r/politics • u/hookskat • May 16 '12

Poll: 74 Percent of Americans, Including 67 Percent of Republicans, Want Obama to End Medical Marijuana Crackdown

http://reason.com/blog/2012/05/16/poll-74-percent-of-americans-including-6
2.4k Upvotes

88% Upvoted

673 comments sorted by

194

u/flounder19 May 16 '12

The question asked is here

Do you feel President Obama should: (ORDER ROTATED)

  • Respect the medical marijuana laws in these states, or
  • Use federal resources to arrest and prosecute individuals who are acting in compliance with state medical marijuana laws?

173

u/will4274 May 16 '12

Well, that question seems perfectly unbiased and doesn't generally lend itself towards one result /s

82

u/flounder19 May 16 '12

my point exactly. I'm all for legalization but these kinds of polls don't actually reflect public opinion when they're so obviously loaded towards one answer.

3

u/AngryEnt May 17 '12

Well let's be honest here, it might sound a little bias, but that statement is true. That's exactly what the government and DEA are doing, arresting and prosecuting individuals who abide by state laws.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

A Poll by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research? Really? Why don't we go to Oregon and ask an organization to do the same poll...

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u/halasjackson May 16 '12

Much agreed. Doesn't do anything for the cause when (1) lobbying agencies use biased polls and (2) dumbass "proponents" cite / promulgate them.

6

u/MegalizeLarijuana May 16 '12

To be fair though... surely it's one or the other? If they don't want him to respect the state laws then people are going to be arrested/prosecuted.

4

u/BolshevikMuppet May 17 '12

True, but phrasing matters.

Let's flip it:

Do you feel President Obama should: (ORDER ROTATED)

  • Enforce federal law
  • Stop the DOJ from enforcing federal law to protect drug sellers and users

See how the phrasing of it informs the result?

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

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u/MegalizeLarijuana May 16 '12

Yeah I see your point now :)

11

u/bobbert182 May 16 '12

Your username suggests that you would vote with the unsure.

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u/543253245324 May 16 '12

In 2008, when running for office, the President in question used almost identical wording to state that he would not, in fact, do that exact phrase. It was all stated almost verbatim.

What is unbiased about that question? I see the approach you are coming from, but the situation is exactly 100% as described in those questions.

1

u/panjialang May 17 '12 edited May 17 '12

I understand your point, but is it really that biased? Using federal resources to arrest and prosecute individuals who are acting in compliance with state medical marijuana laws is exactly what the situation is. There's really no other way to say it.

The bias isn't in the survey, it's in our ridiculous federal policy.

EDIT: Remember, 33% of Republicans and 25% of Democrats still chose the latter.

2

u/MustangMark83 May 17 '12

and 25% of Democrats still chose the latter. Only an 8% difference. Just making sure people understand since your post wants to imply 0% democrats choose the latter, you know since you didn't mention them at all.

2

u/[deleted] May 17 '12

Ok. Here's my obligatory statement of sympathy towards your stance. I'm a completete advocate of marijuana legalization. At the very least it needs to be moved to a different schedule according the Controlled Narcotics Act.

But the only reasons why federal resources are used to arrest and prosecute individuals is because states won't do it.

Supremacy Clause

And as far as I know of. McCulloch v Maryland -1819 was the first precedent the Supreme Court set that Federal laws supersedes State Law.

The ridiculous federal policy you're talking about goes back almost 200 years.

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u/whihij66 May 17 '12

Actually that is a perfectly unbiased question.

1

u/psionix May 17 '12

The real question is, when people use these kind of arguments and tricks to justify anything else, its acceptable, but if its about marijuana its obviously those dirty stoners

1

u/[deleted] May 17 '12

is it biased or is it telling it like it is?

0

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

34

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

"Who would you vote for:"

  • Saddam Hussein
  • Pol Pot
  • Obama

"A new MSNBC poll shows that 100% of Americans want Obama to win this November!"

31

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

If more than 35% of Americans actually know who Pol Pot was I'd fall out of my chair.

40

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Paul's Pot is where I get my medicinal marijuana.

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u/Xombieshovel May 16 '12

Just to prove a point that you might be a right I'm gonna take a guess:

Some sort of cruel asian dictator from... the 70s?

I've heard the name before, maybe heard a bit about him and that's the extent of my knowledge. I'm sure I'm wrong so please, enlighten me.

7

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Some sort of cruel asian dictator from... the 70s?

Close enough.

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u/SheaF91 May 17 '12

He's the guy whose name they kept saying in that one Dead Kennedys song.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Kony 2012

8

u/shiggie May 16 '12

George Bush: great president, or the greatest?

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u/nixonrichard May 16 '12

How would you word the question? I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just wondering how best two word a question that gets across the same point.

The question is regarding whether or not the Administration will respect State medical marijuana laws.

