Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Obama and Marijuana There appears to be no rush to re-open the "Open for Questions" at Change.gov, although there are discussions going on there. However, the questions are speculation are not going away, and I think that's a good thing. If Obama Is Pro-Science and Honest, He'll Put the Kibosh on the Drug War by Alexander Zaitchik at AlterNet: Nobody expected Obama to tap Tommy Chong to run the Office of National Drug Control Policy. But maybe, just maybe, Obama would have the political courage to publicly acknowledge what an emerging majority of Americans now grasps: that the war on drugs is a failure, that it is unjust, and that it is an epic waste of law-enforcement time and resources. Still a month before inauguration, the hopes of drug-policy-reform advocates have had their wings clipped several times... [...] Advocates may have their best ally not in the White House or in Congress, but in the economy. As state budgets shrink across the country, legislatures are often forced to choose between education and prison budgets. Why Obama Really Might Decriminalize Marijuana by John H. Richardson in Esquire The stoner community is clamoring to say it: "Yes we cannabis!" Turns out, with several drug-war veterans close to the president-elect's ear, insiders think reform could come in Obama's second term -- or sooner. Let's keep the conversation going. I know that there are some who support drug policy reform who believe that we have to save the conversation for the "right moment" (and, of course, there's always a reason why that moment isn't now). But that's wrong. The more the conversation happens, the more people come to realize the importance of reform. There's a lot you can do. Talk to your family at the holidays. Write a letter to the editor. Reward and thank journalists and others who talk about reform. Encourage others to do so. Update Reactions to the Esquire article: Obama to Decriminalize Marijuana, Claims Really High Person (Gawker) Will he legalize it? (No.) (Culture 11) 5:49:57 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []