Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–February 1, 2010. President Obama’s CitizenTube forum concluded today with questions about ending marijuana prohibition receiving the most votes, by far. Yet, an answer to the most popular question was absent from the president’s address, which took place on YouTube this afternoon.
Last year, when marijuana reform questions topped the president’s “Open For Questions” forum, the president at least answered — albeit without serious consideration to the issue.
You are never going to hear Barack Obama seriously address the issue of legalization of marijuana until it is more politically expedient for him to do so.
Look at health care “reform”. Candidate Obama promised all sorts of tough talk against the combined interests of Big Pharma and Health Insurance. When push came to shove, the healthcare titans got pretty much everything they wanted in the debate.
So, with public option health care a landslide issue supported by super-majorities of the American people, with health care a vital issue that directly affects nearly every American, with 47 million Americans going without health care insurance altogether, Barack Obama found the words of the health care lobbyists better than he heard the shouts of the majority of the American people.
Do you think he’s then going to react favorably to the cyber-screaming of 14.5 million American cannabis consumers demanding the same rights as beer drinkers, especially when the issue hasn’t even yet achieved full majority support in America? Most especially when those same health care lobbyists who killed bulk drug negotiations by Medicare and cheap drug importation from Canada don’t want to see people growing their own pot plants and cutting their demand for opioids, NSAIDs, and benzodiazapenes. And considering that health care lobby is joined by chorus of law enforcement lobbies protecting their jobs and Pentagon lobbies protecting their off-the-books cash cow.
So, no, do not look to Washington for any serious discussion on marijuana law reform. Barack Obama does not want to be “the Pot-Legalizing President”.
However, come November when Californians are voting to re-legalize marijuana and Democrats are suffering mid-term defeats, if following re-legalization California realizes an economic revival in cannabis while the rest of the nation struggles, and if Republicans do the smart thing and latch on to a naturally conservative issue of ending adult marijuana prohibition and start winning some seats, we could have a whole new discussion in Washington.