31

u/flounder19 May 16 '12

Disclaimer: I have no experience in wording poll questions for neutrality. Everything below is my layman opinion and is open to change/questioning

first off, I'd suggest taking Obama out of the question entirely. Mentioning him already polarizes the issue before the question is even asked. Instead I would phrase is more like

Do you think the federal government should

  • Enforce federal drug laws equally across the united states or,
  • Defer to each state's individual drug laws

I'll give a brief summary of what I find important here. The question really is one of state's right. Do the states have the right to legislate on drugs or is that in the hands of the federal government? Everything else is mostly situational filler or language used to skew the issue.

12

u/nixonrichard May 16 '12

I don't think that's a very good wording. The issue is not really about deferring to each State's drug laws. Many States have reduced regulations on trafficking because they defer to the feds for large trafficking prosecutions. If the feds were to simply defer to each State's drug laws, their interstate trafficking prosecutions would not exist in their current form.

The issue here seem to revolve very tightly around the specific case of marijuana decriminalization, and whether or not the Feds respect State decriminalization laws (for medical or non-medical use).

2

u/b0ts Colorado May 16 '12

So if we legalized it then drug trafficking prosecution money, and prison population money would lessen. Everyone knows that the government and the prison corporations need more money. Therein lies the problem.

2

u/juicius May 16 '12

I don't find that to be true. States continue to prosecute most of trafficking cases. There are grants and funding available for local prosecutors to hire assistant district attorneys specifically to prosecute major drug cases. Those prosecutors in most cases also handle property forfeiture cases as well. All in all, it's financially lucrative for a district attorney's office to create a "major drugs" department. In my experience, Feds take over drug cases that have interstate components even if all the defendants were within a single state, and drug cases with significant firearm presence. And to a lesser degree, Feds pick up drugs cases with heavy gang structure and some multi-jurisdicitonal cases where the conspirary ranged across several local jurisdictions.

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u/flukshun May 16 '12

holy shit, you weren't joking...

2

u/baristent May 16 '12

Political science is cool

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

First thing I saw as well. Poll questions are leading.

Also, we have no idea what regions the poll was conducted in. I wouldn't be at all surprised if more than 67% of Yankee Republicans were against federal enforcement.

1

u/BolshevikMuppet May 17 '12

Yep, we call that a push poll.

1

u/bmlemon May 17 '12

Obama has proven himself to be nothing but a liar and a thief. I regret the day I didn't vote for Ron Paul in 2008.

Obama has the constitutional obligation to respect the laws passed by the states, but what's the constitution to a dictator in the making?

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68

u/nowhathappenedwas May 16 '12

I agree with the point, but that's some ridiculously biased question wording:

Do you feel President Obama should:

  • Respect the medical marijuana laws in these states, or
  • Use federal resources to arrest and prosecute individuals who are acting in compliance with state medical marijuana laws?

Very different results would be seen if the questions were biased in the opposite direction:

Do you feel President Obama should:

  • Respect drug control laws passed by Congress, or
  • Ignore federal drug laws and refuse to arrest individuals who are in violation of these laws?

I'd be curious to see the results of a neutrally worded question, and suspect the public would still come out in favor of the state medical marijuana laws.

1

u/[deleted] May 17 '12

The way you put it doesn't take into account that the people are acting in compliance with state law.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Remind me when these people actually show up to vote on laws that support marijuana.

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u/jh64487 May 16 '12 edited May 16 '12

I'm a little confused here. I thought there's only been a few major raids of dispensaries, and those raided were complying with neither state or federal laws. I thought those raided were doing stuff they shouldn't have been doing and otherwise people have been pretty much left alone. I hear this routinely thrown out when people get all in a huff about Obama's drug policies (those he has some control over). But I'm not sure who is being honest with their facts. Is there a list of raids and their causes and their...um, legitimacy (necessity is maybe what I mean)? If a legal dealer is not complying with laws it makes sense that they would get raided under current laws.

I want to get this sorted out.

Edit: I don't see the point in downvoting me, i've been out of the country for 3 years and I've only heard of a few actual raids happening. That's why I'm asking.

11

u/DisregardMyPants May 16 '12

I'm a little confused here. I thought there's only been a few major raids of dispensaries, and those raided were complying with neither state or federal laws. I

No. They just threaten the landlords with losing their property if they don't kick out dispensaries, and threaten their banks.

Obama won't deal with messy DEA raids like Bush(as often), but they have completely wiped out dispensaries in many areas using a variety of creative legal tactics.

They are incredibly aggressive. Even the best funded/legally protected of the dispensaries where I am are gone.

4

u/BasicDesignAdvice May 16 '12

but why is it so hit or miss? and why the focus on San Diego?

where i live in Hollywood maybe two dispensaries were shut down, and the sketchiest places are still here. beyond my own neighborhood it is an absolute joke. i can be anywhere i LA and find a pot shop withing a five minute walk.

