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The Most Important Issue That Obama Will Face |
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What is the most important issue that President-elect Obama will face once he is inaugurated? The financial crisis? The auto bailout? Alternative energies? The looming Depression? Mounting violence in the Middle East?
According to the voters on Change.org, it’s none of these. Change.org is a website that encourages people to submit ideas to change America and the world. The 10 winning ideas will be presented to Obama on January 20. As of today, the proposal that is ahead with 4377 votes, and that has received nearly twice as many votes as the second place idea, is this:
Legalize The Medicinal and Recreational Use of Marijuana: Marijuana has been proven to relieve the suffering of the chronically ill, as well as disabled patients undergoing chemotherapy, and other forms of medical treatments, yet using it for medical purposes continues to be a crime in most of the country. We should make it legal not only in medical cases, but for recreational use as well.
I’m not trying to make a judgment about whether marijuana should be legal or not, and I’m not trying to belittle the benefit it could have for certain medical patients. But seriously, is this what Obama needs to have at the top of his agenda? Is this the most urgent type of change that America needs right now?
Damn right it is, just look at the prison statistics, too many people are incarcerated for small posession. It is a waste of police, court, prison resources and has many negative impacts on families. It is one of the most important issues of the times. The war on drugs has failed, like so many other wars going on.
Obama has already stated he is not for the legalization of it period.
Except that on the campaign train he DID say that he was for legalization. Infact I saw several videos on youtube in different venues where he stated that he was pro-legalization (at least for medicinal purposes).
What?! Politicians lie?!? Unpossible!
I have Gulf War Syndrome and marijuana helps relieve my depression better than anything the VA has provided me.
Legalizing Marijuana would be a good place to start for several reasons. Think of how much money it costs to enforce the law. Police busting people for possession instead of stopping murderers and thieves, public defenders, judges, clerks to give them a trial, prisons, guards, and the cost of feeding them every day while they sit in their cell completely unproductive. Nobody was harmed, so putting them away is not justice. Its just a burden on the taxpayer. I’m sure some website out there has the figures for how many inmates are there for Marijuana. I remember it being considerable.
Removing a pointless law from the books would also serve to demonstrate that Obama is really interested in changing things. Recognizing and protecting the people’s right to be free is the highest duty of government, and it would certainly be a step away from the iron-fist we’ve seen over the last twenty years.
Such a small thing would accomplish so much. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like Obama is as interested in change as he wants everyone to think.
So a war against its own citizenry, billions spent in failed interdiction, billions lost in tax revenue and new industry - those aren’t things we need?
Obama has said he will end the war, and intervene in the economy, not formally rescind the expanded executive power, and apparently give bailouts to worthless companies that have been mismanaged for years - so why shouldn’t this be an issue?
Why not?
Legalize it or decriminalize it, and get the nonviolent criminals out of our prisons.
It was just another venture by Legion. Remember Sarah Palin’s yahoo e-mail getting broken into? Same group of wonderful folks, and this Anonymous was there for both adventures!
In just a few hours it rose to #1 through a combination of upvoting repeatedly (you can vote an infinite amount of times) and downvoting everything else (check the website for the disproportionate amount of downvotes). Easy as rape.
Hi,
Legalizing and taxing Marijuana would certainly reduce prison costs and increase tax revenue. Therefore, helping with the financial crisis, and looming depression. The autoworkers could probably use a good joint as their business model is screwed. In addition, if everyone in the middle east smoked it up, there would be no violence.
Obama could save the world with one quick repeal of a law.
Regards,
Wyatt Lehmenkuler
Because it generates more money than our cotton and tabacco exports combined. Mixed with the money we would save by not pursuing and imprisoning non violent marijuana offenders, it becomes more than worthy of mention.
Other sources of revenue it might generate could come in the form of government taxation and the jobs that it would bring forth. What about this issue is not important?
Scoff if you want, public tendency to dismiss marijuana issues is being swayed by the fact that people in general are running out of reasons to ban the substance as old theories as to the damage it causes have been found to be completely unsubstantiated. Obama needs to face this issue squarely and decisively (and without bias) as it could very well be just what we need.
