WhiteHouse.gov is once again asking the public to pose questions directly to President Obama via its ‘Open For Questions‘ service. The topic of this week’s forum is the national economy, and not surprisingly, many of you have already put forward questions to the President regarding the taxation and regulation of cannabis.
For example, the most popular question in the category “Budget” is: “With over 1 out of 30 Americans controlled by the penal system, why not legalize, control, and tax marijuana to change the failed war on drugs into a money making, money saving boost to the economy?”
Similarly, under the topic “Financial Stability,” most asked question is: “Would you support the bill currently going through the California legislature to legalize and tax marijuana, boosting the economy and reducing drug cartel related violence?”
Marijuana-related questions also top the “Green Jobs and Energy” category, and are among the top vote-getters on the site overall.
According to website, President Obama will “answer some of the most popular submissions live at WhiteHouse.gov” on Thursday morning. That means that we only have a few more hours left to contact the White House.
Please take a moment right now to log on the WhiteHouse.gov/OpenForQuestions and vote for the questions above, as well as others pertaining to the need to regulate cannabis. Let the President know that millions of American voters believe that the time has come to tax and regulate marijuana. Help us send The White House a message our elected leaders can’t ignore.
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Here’s mine, too:
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I must express my outrage as a voter. The President has repeatedly asked the American public for input, and has repeatedly ignored, belittled, and mocked one of the highest ranking concerns that Americans have voiced: the need for rational discussion of our country’s current laws regarding cannabis. Why can we not even discuss the issue without snarky giggling and disrespect?
Why not respond with something like: “this is an important issue that affects many Americans. Because of its complexity, I am appointing a commission to study the problem, and we will call it the ‘National Commission on Marihuana’ or the ‘Shafer Commission.’ ”
Oh, no, wait, that has already been done. Thirty-seven YEARS ago. Maybe we should save time and money and just ask someone to read it and take action on its recommendations.
And by the way, the “online community” is largely responsible for the President’s success in the election and I feel he owes us an apology.
Thanks,
Dear Mr. President,
As I watched the Online Town Hall today I wasn’t expecting you to really address what has been the top ranking subject on every open question forum you have put up during your campaign and now in your administration. I completely understand the subject is a political third rail, and that there are many who have strong interests in keeping the subject as a fringe issue. And yet, I wholly expected that if and when you addressed the issue you would do so in a mature and intelligent matter. I am disappointed.
I have looked at the evidence and the history. It is blatantly evident that the continued prohibition of hemp (or cannabis or marijuana, or whatever one wishes to call it) is not based on science or reason, but on fear and ideology. The drain it puts on America’s resources is immense. The continued growth of incarceration of our citizenry is unconscionable, and that it is disproportionally racially biased should be disconcerting. And the most deeply disturbing idea, that which baffles any reasonable and educated mind, is the prohibition of industrial hemp. That the industrial variety is both visually and chemically different from the medicinal/recreational variety, and that they cannot be grown anywhere near each other without ruining both crops, completely boggles the mind as to why there is any resistance to allowing such an amazingly useful resource to be allowed. The uses for industrial hemp are astounding and completely in line with the goals of the administration in regards to clean energy, renewable resources for many products, and the growth of new industries that can bolster a growing American economy.
Be that as it may, the real reason for this letter is how insulted and embarrassed I was to hear your flippant and belittling response to the growing support for at least opening up the debate on hemp prohibition. I can understand why you would not want to address the specific issues of the debate (the growing evidence of its medicinal efficacy, its safety opposed to alcohol and tobacco, that prohibition is the greater danger than the drug, that there are strong lobbies that want to prevent its legalization for many self-serving reasons, etc.) because there are no rational arguments to defend prohibition any more. But to make a joke of the subject and the millions who are interested in it should be beneath someone of your education and status. Your response essentially was like a parent saying, “No, because I said so.” That’s quite a change from “Yes we can.”
Sincerely,
DJ Cooper
Citizen
He made fun of the question, laughed, insinuated the internet crowd is a bunch of stoners, and firmly reiterated that marijuana would NOT be a boon for the economy. Gave no reasons, no facts, not even any real opinion on the matter.
The thing that gets me is all the “in the know” chuckling.
Marijuana is NOT A JOKE!!!! It is a SERIOUS ISSUE! Obama this will NOT GO AWAY!!!!
Yep, he just said it again (NO) without any thought, consideration, or feelings for the millions of lives ruined due to MJ arrests and prosecutions.
Can we all say together now… CHICKEN!
“President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.”
was the answer given after the change.org and change.gov questions.