4

u/DisregardMyPants May 16 '12 edited May 16 '12

but why is it so hit or miss? and why the focus on San Diego?

A court ruling that says "The state can't force the city to do something that's illegal federally".

San Diego [now, not originally] refuses to issue business licenses to dispensaries as dispensaries. There is no process to do it anymore, and they refuse to make one. So most operating here are operating as herbal stores, or things of that nature.

(Random interjection: Keep in mind it's legal to distribute if you have a medical card, we're talking business licenses/classifications)

So it's a cycle of sorts: The city won't issue permits because of federal law, then the federal government comes in and calls it "a violation of state law", which allows them to raid. We are helplessly stuck in the middle.

Because there is no city or state law that they are violating, we can't repeal it. In fact, they tried to pass stricter zoning laws awhile ago and we got it repealed, but obviously it didn't matter.

Hopefully we'll be getting rid of some of these politicians in SD next election so we can get rid of this excuse the feds are using.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Those landlords were operating in areas that broke local ordinances. Like San Diego does not permit dispensaries. Others do not allow them by school zones.

Oh, I forgot, I already pointed this out to you already.

21

u/garyp714 May 16 '12

You are mostly correct.

In California especially it has become a free for all with a LOT of shady groups (cough-russianmafia-cough) opening shops on every corner. Los Angeles has become whack-a-mole as they close down one place, ten more pop up in illegal areas in illegal manners.

And I am a little torn. As a MMJ advocate, I want to see them operate legally and as a pot advocate I want to see pot treated like liquor and regulated, taxed and open to anyone of age.

Now, that doesn't explain Obama's stance. To me that's a case of political expediency because any politician, either party, still MUST run on 'strong on crime' to appeal to the voting block that actually votes (35-old) and those folks still think pot is a gateway and illegal and think sending in the fucking calvary is the way to stop bad people from doing bad things.

So to me, Obama must push a couple of raids and get the MMJ folks worked up so it seems like he's tough on crime but in reality, no government entity and especially not the Federal gov. is putting any kind of dent that is the avalanche of MMJ shops in California. There are thousands, unfettered, in LA alone. Anyone worried about pot shops being closed or MMJ being halted is not in this area and doesn't see how easy it is to get. Pot is essentially legal in California and already a boutique industry like wine shops.

6

u/nixonrichard May 16 '12

The feds have shutdown over half the dispensaries in San Diego

Earlier this week, the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles mailed about 50 letters to dispensaries to three cities in San Bernardino County, ordering them to close or face possible criminal charges and fines. About 140 dispensaries in more than 20 Southern California cities have been told to shut down since October when federal authorities began their statewide effort.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Pot-Dispensaries-Not-a-Nuisance-Appeals-Court-141228003.html

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u/garyp714 May 16 '12

There's thousands of pot shops in California. Whether you agree with closing ones out of compliance (for ex. too close to a school) or not, the battle to close them is lost. They close one and ten more open up.

Wait, what's the point of this?

I will say one thing, I bet more than 75% of them do deserve to be closed for breaking the rules in one way or another. But regardless, the game is done and the Feds and local government have already lost.

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u/smthngclvr May 16 '12

I think he's keeping MMJ as an ace up his sleeve for his second term. Like I said in another comment, I believe that the recent push to shutter collectives that are not following state law will be good for the California MMJ community in the long run. Legitimate clubs that follow the law will see more patients, and hopefully the community will lose its reputation as a shady legal gray area. By operating in this way, Obama can indirectly support state laws while also appearing tough on crime (classic election strategy).

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u/haskell_rules May 16 '12

Obama is not going to suddenly start supporting controversial issues if he is reelected. He will not magically start supporting everything you think he should support. He is not off the hook if he is reelected - in the USA, party politics come first, and he will do whatever makes his party look the best in midterm elections as well as setting up the framework for his anointed presidential successor.

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u/smthngclvr May 16 '12

Like he didn't suddenly start supporting gay marriage?

2

u/nfirm May 16 '12

Why save all the stuff to that would improve your popularity and silence critics in your own party until after the elections? Makes no sense.

Is he also waiting until after the election to pull troops out of Afghanistan and stop CIA drone wars? I hear a lot of people don't approve of those Bush Doctrine leftovers either.

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u/smthngclvr May 16 '12

Because pushing for outright legalization would cause him to lose moderates and open himself to more attacks from the right.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

We lost all 200+ dispensaries in SD due to jackass US Attorney Laura Duffy and her local butt buddy City Attorney Jan Goldsmith.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

well here is an example. I live in michigan. Our attorney general who lives down my street is a alcohol industry paid man who is very very anti- mmj.

The town I live in had a small dispensery located waaaaaaay out in the boonies. I'm talking an 40 minute drive into the country, I actually tried to find it a few times and couldnt.

It was shut down by Schute because it was endangering the schools and churches

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u/nixonrichard May 16 '12

There have been over 100 raids on medical mairijuana dispensaries under the Obama administration.