A bit of sanity on the War on Drugs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LayaGk0TMDc
Former police officers tell us why the war isn’t working.
Regardless of where it should rank in our national priorities, and completely ignoring whatever social or medical impact it might have, I would say legalization is a good idea, strictly from a financial viewpoint. The amount of tax revenue brought in by this newly legal crop/product and the amount saved in the law enforcement, judicial and prison industries should combine for a noticeable windfall in these shaky economic times.
Actually, yes.
The phony war on drugs has been going on alot longer then the phony war on terrorism. The cost over the years has been tremendous and it’s effects are visible here in the US with overcrowded prisons, it’s affect on those who have been imprisoned and are now in the general population unable to find gainful employment, and the costs to the system to maintain this worthless system.
It’s effects outside the US is staggering. Look at the long time corruption in Mexico and most of the countries in northern South America. Narco criminal organizations are literally fighting to control whole countries including Mexico right next door. Just this year literally thousands have died in Mexico alone in the drug war.
The war’s been going on since Nixon was president. Prohibition, which is what this is, hasn’t worked.
It’s long past time to look at the possibilities and probabilities with legalization.
Overnight, the drug business can become legit. The product can be taxed creating revenue streams for many different levels of government similar to gasoline and cigarrette taxes. The quality of the product can be standardized by law. Legitimate distribution systems similar to those that distribute alcohol products can be set up allowing existing businesses to also legally enhance their profits. Imagine how much money this would pump into the worlds economies or even just the American economy.
The size of prisons can be reduced tremendously creating huge tax savings. Sure some of the money saved would have to go to assist those who have drug addiction problems but I submit that the number of people afflicted would be insignificant compared to the benefits accrued by the general population. Law enforcement would become a much less dangerous profession although it will always be dangerous.
When the overall costs of the war on drugs is taken into consideration the savings to taxpayers everywhere would probably be in excess of a trillion dollars, the cost of the future Obama bailout, the cost of the Iraq War to date. The costs in lives lost would be immeasurable.
Is it that urgent a problem?
Not just yes but HELL yes.
Legalizing Marijuana would provide a huge and new method of tax revenue. Also state licensing income for shops looking to sell it. Basically, legalizing and monetizing any black market, especially a pervasive blackmarket like soft drugs, will be of benefit to everyone.
Anyone can get Marijuana that really wants it, from Maine to Florida, Virginia to California. Legalize it, control it, monetize it, do some public good with the income from it.
Not just marijuana, but ALL prohibition needs to end…it costs us billions, when we could have reasonable people, mostly old hippies, running pot grows for their local region, instead of violent gangs in other countries making millions off of us.
Yes. The great depression ended shortly after the end of prohibition, as the escalating alcohol industry pried jobs and money away from organized crime and put it back into the legitimate economy.
The economy is the big ticket item right now, and with a stroke of his pen he could create an entire industry and simultaneously stop the pointless prosecution of otherwise extremely law abiding people.
On a more personal note, I go out with my friends on the weekend. Some people drink, but I don’t like to drink. I’d rather use marijuana, because it doesn’t make me sick, stupid, or a danger behind the wheel. Yet this makes me a criminal? Idiocy. I want the law to be in line with reality.
I think it IS the type of change America needs. But not just legalization. Also a pardon for all currently incarcerated non-violent marijuana offenders. This would provide tax revenue to the government, would provide a significant boost to the economy, (Almost 50% of Americans smoke marijuana recreationally) would save money on prisoner expenses, (How many prisoners are there on minor charges that are costing the nation $1,000’s a day) and, if enacted right, would curve alcohol related driving, accidents, and arrests.
50%? I don’t think so. Please give a reference for that figure.
47% admit to having tried it: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5452
That I can believe. For example, I have smoked it in the (distant) past, but today I would not count myself among those who smoke it recreationally. It’s a matter of clarifying the tense, which is very important.
Yes, this is a huge issue. People get killed by drunk drivers, yet alcohol is still legal. People do very bad things while drinking, yet it is still legal? People die from smoking cigarrets, yet its still legal. Why? Because the goverment would lose too much income from taxation of tabacco and alcohol. If alcohol and tobacco is going to be legal, make marijuana legal also and tax it. The government could use the income from taxes to fund programs or cut the deficit.
