Zogby Poll: 72% of Voters Want Obama to End DEA Medical Marijuana Raids
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 at 5:10 pm | By: Radical Russ
While the DEA continues to stage medical marijuana raids in California, nearly three-quarters of voters think President Obama should honor his campaign pledge to end the raids, according to a poll of 1,053 likely voters by Zogby International.
In a question sponsored by NORML, voters were asked:
During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama said he would stop federal raids against medical marijuana providers in the 13 states where medical marijuana has become legal. Should President Obama keep his word to end such raids?
Response: Yes – 72% No – 21% Not sure – 7%.
Yes votes outnumbered No by over 2 to 1 in all geographic, political, and demographic groups. The poll, conducted Jan 29-31, had a margin error of +/-3.1%.
In view of Obama’s pledge to end federal medical marijuana raids, advocates have been disappointed by the fact that they have continued since Jan. 20th. Yesterday, the DEA raided four LA-area medical marijuana dispensaries: Venice Alternative Healing, Marina Caregivers, Alternative Caregivers Discount Dispensary, and the Beach Center Collective (contrary to initial reports, a fifth dispensary wasn’t raided). The raids were all “smash and grab” operations, in which agents took medicine and cash, destroyed surveillance cameras, and grabbed computers, but did not arrest anyone.
California NORML coordinator Dale Gieringer denounced the DEA for “unprofessional and piratical conduct” and is calling on supporters to urge President Obama to end the raids. A rally to protest the DEA raids will be held on Thursday, Feb 5th at noon at the LA federal building, 255 E. Temple St.
Topics: Barack Obama, California, Collective, Dale Gieringer, DEA Raids, dispensaries, Dispensary, Venice Alternative Healing
when you give your word to those,whom you have given it .STAND by your word is all anyone has to offer.. money doesnt count if your “word” isn”t good
This country founding fathers were among the largest producers of hemp. Long before this country became so dependant on foriegn products hemp was Americas most valued cash crop. It’s uses are far greater than “smoking a hooter” for relaxation. Food ,clothing,biofuel, paper products,plastics, and not to metion the medical uses are just a short list. All of this can be done without all the chemical waiste that is pumped into the enviroment by producing these items for other resources. But since our systems priorities are based off of GREED and as long as the elected official are allowed to take campaign $$ from the big companies that produce these products NOTHING WILL CHANGE. I hear the Governmental leaders say “We need to find alterative resourses to protect our enviroment, fuel our cars,lower personal taxation, and provide cost effective healthcare.”Well my fellow American we have got it in palm of our hands”.But due to false propaganda and outdated laws we can’t use it. This could be an industry that could make us less dependable on foriegn product as we once were before it became illegal. Corporate greed runs this country and public opinion no longer plays any part in the decision making process. That same greed has destroyed this country far more then any individual or groups that has or continues to use Marijuana. It is unbelievable that I can be given a prescription for marinol(synthetic THC)that cost $835 but I’m unable to buy the natural product that cost much less and works much better. I could grow it myself but I run the risk of cops kicking my door down and taking my child because THEY say I’m an drug dealer/user. But it’s totally acceptable to take pills, some call it a double standard ,I call it hypocracy. I owed a night club for 15yrs all the while watching people destroy or lose theres and others around thems lives with alcohol & tobacco abuse that is perfectly legal according to the law. So understand this , GREED runs this country and as long as it does YOUR OR MY OPINION DOES NOT MEAN DIDDLY-SQAT and when you or your parents would like to retire and rest after working and saving most of their live it will not be possible,because your 401k’s and stock purchases you made to insure your finacial future is ALL gone to pay for lobbiest,jets,parties, and bonuses to company executives. The war on drug is a joke and you the American public is at the butt of the joke. If there truly was a war on drugs then the U.S. Army would be burning the poppy fields in the middle east and the cocca plantations in SA, but instead we build their roads and ports so they can transport it faster to the U.S. instead of holding the goverment of those DRUG producing countries accountable for their lack of control. The money would better be spent right here in the U.S.A. on the social inadequacies that have plagued this country for generations and to educate poeple on the vast amounts of resources we already have that go unused because of these outdated laws.
AMEN Brother…not that I’m religious or anything. LOL
I remember seeing something about this dude in SF who started a church where the mighty herb is the religious sacrament so he may have figured out a way to defeat the system through freedom of religion. It still surprises me that Rastafari are denied their sacrament since it blatantly violates their constitutional right to freedom of religion, much like the Native Americans who won the right to use peyote in their religious ceremonies. I guess us “potheads” are just too lazy (or paranoid) to fight back…LMAO!
If Obama wanted to end the raids he could with a stoke of a pin.
He does not have to wait to fill the DEA’s head honchos position.
I think everyone knows this but just stick there head in the sand and act like something will change…
Don’t blame me I voted for Ron Paul.
[...] that allow for the use and distribution of medical marijuana by authorized patients, according to a national poll of 1,053 likely voters by Zogby International and commissioned by the NORML [...]
[...] Zogby poll says 72 percent of Americans want Obama to end the medical marijuana raids. Even before the poll, I didn’t buy the idea that this would be a politically risky move. It would be denounced by people who didn’t and would never vote for Obama, anyway. [...]