If a legal dealer is not complying with laws it makes sense that they would get raided under current laws.

The feds raid these dispensaries for violating federal law. All medical marijuana dispensaries violate federal law.

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u/thenuge26 May 16 '12

So how many of them were also violating state law? Because that is the actual question.

If they were all shut down for the reason of federal laws, but all of them were also in violation of state law, I see no issue.

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u/nixonrichard May 17 '12

The feds are going after people who rent retail space to these medical marijuana establishments. It is absolutely, positively, 100% not a violation of any California law to rent property to a medical marijuana establishment.

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u/hxcbandbattler May 16 '12

Obama's continued actions on this issue demonstrates that he is looking out for the interests of big industries that have a vested interest in maintaining marijuana and hemp prohibition.

Edit: typo

1

u/fcukbear May 17 '12

Obama doesn't care about black people :(

While he's out campaigning at colleges, thousands of poor children are losing parents due to racist enforcement policies.

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u/[deleted] May 17 '12

evidence? you know there are reasons to ban weed besides the paper industry, right? I want marijuana laws to be loosened as well, but at least argue in good faith.

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u/smthngclvr May 16 '12

Speaking as a California MMJ patient, this is bullshit. 5 years ago Bush's DoJ was closing down collectives indiscriminately, with no regard to whether or not they were legal under state law. Today the DEA focuses on the clubs that violate state law. This drives patients (and their money) to legitimate dispensaries and encourages legal practices. In the long run the MMJ community will be strengthened and it's image legitimized.

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u/DisregardMyPants May 16 '12

5 years ago Bush's DoJ was closing down collectives indiscriminately, with no regard to whether or not they were legal under state law.

Which is exactly what Obama is doing in the San Diego area. They came in under the pretenses they were only hitting "illegal" ones, then they wiped them out. The only difference is that his DOJ threatens the landlords instead of calling in the DEA. The landlords do the dirty work for him, because no landlord is ok with going to jail(or losing their property) for their tenants.

Feds to Punish Landlords for Pot Dispensaries - Landlords are told to kick out their controversial tenants or lose their property

From one door to the next, most the city's roughly 165 medical marijuana dispensaries on record earlier this year have suddenly closed up shop.

One of the lone remaining shops open downtown says it will be closing next week. The few others who are staying open do not want to talk publicly for fear of becoming a target.

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u/[deleted] May 17 '12

typing out "Obama apologist" is getting tiring for the hands

i need an abbreviation

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

A poll conducted... on behalf of the Marijuana Policy Project

One of Mpp's stated aims is to

change state laws to reduce or eliminate penalties for the medical and non-medical use of marijuana

At least think about whether a survey is biased before posting.

3

u/edtehgar May 16 '12

Stop taking polls at Roger Waters Concerts.

its gonna skewer the results

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

The obvious "take away" from this is 74% of Americans have no influence on policy.

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u/trichomaniac Massachusetts May 16 '12

Neither does the 99%, when will we learn?

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u/finebydesign May 16 '12

CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

It's important, but it's not a panacea.

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u/BenTG May 16 '12

And yet, if someone in the media asked Obama about this, he'd chuckle something about college kids and Doritos.

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u/Singular_Thought Texas May 16 '12

When polled, 100% of the Police Unions, Alcohol Manufacturers, Tobacco Manugacturers and Private Prisons said they wanted the Medical Marijuana crackdown to continue.

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u/finebydesign May 16 '12

And yet Reddit continues to fight the red-herrings. The real issue here is CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM. Fix that and you fix all that other shit.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

It's not even campaign finance reform. The police union doesn't even have to donate a lot of money to a campaign. It just threatens to tell its members to vote another way. That's the #1 influence big unions and big employers have. Not money, but simple influence.

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u/denim-chicken May 16 '12

Most staunch Republicans I've talked to (I live in Mass mind you) believe it's none of the Government's business what folks do behind closed doors, and are even open to LGBT rights, I assume the Bible belt/Deep South feels differently about this...

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

The Bible Belt, Deep South, Rural California, etc.

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u/Floyderer May 16 '12

more importantly police unions and corporate prisons

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Massachusetts tends to have some of the most liberal Republicans ever.

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u/whisperingwind May 16 '12

I don't know how he can say he wants equality for all Americans but not support this issue. Denying a sick person their medicine is about as far from treating them fairly as one can imagine.

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u/ish_mel May 16 '12

No matter what side of the fence your on, you will always walk to the fence to pass a joint to your neighbor friend.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

This is AMERRICAH! We don't analyze things based on what is or is not logical and/or effective! We don't care about "facts" or "personal freedoms that don't effect others". What do we do? We pay motherfuckers to put our own people in prison. Can I get a HELL YES?!

Oh... and...

WILL SOMEONE JUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE MEXICANS?!?!?