Beyond the implications of legalization, like overnight prison depopulation, state wealth through taxation, and the treatment of addiction for truly addictive drugs (unlike pot), the greatest impact that decriminalization will have is on the ‘deep state’ that has fought not to stop drugs but to cause enough of an impediment to become a lucrative toll booth through which all must travel. Among the so-called narco-terrorists are those in our own government, intelligence community, and armed forces who fight the drug war in Mexico, Columbia, etc. and who take their cut. We supply the trade routes: aviary, highway, and shipping lanes. And thanks to the militarization of those routes we also supply the means to insure arrival or arrest. Pay to play. Only those who take a cut in the business are working tirelessly through the funding of certain pressure groups to stop the legalization of marijuana.
Moving from a prohibition model to a regulation model would have the following effects:
1. Decreased violent crime in cities. Competition from legitimate businesses would put violent drug gangs out of business.
2. Decreased spending on prisons and police. A majority of our law enforcement money is spent on drugs.
3. Increased revenue. Marijuana is our #1 cash crop. Marijuana is our #1 cash crop. Let me repeat that one more time for everyone: MARIJUANA is the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA’S #1 cash crop. The moment it becomes a regulated, legal substance there are BILLIONS of dollars in tax revenue to be collected simply based on CURRENT demand at CURRENT prices.
4. Decreased access by minors. A recent report shows that teens have an easier time getting marijuana than alcohol or tobacco. If marijuana were sold behind the counter of legitimate businesses, where customers were age-verified and resellers could face penalties for selling to the under-aged, kids would have a much harder time getting it.
5. Reduce terrorism. The opium harvest in Afghanistan went down this year, with an equal rise in the production of marijuana. Terrorists use drug profits to finance terror. A white market destroys a black market. Black market is very profitable BECAUSE the products are illegal and carry great risks to possess and sell. If there is no great risk, the costs will go down and the black market will evaporate.
I am reminded of a phrase: If you make gun ownership a crime, only criminals will own guns.
If you make drug distribution a crime, only criminals will distribute drugs.
legalization is important for more then meets the eye. like transformers.
legalization was orignally put in place because minorities smoked, it was a way to keep them down, it is still used that way today.
families are ruined from putting non violent offenders in prison, this sends a ripple effect of distress.
1. and you can and will debate this. the mind state that marijuana brings is one of, independent thinking, non consumerism and compassion. condone that mind state and allow major changes to happen.
Yes, this is by far the most important change that America needs. Literally millions of people in our prisons. We have the highest incarceration rate in the world.
Correct, good thing we elected a president that has a track record of changing his position when presented with new evidence! So lets do our job and keep pumping it out.
This is not an issue of medical use, it is a matter of the quality of justice in America.
The police-corrections industry thrives on the enforcement of these economically and racially discriminatory laws, consuming tens of billions of dollars of public funds annually which could be more profitably used otherwise. American’s civil liberties are constantly eroded as police and courts seek enforcement of laws which create criminal liability for private consensual commercial transactions, recreation, and self-medication, further empowering what many perceive as a growing police state.
What should be a public health issue and dealt with through public health policies and programs has instead become a grotesque morality play wherein billions of taxpayers dollars are wasted and millions of lives are tainted or destroyed by their contact with our hideously punitive ‘justice’ system. Is it any wonder, therefore, that many average Americans would feel that pulling this monstrous system out by the roots is a very top public priority? The average person is directly impacted by the War on Drugs, not the War on Terror or Wall Street bailouts.
Off the top of my head:
- The United States has the highest number of prisoners of any nation in the world, both in absolute numbers and per capita (e.g., we have more people in prison than China). Drug offenders make up more than half of the federal prison population (I don’t know about state and local levels).
- Drug enforcement is wildly disproportionately leveled against poor and minority groups, contributing to continued criminalization of those groups.
- The black market in illicit drugs is almost exclusively what funds street gangs.
- Billions of dollars are spent every year on the “War On Drugs”, which despite its inception as such under Nixon has yet to have any substantial effect on the availability of recreational drugs.
