Last week, in a speech in Mexico City, President Barack Obama stated that “”I’ve been asked, and I honestly do not believe that legalizing drugs is the answer,” according to Talk News Radio. This of course includes marijuana, which is now legal in two states in America. It is sad and frustrating that President Obama is absolutely unwilling to look at math and history and apply logic in this area of public policy. If Obama did, he would conclude that the war on drugs has failed, and that a new approach is required in order to help fix things. What would it take to change President Obama’s stance on marijuana policy? Is there anything that can happen? I personally don’t know if anything would change Obama’s mind. Below are things that we know won’t change his mind (even though they should):
Polling
Nearly six out of ten US adults support legalizing the consumption of marijuana, and slightly more than half believe that the substance ought to be regulated in a manner similar to alcohol, according to national polling data.
Will Of The Voters
Voters in Colorado and Washington State passed marijuana legalization initiatives in the 2012 Election. In Colorado, Amendment 64 got more votes than Obama did, which one would think would hammer home the point to Obama. Sigh.
The Support Of Federal Level Politicians
Federal politicians such as Jared Polis in Colorado and Earl Blumenauer in Oregon have tried to push federal legislation that would end marijuana prohibition. Even Republicans have joined the battle. Usually an issue with bipartisan support in Congress gets the President’s attention, but I guess marijuana is the exception.
Economics
At a time when states and the federal government need every dollar they can find, President Obama refuses to consider a completely new source of revenue (marijuana taxes) that is significant. Marijuana legalization would create desperately needed jobs, and unlike other industries, it can positively affect virtually every area’s economy in the entire nation. I know timber counties in Oregon would gladly welcome such a thing, considering most other industries are unable to do business in those areas due to various reasons.
Science
Almost every week it seems like there is a new scientific study that proves the medical value of marijuana, and proves that it is not as harmful as alcohol and tobacco. If I tried to list them all in this article, I could spend the rest of my life and still probably not include all of them.
Reality
Marijuana consumption is not going to go away in America, ever. Anyone who thinks that it will has not looked at history. Support for marijuana reform is growing daily, and it’s only a matter of time before marijuana prohibition is over. Future generations will look back on marijuana prohibition and determine that marijuana opponents were idiots, and wonder how they were able to keep prohibition in place for so long. Unfortunately, President Obama does not live in reality, at least not in regards to marijuana policy.
People are dying as a result of marijuana prohibition. Others are wrongfully incarcerated, and if they don’t get a long prison sentence, their lives are ruined because they now have to carry around the ‘marijuana scarlet letter’ which makes it almost impossible to get a good job, or go to college, or in one of my good friend’s cases, he can’t even coach his son’s sports teams because he is a felon. Shame on you President Obama. Your stance on marijuana policy is ruining lives, and I don’t know how you sleep at night. I pray that you change your mind during your second term, but I won’t hold my breath.