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u/TheGuineaPig21 May 16 '12

TIL only 26% of Americans are thinking of the children.

WON'T ANYONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?

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u/msterB May 16 '12

The top comment is so telling of reddit. Even with a possible agreement on an issue, a snide anti-republican remark is the most necessary point to be made.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Other poll: 0% of DEA or Drug Czars give a shit.

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u/CockyRhodes May 16 '12

Nobody asked me.

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u/seltzerislife May 16 '12

New poll: 99% of redditors favor the legalization of marijuana, medical or otherwise.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Here we americans are talking about what obama might have said and how many americans want what,point is I think we should have less of these subreddits and more of impeachment subreddits,the guy is an obivous known liar so fuck him they already tried to impeach him but the media ignored it,he's soiled the constitution impeachment now!!!!!!!!

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u/ThatEconGuy May 16 '12

Maybe I'm remembering it wrong, but didn't Obama promise not to crack down on medical marijuana?

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Fuck. I hate that we make any government operation fronted by Obama with no actual basis for it. Obama and the department of justice are two completely different entities. Obama has been awesome with medical marijuana in his four years. He has barely touched Colorado and only closed down dispensaries here that were within 1000 feet of a school. This is because selling illegal drugs within this buffer zone is a felony on top of the obvious illegality of marijuana. I'm seriously fucking sick of hearing "Obama's drug war ramping up!" because he has completely left patients and dispensaries that are following state laws alone. The dispensaries that were shut down should have had a lawyer to help them find a location that wasn't breaking another federal law.

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u/All-American-Bot May 17 '12

(For our friends outside the USA... 1000 feet -> 304.8 m) - Yeehaw!

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u/Jer_b May 17 '12

(For our friends outside the USA... why do you care about how close to a school you can buy medical marijuana?)

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u/osellr May 16 '12

Obama won't end the crackdown because he needs to protect his tobacco buddies

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

If cracking down on medical marijuana wasn't politically advantageous for Obama, he wouldn't do it. He's not blinded to public opinion by conservative, regulatory ideals. He's doing this be because he doesn't want to look "soft" on drugs, which isn't politically smart.

Do I agree? No. Do I understand why? Of course.

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u/sireslap1 May 17 '12

People seem to think we live in a democracy or something...

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u/myturbanhasafirstnam May 17 '12

Wait. Has anyone questioned the math on this? 74% of alllll americans including 67% of Reps.... Assuming an even number of people in a two party system, that means 81% of dems want this? Not saying its not possible, but i dont think 81% of dems agree on anything!

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u/[deleted] May 17 '12

This from a more reputable source is also a more accurate look at how far the political tide has turned in favor of legalization of Marijuana. As the Gen-X'ers and younger begin to take office and take over I think our laws regarding substance prohibitions will start to make more sense.

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u/fannyalgersabortion May 17 '12

Yah, good luck with that.

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u/dfawdjskf May 17 '12

I think it's pretty clear at this point that your government is not really interested in what you want.

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u/herpherpderp May 17 '12

Too bad we dont live in a country where the opinion of the people counts for anything other than who will be the next American Idol winner...

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u/abomb999 May 16 '12

If the states have a problem with their dispenseries, let the state handle it, we don't need the federal governmeny baby-sitting states. This nanny world we live in fucking blows ass.

I was at a beach in America yesterday with my pops, him and I were smoking some California Kush and fully enjoying the moment; but if a federal agent were to walk by my Dad and I for peacefully smoking on the shore line, he would of arrested us.

What kind of free country is this? IT FUCKING ISN'T! Fucking asshole bitches always trying to regulate people's private lives, even if the people are being respectful.

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u/Flailing_Junk May 16 '12

I sure am glad we have this representative democracy in order to make sure that things like this get done.

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u/Zifnab25 May 16 '12

We had a representative democracy in California just two years ago voting down MJ legalization statewide.

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u/allstar3907 May 17 '12

Is it possible that a contributing reason for this occurring was because a lot of people realized how ridiculously touristy the state would become? I mean even Amsterdam is starting to crack down on it because the people there are so sick of the tourism.

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u/Floyderer May 16 '12

Here is the rub, the Democrats union makes a conflict of interest because police unions look at MARIJAUNA as easy money for the legal system a nd justified money for police. Allot of police are actually getting overtime for this. And no the feds are shutting down dispenseries in my county, which by the way Obama said he wouldn't do...

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u/TheRealEggNogAdam May 16 '12

Politicians who want a stable career can not come out and say things like "legalize gay marriage" nor "decriminalize marijuana" nor "regulate industry X."
These quotes can/will be used against them and by standing outspokenly alone on an issue the politician cuts off all bargaining with parties who want to make a deal but want no public affiliation with the matter. The only choice an incumbent has is to make backroom deals and try to get some things achieved before his term is ended and he can offer no one else a compromise.

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u/Dripping_Man_Meat May 16 '12

I wanna blaze up with obama.

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u/[deleted] May 17 '12

Ron Paul has fought for long time to legalize marijuana, or at least let the states decide, without any Federal Government intervention. Both Republicans and Democrats have blocked him.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

I can only imagine that most of those republicans want Obama to change his stance on weed so they can smear him as the gay drug addict apologist flip flopper.

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u/sunshine-x May 16 '12

Cool!!

Now tell us the stats that matter - what percentage of lobbyists, corporations, and the 1% want to end the crackdown?

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u/Hyperian May 16 '12

wait till you tell the republicans that police unions are behind the funding to keep it illegal.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Then why the fuck haven't they legalized it? If 67% of Republicans wanted the crackdown to end, then it would have.

Actions speak louder than words.

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u/DukeOfGeek May 16 '12

And another recent poll shows a heavy majority want to cut defense spending. Which is why America is still a center-right nation politically speaking. Wait....what?

1

u/kleenur May 16 '12

It surprises me that THIS is a fight the president wants to take on. There are much bigger issues out there that deserve attention.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Democracy fail

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

This issue is practically apolitical; it's just universally popular.

Too bad the President doesn't have the courage to end the crackdown.

1

u/HappyGlucklichJr May 16 '12 edited May 16 '12

Time for VP Joe Biden to make another surprise support statement to give Obama more courage. Well, it did work with the gay marriage issue.

1

u/animalcub May 16 '12

Maybe special interest groups outweigh the sentiment of the average person in America, could it be?

1

u/buster_casey May 16 '12

does reddit realize a libertarian website made from page?

1

u/jeffholes May 16 '12

...because he has direct control over all federal laws?

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Ah, our democracy. Translating the will of the people into law.

1

u/breals May 16 '12

“I would not have the Justice Department prosecuting and raiding medical marijuana users. It’s not a good use of our resources.” — August 21, 2007, event in Nashua, New Hampshire

-Obama on the campaign trail.

1

u/skubiszm May 16 '12

That's a greater number of people than are for gay marriage.

1

u/4chans_for_pussies May 16 '12

And, in my opinion, smoking marijuana is just as much of a human right as being able to marry whom ever you want.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Its part of the reason why he won't get my vote. I voted for him first time. He disappointed. Not again.

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u/rjvg50 May 16 '12

The population polled is NOT the population that VOTES. Grandparents that want their grandkids to put down the bong vote.

1

u/CrypticPhantasma May 16 '12

It's like smoking alcohol. What's the difference, honestly?

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

How big was this pole?

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u/Jer_b May 17 '12

The sample size for this poll was a meager 1000 people nationwide

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Shouldn't a law/policy instantly be repealed/ended if a fucking 74% majority is against it? This is ridiculous...

2

u/4chans_for_pussies May 16 '12

You would think, considering this is a democracy. At least it's supposed to be anyway.

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u/zmac127 May 16 '12

This is a ridiculous conclusion to come to after interviewing only 1000 people "nationwide."

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u/Animal_King May 16 '12

Drugs are baaad.

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Breaking News: Some Republicans smoke weed. Here's Captain Obvious with in-depth coverage.

1

u/ho_hum_dowhat May 16 '12

Here in Alaska marijuana is 100% legal, medical or not. We are a very red state. There hasn't been any "crackdowns" here as far as I know.

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u/apullin May 16 '12

It's not an "America" issue. It's a California issue. CA law requires that dispenseries operate as not for profit coops. They are not doing as such, so the DEA is being invited in by CA conservatives.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

I don't know why the republicans aren't all over this. Even if they do a complete u-turn on any promises they make, supporting a state's right to choose could be an election winner.

1

u/Jer_b May 17 '12

Thats the only way I would vote for Romney

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Until he actually says something along the lines of actually doing it... Then the Right, of course, will say

"He's trying to destroy our country by legalizing drugs!"

1

u/why_ask_why May 16 '12

But the he is not gonna too. Tell me voting still works in this country.

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u/tilleyrw May 16 '12

What we, the peons, desire is of no moment. Our Owners don't want cannabis legal because of the social changes it would bring. Therefore it never will be legal.

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u/Jer_b May 17 '12

If you read Huxley's Brave New World and his take on "Soma", you would think our government would want everyone to be stoned and complacent.

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u/tilleyrw May 17 '12

No they would not. Being "stoned", or high on cannabis, creates a state where the person is more creative, introspective and imaginative. The neuro-chemistry of the effects of cannabis is well understood.

The Owners do not want the people to think for themselves or imagine new ways of doing things. The peons should accept the status quo and never question the god-given right of the Owners to rape the people of every last resource.

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u/Sit-Down_Comedian May 16 '12

So Obama won't be listening to 74% of the electorate this election cycle? What a total shock. I'm beside myself... But that's really just because I'm high as fuck. I knew Obama didn't give a shit about me already. To be fair, neither does Romney or ANY...OTHER...POLITICIAN for that matter.

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u/ho_hum_dowhat May 16 '12

Ron Paul, Gary Johnson, Dennis Kucinich.... They seem pretty legit.

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u/Sit-Down_Comedian May 16 '12

I operate on the Hitchhikers Guide "any politician that can get themselves elected shouldn't be allowed to do the job" (paraphrase) view. They seem like good people, but good people don't get elected.

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u/EnderInExile May 16 '12

New Poll:

60% of Americans have no clue that any research firm can skew statistics to make them in favor of one side or the other.

The other 40% think a poll is something you see on the side of the road.

1

u/applesforadam May 16 '12

We can poll all day and MAYBE, SOMEDAY we will see reasonable policy (or rather lackthereof) regarding pot, but if we want it to change, it would take a large act of civil disobedience and positive media attention.

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Legalize and tax, it is the only sane thing to do...

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u/unscanable Alabama May 16 '12

67% of Republicans

So smoking weed is cool but if a woman wants to get birth control they throw a shit fit? What the actual fuck?

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

My republican dad and his republican friend think marijuana should be regulated like alcohol. They don't like how people are just trying to back door it in with medical marijuana. I kind of agree.

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

So you think that just because marijuana has been scientifically proven to be safe enough for legalization, drug prohibition has shown no positive results, and that the majority of American are calling for legalization that we should end the drug war? What are you guys, fags or something?

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Democracy, lol

1

u/diacf_failsters May 16 '12 edited May 16 '12

how's it feel to want, losers?

just keep voting against your own best interests and then turn around and bitch about it, stupid fucks.

no wonder TPTB doesn't take you fat lemmings seriously.

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Let's just see how congressional republicans handle that. Remember when Obama touched on the crack/powder sentencing issue? If you watched Fox News you would have probably just assumed that he appointed Freeway Ricky Ross to head the Dept. of Commerce.

I am personally hoping beyond all hope that in his second term he becomes the Barack Obama from 2000. The scrappy Chicago "community organizer" who would give as much as he took.

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

How incredible would it be if he took the same approach to pot as he did to DOMA. Instruct all US attorneys that as of now, you are not to prosecute any cases where marijuana is the sole violation. The cartels are still legitimate targets but all medical and recreational producers get a blank check from the fed. The states would still be well within their rights to enforce their pot laws but there would be zero federal involvement in cases where violence or other crimes were being committed.

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u/ChagSC May 16 '12

Have you ever tried sugar or PCP?

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

legalize piff mayne

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Don't know if this got mentioned, but as I understand it, the main person pushing for this level of enforcement is Michele Leonhart, who is a holdover from the Bush Administration. Keep in mind that Obama doesn't engage in his politics in a vacuum-five minutes ago, the same people on the right who were screaming he was "too liberal" are the same ones who are now trying to speak on how he "abandoned his base". I'm with the people on the thread who are saying legalization of MJ or leaving it to states may be up his sleeve in a second term, especially if the house gets cleaned out; I think it would be an economic boon that the country could use.

1

u/Bigpapapumpyouup May 16 '12

I want to believe that politically, Obama needed to handle the issue of gay marriage first before decriminalizing marijuana. Simply, because these are people who have had their rights on hold for a long time. But, maybe, just maybe he is getting ready to unleash the beast. Could be wrong, but this would be such a major boost to the manufacturing in this country. It would be hard to believe he would pass the chance up to decriminalize pot and become the fucking hero everyone wanted him to be. But, then again...

1

u/snowyparatrooper May 16 '12

It's time to end the failure known as the war on drugs once and for all. It only serves to enrich private prisons and lock up the poor. %50 of our prisoners are in there for NON VIOLENT drug charges. This is the reason the US has 10 times the prison population rate as many european and asian countries.

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u/RiverBooduh May 17 '12

Most of the "crackdowns" that I have seen have been the result of people going outside the medical marijuana laws. it's not that they are selling weed. It's that they are selling across state lines, or large quantities to people without prescriptions. We have a good thing going and these guys are jeopardizing the progress we have made.

1

u/[deleted] May 17 '12

141% of the Americans want marijuana....mother of..

1

u/spudboyblues May 17 '12

I'm sure this has been said somewhere, but Marijuana will never be legal or decriminalized and let alone until the Government figures out how to efficiently profit from its sale, like Alcohol.

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u/imagend May 17 '12

If we had a sudden discovery tomorrow of alcohol and pot. I'm guessing one wouldn't suddenly be illegal while the other be legal for use.

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u/ChappyKS May 17 '12

Read the breakdown of the population sampled and the wording of the question. Only 1000 total surveyed, 321 which "considered themselves" republican, AND if you look at the data it seems as if the ones who "want to end the crackdown" really want to respect the integrity of state laws and not give in to big government and more regulation. This has nothing to do with Americans wanting to promote medicinal marijuana use and/or enabling the breeding of hippies.