- The punishments meted out for drug law infractions are wildly disproportionate to any possible harm a user could be creating. E.g., a high school student caught in possession of a small amount of marijuana may lose his ability to get student aid to go to college. (Unless, of course, mommy and daddy can pay his way anyway, in which case, the punishment is only effective against poor and middle-class people.)
Unlike the putative “looming Depression”, Middle East crises, and uncertainty about energy costs, this is a massive problem that is causing grave harm here and now that we can do something about. Why /shouldn’t/ it be number one on Obama’s priority list?
Exactly! You couldn’t have nailed it any better Tim!
Absolutely. Many issues you mentioned - The financial crisis, auto bailout, alternative energies, looming Depression - are all affected by the War on Drugs negatively.
Alternative energy research has been stymied in many areas due to hemp plants being banned from production and possession - how are we supposed to test which strains of hemp are best for producing oil and ethanol if we can’t even grow it? Before you dismiss this notion out of hand, recall history: the first cars rolling off of Fords assembly lines were not only made from hemp-based plastics, they were fueled by hemp and corn oils. Which leads us to the auto bailout, financial crisis, and looming Depression. New companies need credit, and whom better to loan to then businesses with many established markets? Whether the various hemp companies would specialize in using the fibers for clothing, paper, recreational, medical, energy, plastics, etc. does not matter - the markets for such products are already there. We are at a point where we have to look for new sources for all of the above, and evaluate them against the current leaders - and there is no way to do this without an open and thriving marketplace. New companies need workers, and such an industry would be able to employ everybody - from the greatest scientists and botanists, to industrial engineers, to technicians, to pickers and cutters. It would also represent less waste by the government - instead of spending billions upon billions each year trying to *prevent* these advances, the money could go towards investigating real crimes. In short the War on Drugs not only represents a fundamental waste of money, it has also led to far greater opportunity costs in preventing, as well as solving, some of the greatest issues facing this country.
I think you’re misinterpreting what Change.gov’s Open for Questions represents. The question that rises to the top isn’t necessarily the most important change for the country in the minds of the peopled who voted it up. It is the question that is not being aired in other fora, that those on Change.gov want to see addressed and not avoided. The economy is endlessly discussed all over. Likewise many other important topics. But legalizing marijuana is not, although it should be. It is a question that immediately shows whether the answerer is a captive of the failed status quo and the years of lying propaganda, or whether he sees reality for what it is.
yes. it is. cultivating hemp, both personal and industrial could really change the mess we are in around. it can provide food, clothes, fuel, amusement -pretty much anything we might need. Amazingly, it will even grow on the planet we have pretty much trashed. It will be our saving grace when this house of cards collapses and we have nothing left. If obama is wise he will change current policies immediately. He should probably roast a spliff right after that. He looks tense.
This is the most urgent type of change needed that the mainstream media doesn’t report on.
Incarcerating people for marijuana turns a peaceful stoner quickly into a shrewd criminal. Remember, once in prison your forced to conform, if not, your going to have a even worse stay there. Legalize!
While legalizing marijuana might not be the most important issue facing this nation, it is certainly close to the top of the list for all of the reason already mentioned. What makes it such a vital issue is the twofold. One, it is one of the single most egregious violations of basics rights currently employed by our nation. Two, it is one of the easiest possible fixes. If you follow the money and look at who is spending the most money to keep marijuana illegal, you’ll find it is those entities who would have the most to lose. The prison industrial complex makes billions and billions keeping people incarcerated who have harmed nobody. The alcohol industry stands to see their profits slashed in the even of marijuana legalization. The bottom line is that prohibition doesn’t work, particularly when it’s common knowledge that the item being prohibited, while not completely harmless, causes less damage to lives than aspirin. It’s time to admit that our culture has made a huge mistake, and work to rectify the situation. Now.
This is just a question to think about. Do you really think the big pharma lobby would ever let the legalization of marijuana occur? Why take Zanax(sp?) when you can just smoke a doobie. I’m all for making it legal and agree with the good things many of you have mentioned, but there’s too much money in other areas being made right now.
How can taxing the largest cash crop in the US not help our financial situation?
Forget about Mary Jane. It’s a pale crutch next to going with in and learning to leave the body. Talk about a high. It’s incredible and the true goal of all of us. Mary Jane is a crutch
Legalizing marijuana is nowhere near as important as alternative energy, the economy, the war, etc. But it is the issue where the solution is the most obvious and easy to implement.
This is not the case. Yes, people would be chilled out, but also an epidemic of severe deppression and laziness would break out in the world… have we not enough??
Btw, why can’t we grow marijuana when the government is allowed to produce massive amounts of heroine in afghanistan for economical gain??
This is ridiculous, since when are issues of personal freedom and privacy so important????:)
I’m not sure I’d call this my top concern, however I look at it from a different perspective than you do.
I don’t believe the legalization of marijuana is about the people who can benefit by its legalization as much as it is about harm reduction. The money and resources used in the criminalization of the drug could go to so many better purposes. The criminalization of a generally non-violent group, the creation or expansion on an illicit industry, the segmentation of society are the things I would primarily be interested in changing. I’m all for people getting a better way to handle their cancer, however I believe the primary beneficiaries would be those needing community resources that are strained by the current load on the justice system with this kind of criminal.
It is literaly the largest cash crop in the US. Enormous amounts of our tax dollars are being spent to try to hinder a massive thriving domestic industry. It’s hard to imagine something more idiotic than that. At least the money spent on the bailout is being merely wasted and not being used actively hurt our economy.
This really isn’t an important issue at all. It’s driven by a very small (but vocal) set of liberals who post on sites like reddit.com, digg.com and other social media sites. They posted a link to the voting process and swarmed the poll with votes to drive it up to the top. Most people in America are concerned about the economy, their retirement, savings, the war in Iraq, the housing market, and other important issues like health care. Don’t ever put your trust in online polls. Most of them are rigged by people who are online 24/7. In this case they also happen to be a bunch of stoners.
So you are telling me we do not need to get those out of the penal system who are in there for merely possession of marijuana? We do not need to stop imprisoning innocent people who have not harmed anyone (some who have a clean record prior to their arrest). It also allows the penal system to become something that it is not and should never have become: a cash cow.
I guarantee you that if you stick a innocent person into a hostile environment, they WILL change into something they are not in order to survive.
I’m so tired of people asking that stupid, stupid question, as if you shouldn’t be able to chew gum and walk at the same time. There’s plenty of time to do all the other stuff Obama needs to do, in addition to advocating for legal cannabis. Of course he can’t do anything by himself anyway, it’s the legislators that have to do the real work.
Genuinely, I have yet to find anything else that can as efficiently treat the rather debilitating migraines I get. So genuinely, yes, I’m big on Mr. Obama legalizing it so I can figure out where the hell to get more after I run out, my previous supplier having been arrested for possession of a single gosh-darned joint.
arguably, yes
there are so many laws out there making victimless crimes and criminals a strain on the legal system.
jim, do you really have any clue or are you just saying this to make it clear you don’t care about people who are victims of injustice? i’m guessing you are, but this is no small matter.
besides, does the government really have the resources to make these relatively harmless crimes illegal? should the government really be doing something that could cut down on a huge waste of law enforcement, or are you in favor of higher taxes? jim, i think you’re a hypocrite…
well jim…
this could eliminate government inefficiency and reduce taxes and government work. i think you’re a hypocrite for failing to realize this obvious fact
And the #1 reason?? I’m sick and tired of being labeled a criminal because I smoke a plant!
You want your alternative energy?? HEMP…..see,I guess legalization is important.
Absolutely, the marijuana industry could potentially solve a large percentage of our budget crises. California alone would be out of its budget hole in a year and come out with a surplus if Marijuana is legalized; the state projects annual income at around 20-28 billion a year seeing as on average 1/3 Californians have smoke or currently toke marijuana.
Some of the most driven and focused people i’ve ever met or heard of use or have used marijuana. also don’t forget the vast uses of Hemp. it can be used to make bullet proof vest, incredibly strong rope, fuel for cars, and even bread just to name a few. so there you go, you can feed, move, and cloth people with it. and it can grow nearly anywhere with ease. making it one of the most useful and versatile plants of all time. don’t forget our country will subscribe anti- depressants to anyone who walks into a doctors office when hundreds of thousands die from direct or indirect causes of these legal drugs. we got to start looking beyond the immediate use of this plant. it could really change our day to day lives for the better.
I was just there (change.org), and many of the marijuana posts were redundant, they were also grouped under “other” so that if someone was pro marijuana, they could “vote” for the same thing 100 times. It’s not a realistic appraisal to count public interest by votes in this case. that said, I’m in favor of decriminalization.
Supporting this would be lethal for legislators from all but the most liberal of districts.
If it’s framed as an issue of economic populism, maybe not. We re-legalized alcohol during the depression..after a strong prohibition movement thought they had won a final victory.
Had marijuana been legal until the early 90’s and then been outlawed, I think we could use the prohibition of alcohol as a good comparison. But instead, we’re dealing with two very different situations. It’ll take a whole lot of education work as well as the passing of everyone who grew up before the sixties before the majority of Americans will be in favor of legalization.
I agree, it’s a long game. It’s unlikely to pass right now, simply because the constituency is unorganized and it’s still something of a toxic issue at the federal level. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth pushing for. As folks on this thread have pointed out, it’s a huge issue that morally, we should do something about. And, there is momentum. In fact, most of the states with decriminalization ballot measures passed them in this election: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=ballot-initiatives-states-decrimin alize-pot-nix-abortion-limits
That’s where the play is for now, at the state level, but it won’t always be that way.
I strongly agree that marijuana has great medicinal purposes. It also acts as a good release as far as public use goes. I do not think that this should be of upmost importance to the president elect. Maybe a year down the road if they’re aren’t any bigger issues to attend to, he ought to look into this matter. As of right now I think we face bigger issues.
100% Agreed
Despite what some believe, the movement towards Marijuana Law Reform is not made up of just a small but vocal group of liberals. This has been true in the past, but just as we saw in the Great Depression, when presented with the fact that the ending of prohibition could stimulate the economy in numorous, powerful ways a majority of Americans can see the benefit. The era of skewed “studies” on THC to match a perceived result rather than find a real one is over. Just in the last two years there have been very thorough studies that have shown that marijuana actually stimulates brain cell GROWTH, has cancer fighting properties, and can fight the onset of Parkinson’s Disease. How can we possibly ban a substance with so much helpful potential based on antiquated stereotypes and racial bigotry?
For those interested, here is possibly the most comprehensive documentary on marijuana I’ve ever seen (produced by the BBC): http://blip.tv/file/1356143/
Just to be clear. This is not about the public (or some of the public, you seem to think it’s a minority of the public) caring about something it shouldn’t. It’s about government officials caring about something they shouldn’t. By implying this is more of an issue of people caring about some small issue and making it out to be more important than it is, instead of the actual fact that it is the government making an issue out of it, you are being a hypocrite. I don’t think you got this point, so this is just making it absolutely clear. It’s not an issue of caring by the people about something that is irrelevant, it is a case of the government caring about something that they shouldn’t care about. As marijuana is one of the less harmful drugs (much less than legal nicotine and alcohol), the government’s arguments against it go down the drain. This is simply a case of hypocrisy on the government’s part. You seem to say this so you can be a good conservative, or perceived as one. However, being a good conservative and supporting everything the government says involves being a hypocrite. Therefore, you should think about why you support the issues you do.
CNBC will be premiering Marijuana Inc. Inside America%u2019s Pot Industry on Thursday, January 22nd at 9p ET / 10p PT. The marijuana trade has long been one of the country%u2019s leading black market industries. What factors continue to help this taboo business thrive and how is the government profiting as a result? Join Trish Regan as she explores this growing industry and how it has expanded into a major business with its own sophisticated network of growers, workers, and quasi-legal retail outlets, in the form of medical marijuana dispensaries.
Web extras are coming soon to http://originals.cnbc.com.
Sneak preview on Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/watch/51204/cnbc-originals-marijuana-inc-inside-am ericas-pot-industry#s-p1-so-i1
Thanks
There are lies, damn lies, and then there are statistics. Thats all you need to know. Obviously a crappy survey that only speaks one side. Just because this site says that thats the hot issue, its only one site that the majority of Americans never heard of.