and federal level, a 100% safe, reliable, and natural pain killer, with such highly proven results from pain patients. Theres is no reason for marijuana to be illegal.
 
Not until you run the necessary government upgrades. We're running government 1.3 while other parts of the world are running government 5.0.

We're pretty much the AOL of the western world.
 
It doesn't make sense to me that our government is still so quick to shoot down an almost sure solution to somewhat stabilize our economy, lower crime rate, and save millions of dollars on the state and federal level, a 100% safe, reliable, and natural pain killer, with such highly proven results from pain patients. Theres is no reason for marijuana to be illegal.
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We have a 14 trillion dollar economy, the drug trade would not significantly impact shit in the US. Legalization in the US would be a massive boon for our southerly neighbors though.

bardo said:
Not until you run the necessary government upgrades. We're running government 1.3 while other parts of the world are running government 5.0.
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That's not really true at all, looking at the unique systems of all countries involved, they have their advantages and disadvantages. And while I'm not implying equivalency, I am saying that the Europhilia endemic to the American Left (or anti-Americanism if you're on the other side of the Atlantic) is bullshit.
 
The President is just the face of the apparatus, he has no real power to change what the establishment wants. Obama's opinion never really mattered then or now. Mind you, when he first came to office he instructed the DEA to not pursue marijuana raids in the States where it is legal. Then he sharply reversed that policy later on. Someone got to him.

Most Americans think the war on drugs is a dismal, expensive failure. If it were about democracy, the laws would have changed already. This is about the bourgeoise industry owners controlling drug trade number one, and secondarily the moral hierarchy of the right wing persisting in policy.

The war on drugs profits a lot of people, just not the general public. The U.S. government has a lot to answer for in its crimes against humanity via the war on drugs, but today is not the day that it will happen.
 
Sorry but anyone who thinks this country will go straight to legalization without full decriminalization first is living in dream land. I wish he would believe in straight legalization but i will settle for full decriminalization and/or full medical first, it's a step in the right direction.
 
Bardo5 said:
It's really no surprise. Even though I disagree with the president, legalizing all drugs isn't the most popular idea in the country. In order for politicians to be on board with such a move, the populace has to be on board first. We have a biased perspective, with BL being a harm reduction forum. I don't think the general public is as enthusiastic about legalization as we are.
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He should at least do what he said he would do when campaigning which was to stop the federal raids on dispensaries. That isn't even a difficult or risky thing to do all it means is respecting states rights.
 
Bardo5 said:
Not until you run the necessary government upgrades. We're running government 1.3 while other parts of the world are running government 5.0.

We're pretty much the AOL of the western world.
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We cannot be touched on gun freedom though. Verily we are trailblazers:

Gingrich tells National Rifle Association UN should apply gun rights to everyone on planet

ST. LOUIS — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says the United Nations should adopt a treaty giving everyone on the planet the right to bear firearms.

The GOP presidential candidate told the National Rifle Association convention Friday in St. Louis that the group has been too timid in promoting gun rights.

Gingrich said there would be fewer women raped, children killed and villages destroyed if everyone had the right to carry a gun.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...ne-on-planet/2012/04/13/gIQAX1FeFT_story.html

Why so much advocacy on behalf of a radical agenda? The NRA has 5 million due-paying members, and all of them vote. As a bloc. For one candidate or party. And the money collected by the NRA smartly goes toward financing campaigns of sympathetic candidates.

Were drug people as organized--were they to even vote--drug legalization would be first and foremost in the national political discussion.
 
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It's really no surprise. Even though I disagree with the president, legalizing all drugs isn't the most popular idea in the country. In order for politicians to be on board with such a move, the populace has to be on board first. We have a biased perspective, with BL being a harm reduction forum. I don't think the general public is as enthusiastic about legalization as we are.
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Yeah being on bluelight you'd think everyone in the world wants legalization. But the fact of the matter is that drug use is still looked down upon by the vast majority of people.

The last time I read the polls and statistics I think it was something like 60 or 70% of Americans don't think drugs should be decriminalized or legal even though all if not most of them think that the War on Drugs has failed.

As long as the American people think that drugs=crime and irresponsibility they will never even think about voting for a president who even talks about the possibility of legalization or decriminalization. Until pro-legalization and decriminalization people unite under one political banner and actively seek support for our cause we will never see the end of prohibition IMO.
 
shimazu said:
War on drugs started because of racism.

True fact
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Very true.

Early 1900s:

"The Chinese with their opium dens are gonna draw our Caucasian citizens into joining them. I will not stand for this!"

"More and more Negroes are using cocaine in one form or another. They're gonna go crazy and rape our Caucasian women! I will not stand for this!"

1914 comes around - Harrison Narcotics Tax Act makes it illegal to possess morphine, cocaine or any other narcotic without a prescription or special government authorization.
 
Never Knows Best said:
That's not really true at all, looking at the unique systems of all countries involved, they have their advantages and disadvantages. And while I'm not implying equivalency, I am saying that the Europhilia endemic to the American Left (or anti-Americanism if you're on the other side of the Atlantic) is bullshit.
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In regard the structure of government in itself, our version of representative democracy could be much more efficient as a parliament, I think. Proportional parliamentary democracy is a more modern, much more effective alternative to our ingrained and outdated two party system and electoral college.


23536 said:
Why so much advocacy on behalf of a radical agenda? The NRA has 5 million due-paying members, and all of them vote. As a bloc. For one candidate or party. And the money collected by the NRA smartly goes toward financing campaigns of sympathetic candidates.

Were drug people as organized--were they to even vote--drug legalization would be first and foremost in the national political discussion.
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This is a fair point, but gun ownership (especially in the US) is much more socially understood and encouraged than drug use. Just setting up a needle exchange program or passing a medical marijuana law is extremely controversial. I think a loosening of drug law is inevitable, but it's not going to be a sweeping change over night.
 
I think it'll be interesting to see what stance he takes next year when he doesn't have to appease the right-wing fuckheads to get re-elected.
 
23536 said:
Why so much advocacy on behalf of a radical agenda? The NRA has 5 million due-paying members, and all of them vote. As a bloc. For one candidate or party. And the money collected by the NRA smartly goes toward financing campaigns of sympathetic candidates.

Were drug people as organized--were they to even vote--drug legalization would be first and foremost in the national political discussion.
Click to expand...

Very good point.
 
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