Friday, December 12, 2008

Even the asking of questions is good Regardless of the answers given (or not) by the Obama transition team to the questions below, the mere fact that they were asked and obviously resonated so strongly with people, is already making an impact. Quite a few people have taken notice about the prevalence of drug policy questions (and I expect there will be more). Tim King at the Salem-News writes I am not surprised that the number one thing Americans are asking President-elect Barack Obama is whether or not he is going to legalize marijuana. Generations are changing and evolving and the taboos around cannabis are slowly falling away. Chris Bowers at Open Left writes: This is the sort of thing that can happen when voting is left open to the public: [...] Now, I don't mean to mock the question, or the public in general, when I say "this is the sort of thing that can happen." Quite to the contrary, as I explain in the extended entry, half the country has used marijuana, more people are arrested each year for marijuana than for violent crime, the nation overwhelmingly favors reduction in marijuana penalties, it is very relevant to our economic downturn, and it is a question that simply has not been asked of the incoming administration in other forums. It should be asked, and I am glad it is on track to winning. He goes on to give five reasons why the marijuana question should be asked -- good ones. And concludes: This should be a question that the incoming administration has to answer. It is, after all, not a small problem, not an issue on which there is consensus, and has not been addressed elsewhere. The Internet has long provided an outlet for issues and questions ignored by gatekeeper media. It is nice to see that "Open for Questions" is proving no exception. Contrast that rational analysis to this hackneyed reaction at OhMyGov (and what we're likely to see more of in the mainstream media): Instead, the most popular question to the Obama administration was whether or not the President-elect plans to legalize marijuana. That's right, throw the economy, eliminating our oil addiction, handling terrorism and ending two wars out the window because Americans just want to smoke their pot and eat it too. [...] What exactly these trends say about Americans is nebulous at best. Given Obama's popularity among young adults and their proclivity to find cool websites faster than an Illinois politician can get in trouble, it's likely the data is skewed to overrepresent this group whose nightly habits don't quite mirror Joe the Plumber's. On the other hand, Americans might just be fed up with politics as usual and are looking to sit back, relax, and watch their retirement funds disappear through a comfortable fog without being hassled by police. You know, I like a good pot joke as well as anyone, but sometimes people need to acknowledge that legalization is not a Cheech and Chong movie. 8:12:55 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []

First round of Change.gov questions Excellent job, people. The Obama transition team has got to be scrambling to figure out how to deal with this. When they opened up for questions about what concerns Americans and let people vote on the questions online in a quick 2 or 3-day blitz (they'll be doing it again next week), here are some of the ones that ended up in the lead... 1: "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 billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?" 7: "13 states have compassionate use programs for medial Marijuana, yet the federal gov't continues to prosecute sick and dying people. Isn't it time for the federal gov't to step out of the way and let doctors and families decide what is appropriate?" 11: "The US "War on Drugs" wastes billions every year tracking down and incarcerating non-violent users. What is your position on the legalization of marijuana? How do you feel about treating rather than imprisoning users of harder, addictive drugs?" 13: "How will you fix the current war on drugs in America? and will there be any chance of decriminalizing marijuana?" 15: "What kind of progress can be expected on the decriminalization and legalization for medicinal purposes of marijuana and will you re-prioritize the "War On Drugs" to reflect the need for drug treatment instead of incarceration?" 18: "The U.S. has the world's highest incarceration rate, largely due to the War on Drugs. Our prisons are festering pits of rape, racism, and gang violence, and divert a lot of tax money to the corrupt prison industry. How can we fix this?" 22: "Would you consider the legalizing of growing hemp (not marijuana) for food, clothing and bio-fuel use?" 23: "Drug control policy in America is a mess, most specifically with regards to marijuana. Federal and state laws are in conflict all over the country. What do you plan to do about this? Will you allow the states to make their own determinations?" 28: "What about the use of Hemp and finally legalizing marijuana for personal use?" 29: "If we did not have over 2 million people in jail, many of which on marijuana charges, we would save billions a year and keep families together. Will you commit to a comprehensive drug treatment plan that will help keep families together?" 33: "What will you do to ensure that the government takes scientific research into account when making laws? Especially when it comes to questions about the legalization of marijuana and the use of medical marijuana." 34: "On the campaign trail, you said you would put an end to the federal raids on medical marijuana patients. Will you implement this policy within the first year of your term?" 42: "Will you consider the decriminalization or legalization and taxation of marijuana as a recreational drug?" 43: "Do you support Barney Frank's Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008 (HR 5843)? Ending the "Drug War" would save $ billions and stop ruining lives with harsh prison terms." 44: "No one has ever died of a marijuana overdose. Marijuana doesn't trigger a chemical dependency like prescriptions drugs. In fact, it is safer than alcohol by most common sense standards. So why is marijuana a Schedule I drug?" 46: "When are you going to decriminalize marijuana?" With all the questions about the world that could be asked, 16 of the top 50 were on drug policy (mostly marijuana) -- including the number one question! 7:20:49 AM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []