USA - Make Medical Cannabis Obama's Top Priority

[fnord]

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The group Americans for Safe Access says that if President-elect Barack Obama has done one thing so far, he has given citizens a chance to tell him how we feel.


George Pappas with Americans for Safe Access said, "This is our chance to do it, to call him out, to tell him he MUST change federal policy on medical cannabis because people are suffering and it needs to stop!"

ASA says Americans can go to XXXX.citizensbriefingbook.change.gov/and click on “Popular Ideas” (or search for “marijuana”) then vote for “Stop using federal resources to undermine states’ medical marijuana laws” if you share the perspective.


The full question is as follows:

Stop using federal resources to undermine states' medicinal marijuana laws

"Our federal government's Drug Enforcement Administration continues to raid marijuana (cannabis) dispensaries and compassionate use clubs in locations where local and state law allows them to operate. Medicinal marijuana is one of the most widely-supported issues in drug policy reform. Our federal government is wasting scarce resources -- and hurting sick people -- by arresting patients and their caregivers; it should stop doing so.
"

Pappas says the best rated ideas will be put into an official briefing book and hand delivered to the new President after he is sworn in.


The question has continued to ranked high on Obama's list, as we indicated in December.
(see: Marijuana Legalization Tops List of Questions for Obama in Online Poll)

Pappas said, "We need it to win hands down and by a significant margin. Obama has said he will run a bottom up presidency. There will be no bigger voice of the people than this vote winning head and shoulders above all others.
"

He says input is more important than ever. "Also, tell your friends, your family, your co-workers, and all of your friends on Facebook and MySpace.
We need everyone you know to go to XXXX. citizensbriefingbook.change.gov/ and vote for 'Stop using federal resources to undermine states’ medical marijuana laws.
'"


I cannot find a source for this.

[Euthanatos93420]

DONE! & DONE!

Don't forget to vote for END THE WAR ON DRUGS as Well!!!!!!!!

[fnord]

This one wont make much of an impact but it is very quick: http://www.cnbc.com/id/28621704

Its a poll on if marijuana should be legalized. its at 98% in favour right now!!!!

[Euthanatos93420]

Currently on the citizen briefing book, Ending Marijuana Prohibition is the NUMBER ONE VOTED ISSUE!!!!

So click on 'popular ideas' and vote to End Prohibition of Marijuana as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited....no amount of exclamation points can convey it!

[Lou1024]

Its not going to happen on a national level. I don't expect Obama and democrats to do anything but avoid the issue. I do expect more states to start decriminalizing it.

[fnord]

Originally Posted by Lou1024

Its not going to happen on a national level. I don't expect Obama and democrats to do anything but avoid the issue. I do expect more states to start decriminalizing it.

Your right, hopefully hes just ignoring this until he gets ito office to avoid controversy but who knows? At the very least it will show anyone who logs into change.gov that other americans feel teh same way(seeing as it is THE NUMBER ONE thing that american want to see changed!) and it will inform the president elect that the drug war is an actually concern of americans.

Ducking Drug War Questions at Change.gov
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Posted in Chronicle Blog by Scott Morgan on Tue, 01/13/2009 - 10:03pm

Obama’s transition team responded to the second round of Change.gov questions on Friday, proving yet again that they’d sooner defeat the purpose of the site than actually discuss drug policy.

Last time, a question about marijuana legalization got the most votes from the public, resulting in a one sentence "no" response. This time, the questions were broken into categories, and this question came in first in the "national security" section:

"Our current war on drugs is failing America. Billions of dollars are spent on a losing campaign. Our prisons are overflowing with people that don't deserve to be there. What is the government going to do in an effort to fix this major problem?"

But it wasn’t answered. It was the only leading question to receive no acknowledgement, thus the national security category was ignored entirely. Obama’s team claimed that some leading questions were put aside to make room for new ones:

Since there were so many popular questions in so many categories, we tried to pull out some of them that had been addressed previously by the President-elect or Vice President-elect in order to focus the video portion on questions that haven’t been as specifically addressed during the Transition.

The questions that fall into this category appear at the bottom of the post, except when you scroll down, you find the marijuana question from the first round, but not the new drug war question that won in the second installment. It’s sort of a bait and switch, the idea being that by referencing the old marijuana question, we’ll forget that a totally different drug policy question won in the second round and Obama refused to touch it.

All of this is perfectly predictable, and I won’t meet with much success trying to make a controversy out of it. Still, it serves as yet another obnoxious reminder of the desperate avoidance of any meaningful discussion of our drug policy in mainstream politics.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle_...uestions_at_ch

[Greenport]

Ah, this is wonderful. This tool has given people a way to vote for the issues that they feel are the most important as a whole, and just look at the outcome.

I think the UFO stuff is ballocks though.

[Euthanatos93420]

Originally Posted by Lou1024

Its not going to happen on a national level. I don't expect Obama and democrats to do anything but avoid the issue. I do expect more states to start decriminalizing it.

That is NO REASON not to vote.

80K & still #1!!!!

[doggy_hat]

Originally Posted by Euthanatos93420

That is NO REASON not to vote.

80K & still #1!!!!

I don't trust the government. I'd really like to vote, but there's no way in hell I'm going to register with a site that ends with .gov.

[Desertfox]

Originally Posted by doggy_hat

I don't trust the government. I'd really like to vote, but there's no way in hell I'm going to register with a site that ends with .gov.

If your even worth there time, there's nothing preventing them from watching your computer if they wanted to, so don't live in fear and let that hold you back from voicing your opinion
as bob marley would say.... stand up for your rights.

[Euthanatos93420]

I agree with Desertfox but I understand doggyhat's point after what Clinton did to the queers.

[doggy_hat]

I understand I should vote on their. But it's just against my every intuition to register on a government site.

[fnord]

Erm you could just use a fake name/ip addy....

Change.org Announces Winners of Ideas for Change in America • Most viewed • Top rated • Most e-mailed Swift response, heroics in airliner's river rescue South Africa busts rhinoceros poaching ring Pilot's life prepared him for 'miracle' flight Moments of sheer panic, followed by gratitude Veterans given wrong drug doses due to glitch Most viewed on msnbc.com A list of products recalled by Kellogg's More peanut butter products recalled Dutchman attacked by javelina wants $400,000 Pelosi differs from Obama on taxes, probes Congress considers ‘cash for clunkers’ proposal Most viewed on msnbc.com updated 12:20 p.m. ET, Fri., Jan. 16, 2009 WASHINGTON, DC - Change.org today announced the winners of its Ideas for Change in America competition at an event at the National Press Club and attended by nonprofit leaders, grassroots activists, and members of the Obama campaign and incoming administration. The competition was the first nationwide grassroots response to President-elect Barack Obama's call for greater citizen participation in government, and since Election Day more than 650,000 votes have been cast for more than 7500 ideas for how the Obama administration and 111th Congress should change America. The 10 winning ideas reflect the diverse interests of the millions of people calling for change across the country, including ideas for securing universal heath care, LGBT rights, and sustainable green energy. The list of winners also includes ideas often left off of the national agenda but with powerful grassroots support, including those for restoring civil liberties, ending the prohibition on medicinal marijuana, and advancing peace through new government institutions. All winning ideas can be viewed at www.change.org/ideas. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28694770/

[Euthanatos93420]

WTF???? Login is disabled?! Votes have stopped. This website is up for less than a fucking week and they stop it without publicizing it in any way?!?!?! Am I wrong or has anyone even seen a TV commercial (I don't watch TV so I wouldn't know).

Methinks they decided to stop before they received more votes than they could effectively shrug off on the Marijuana issue.

What a fucking joke. Open Government my ass.

So now I'm reading something about a 'second round' but I can't find any information on what it is. Furthermore:

Originally Posted by Change.gov

“We have had an unbelievable response—over 70,000 people participated, half a million votes, and tens of thousands of wonderful ideas,” Strautmanis said.

70k? @93k votes to legalize marijuana are they trying to say that 20k votees were fraudulent? Go fucking figure.

Absolutely no comment other than the response to the question posed originally in the Question vote. A search for 'marijuana' on the change.gov site reveals two hits only which are seperate postings of that response.

[fnord]

euth,did u you read my last post? they already announced the winners.

Medical pot is on thre along with apointing a secretary/department of peace andrepealing the patriot act!

[Horser]

SWLM doesn't like Mary-jane any way but I do agree that the US needs to despairately over-haul ALL it's Drug and Minor crime Penalties. The 3 strikes and your out is an abomination of a legislation. I remember a few Years ago a guy got life for steaaling a slice of Pizza!!!! Heck he was an Ex-con that couldn't get a Job and was Hungry! For this he got life under the 3 strikes law! How can the Great United states say it is home of the free when so many of it's Citz's aren't?
In Horsetrailer, if your caught with a small amount of Mary-jane you get a caution and (2 before court action is taken and a small fine is paid!) Also it is unlikely that you'll get a Criminal record if it is for Personal Use only.
What REALLY Puzzles Me is Why the UA is so adamently anti-drug, yet lets Buddweisser throw Millions of $$$$ in advertizing time at events like the Super-bowl???
Cigs and brew cause untold damage to Peoples lives wether they use them or not, ie; victums of D-Driving or passive smoking. Not to mention the $$$$$$$$ spent on Lung replacements/RoadTraffic Accident intensive care beds and such like.
How much does the DEA spend on Enforcement of these Archaic Laws that benefit No-One but the Gangsters that Holiday at Club Med and the Private Co's that run Americas Boom industry, State and Fed Gaols and Breweries??????
I won't sign this Pet'n because A, I'm not a US Cit and B, because it is just ONE symptom of a Systemic Disease called "Illegal Drug Useage and Enforcement!"
Please Obama, take a good hard look at the facts and come to the only rational conclusion. People should have the right to Decide what they wish to do with their "Legal" Spare Time!!!!!!!
What is it to the US Gov if s-olm decides to take a puff of a weed that grows all over the World? We call some Countries 3rd World yet they regard smoking Hashish and/or even Opium as an exceptable past-time!
3rd World? Not on your Nelly, they are light years ahead of more "Civilized" Gov's that Condone Drinking and Smoking Tabacco yet Condemn other Substances that have been enjoyed for millenium. S-olm has a right to live and enjoy 'their" life as they see fit (provided they harm or injure Nothing and No-one), what right does the the DEA have to Gain-say this ?????
(I've been advised that should never speak in the first Person on this Site but isn't the Right to free Speech 1 of the Basic pillars of US Constitution???)
What I have just stated is the personal View of S-one like Me and should NOT be interpreted as the policy of this Site!!!!!!

[abraham]

310 suggestions for legalizing pot is weak. swim was hoping it would be more like 310,000 or alot more. Swim does'nt think 310 suggestions is going to go anywhere, unless swim is reading something wrong.

[EntheogenicTruth]

Originally Posted by Euthanatos93420

DONE! & DONE!

Don't forget to vote for END THE WAR ON DRUGS as Well!!!!!!!!

HA! i wouldnt want to end the war on drugs just yet. according to bill clinton (a while ago i think) the US gvt is "losing the war on drugs".

[wednesday]

Originally Posted by abraham

310 suggestions for legalizing pot is weak. swim was hoping it would be more like 310,000 or alot more. Swim does'nt think 310 suggestions is going to go anywhere, unless swim is reading something wrong.

"One of the Top 10 Ideas for Change in America!

This idea qualified for the 2nd round of voting and received 19,530 votes during that period."

the 389 suggestions for action is another round of votes i guess just compare it to the other issues though none of them even break 100

although im not sure marijuana is the most important thing on the docket at the same time with taxes and regulation a lot more money could be allocated towards the other projects

no end in sight

[nate81]

I'm a pessimist with this. Don't hold your breath, Obama's people already said he won't be doing anything about it. If the entire nation stood outside his front door and shouted legalise it, it still wouldn't happen.

LMAO, washington doesn't give a crap what the citizens think/want. Joe Voter doesn't put people in office, it's the people who fund their campaigns that they care about most.

Then again, I'd love to eat my words on this.

[Euthanatos93420]

Originally Posted by nate81

I'm a pessimist with this. Don't hold your breath, Obama's people already said he won't be doing anything about it. If the entire nation stood outside his front door and shouted legalise it, it still wouldn't happen.

LMAO, washington doesn't give a crap what the citizens think/want. Joe Voter doesn't put people in office, it's the people who fund their campaigns that they care about most.

Then again, I'd love to eat my words on this.

That's bullshit. The people must determine politics. The rich elite have a lot of sway but that's why they are trying to keep shit like this as hush as possible. The truth of marijuana is becoming widely known. Once a good voice of the people start speaking load enough and jack shit is done about it...then that will prove your statement and the people will revolt because that is synonymous with tyranny.

Their main argument is tha tFDA studies haven't been done on marijuana but the people have done their own colligiate and proffesional research. If the FDA ignores the findings of these studies much longer and refuses to investigate this then the whole drug schema (Illicit and pharmy) will fall apart because science is one thing and professionalism is another. These are unprofessional scientists being bought out to make subjective studies and bullshit interpretations. It's been done in the past and they are continuing to do it. It might stand a while longer but it can't stand forever.