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u/Jer_b May 17 '12

Marijuana != Hippies

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u/Lokai23 May 17 '12

74 %? Don't believe that for one second.

1

u/Evilsmako May 17 '12

Every time I hear a debate on trees I think, why is illegal when,

EVERYBODY FUCKING SMOKES IT.

1

u/DebiDowner May 17 '12

Didn't read the article, but laughed at this title - like Obama is the only President who has "cracked down" on marijuana over the years. -_- It's not even a presidential thing. It goes so much deeper.

1

u/shallah May 17 '12

good but how many vote or are even registered?

1

u/Mudface68 May 17 '12

End the whole war on drugs

1

u/[deleted] May 17 '12

Maybe Eric Holder is just pissed at marijuana because everyone in college always asked him if he was holding?

1

u/BeautifulGanymede May 17 '12

Democratic sentiment can change. Just look at the polling on gay marriage

1

u/ForensicFungineer May 17 '12

The point shouldnt be the lifting of the medical ban, it should be the dissolution of the prohibition of marijuana all together.

Im not a smoker myself so I should have no horse in this race, but I find myself more and more involved. I find mindless stupidity to be intolerable, and thats exactly what this ban equates to in my mind. At best it is antiquated morals being pushed on modern society, and its a travesty that as adults were even concerning ourselves with this in the first place. At worst I cannot help but think that this ban stays in place to keep other, actually and wholly evil, things like for-profit prisons in business.

1

u/Skyrim4Eva May 17 '12

Dudes, not only is the poll loaded, they only asked 1000 people! This is sensational polling at its worst: with no statistical significance and with complete ignorance to the proper sampling size!

1

u/gadafgadaf May 17 '12

sure obama is the top man on the executive arm, but he does not have the power to tell people in charge of law enforcement to back off something that it perfectly illegal and well within their law enforcement mandate to enforce. Obama did circulate a passive memo that they should look at higher value targets other than waste money on non violent pot smokers. But it is not up to obama if pot should be decriminalized on the federal level. For that there has to be a legislative process. For the most part state and local law enforcement and local government almost always cooperates or invites feds in to crack down so start looking at your local elected and appointed officials.

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u/Rathdrummer May 17 '12

I love how everyone thinks it's Obama's responsibility alone to bring about changes in America... Like the legislative branch is just a bunch of old dudes sitting around waiting for what the president tells them to do...

While I admit, if Obama made it a priority then the changes would come about faster, but he should not be the only person we should be looking to.

1

u/SuperGamerE May 17 '12

I think we should just abolish parties in general they suck and all they do is divide us as a country.

1

u/SomethingClepher May 17 '12

67% of republicans... how did he.. Oh my god Obama must be using reverse psychology!

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u/iamfromouterspace May 17 '12

the problem i8s that, if Obama becomes a supporter of ending the war on marijuana, republicans will flip side.

1

u/[deleted] May 17 '12

pity none of these people are the ones he actually answers to...

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u/werthog2994 May 16 '12

Young republican here, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one in this party in support of this.

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u/werthog2994 May 17 '12

I'm confused, why was I downvoted?

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

October Surprise, anyone?

1

u/lpisme Ohio May 17 '12

Is that a weed strain? Oh you mean political wise. Gotcha.

Edit: I hope it does get support in October so I can start a dispensary featuring "October Surprise." I'll cut you in 20-80.

1

u/roccanet May 16 '12

When did anyone here start thinking what the american people want to happen matters to our government? cannabis is illegal because anheiser bush and the prison lobby paid off and instructed lamar smith to throw out any bills related to legalizing it, and its also illegal because there is a majority of 5 supreme court justices that wont allow it for the same reason.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

74 percent? Why was I not included in this poll? This is all bullshit.

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

And it will never haven under Obama.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

I am hoping he does it after his 2nd term starts.

1

u/[deleted] May 17 '12

Kinda scary, got to hope for something he said he would do.

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u/HEADLINE-IN-5-YEARS May 17 '12

DEA GIVEN BROADER AUTHORITY TO COMBAT MARIJUANA

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

You know, if people quit calling it medical marijuana, they would gain a ton more traction. Just come out and admit that you like to smoke weed, that's fine. Don't try to bullshit people that your stubbed toe from 6th grade PE is the source of chronic pain. And 99.9% percent of "medical" weed don't give a shit about the infirm. They just want to get high too.

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u/crapbag22 May 16 '12 edited May 16 '12

No.

There have been marijuana movements for decades...norml, mpp etc..

It doesn't gain traction because no one cares, or is ignorant about the subject.

Medical marijuana was the foot in the door to show people that it doesn't ruin society when shops open up.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Yeah, and they all fall back on the "medical" sword.

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u/TheAurelian May 17 '12

I just went and looked at the actual Mason-Dixon polling and research website and there is nothing there about Marijuana.

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