Pot laws - Obama declares war on Colorado and Wash State

Remember - the states came first. They were and still are independent countries and they created the federal govt to merely act as their agent in certain select areas. Our present system in which the feds sit above the states is a perversion of the constitution - esp the tenth amendment.

 

Obama is a big government authoritarian (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*).

 

Your link doesn't back up this claim at all...

 

So he's a Republican?

 

Democrat=Republican. No difference between the two.

So yah.

 

Can't argue with that.

 

While Obama has already made moves consistent with the accusations, we'll see if he continues down this path.

 

So wait are people mad because it's a flawed system and law by the federal government or the fact that the Obama administration is following the law since it is one because there is a big distinction.

 

I am not "mad" per se, but the answer is "both". And keep in mind the Feds, as a matter of course, do not hassle pot smokers. That has always been a state issue. The feds go after the sellers (you know, the whole interestate commerce thing). I don't think there is a single person in Federal prison for simple possession. But the pot stores Washington will have could be trouble.

 

I think Obama has a crucial opportunity to make drug policy a state issue rather than a federal one.

By doing so, he would make the left happy by lessening the War on Drugs, and he would make the right happy by forwarding states' rights.

If he decides to intervene, he'll anger both sides without much gain for anyone other than prison contractors and drug cartels.

 

It's a complicated issue because the federal government does have a lot of authority but it's usually left up to the states to prosecute and deal with it unless it's a big deal. So the problem is when a state decides not to do it, it can go into the powers of the federal government and by law they are obliged to do so. The law sucks but that's why we need to change it.

Actually here's an interesting article on it

http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/federal-marijuana-laws.html

 

It would be good yes but the president only has so much power when dealing with federal laws his main concern is about following them which he is doing and actually sort of has to. Sure it would be good if he put forward a plan for it but we will need to see more government support first and to do that requires people to keep doing what they are doing this now and keep getting laws changed and see if we can get rid of this stupid ineffective drug war.

 

The people charged wth enforcing the laws have wide discretion in deciding what to prosecute. Given that the people voted to allow pot smoking in their state the Feds would be far better off letting it be. Of course, they need to make possession legal at the Federal level, but with a GOP House it will never happen.

 

I understand where you're coming from, but every president is selective in enforcing federal law. For example, neither party has been very consistent on enforcing immigration laws.

Both parties turn mostly a blind eye to illegal immigration, so I figure doing the same with regard to drug policy in Washington and Colorado can't be too much to ask for.

 

Yep completely agree we need to change the laws and hopefully end the war on drugs. From how things are going I think that it will happen within our lifetime people just need to keep active within politics to get these laws changed.

It's very difficult to do when you have pressure off people telling you to enforce these laws and since they are laws that must be followed just like any other and people want them there for many corrupt reasons it's going to suck for a lot of people since it will take time to change.

Even reading through the white house's statement was infuriating but sadly it's the law we live in and it needs to change.

By the way here's the white house's position on it.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/federal-laws-pertaining-to-marijuana

 

It's not difficult to believe. Obama has ratcheted up drug raids and asset forfeitures to the point where his 1st term has already outpaced 8 years of Bush:



Because of federal civil asset forfeiture laws, drug raids are very lucrative. I've warned the Pothead Left about this time and time again, but the warning falls on deaf ears. Obama and the federal government have no compelling interest in backing down on these raids.

 

This may be pot's golden moment.

Legalization, both medicinal and recreational, is being discussed at the state level. Some of the least likely seeming states are talking about it. Details, details.

What does Hussein Obama do if he comes back from one of his vacations and finds himself facing maybe thirty states that have legalized pot?

He could back off and make it a state issue. But there is another factor: Precedent.

If he ignores what amounts to multi-state nullification on pot, where does that leave him if faced with a multi-state nullification of something else, like guns or abortion or political correctness? Does he cede federal primacy? Does he dare? Precedent matters big-time in case law.

 

You have a point.

The DEA's budget in 2010 was 2.415 billion dollars. According to your numbers the seizures were 1.79.

Asset Seizure laws are great for law enforcement- they get an inflow of cash. Bad for tax payers though- since the cost of ineffective law enforcement against a drug that doesn't harm people excedes the amount seized.

 

You would think not. The Feds could still go after illegal pot dealers (we will see how many there are) and they have never gone after users, so it's really just a matter of leaving the legal pot retailers alone.

 

Like the "we know whats best for everyone" health-wise Democrats would vote for it?

That's laughable.

 

One of my disappointements with Obama has been his approach to marijuana enforcement.

This reflects the generaly irrational hysteria towards marijuana in the country- politicians know it is an irrational policy but fear voter backlash if they are seen as 'weak' on drugs- regardless of the fact that the Drug War is an abject failure in preventing drug abuse and is a tremendous waste of tax payer dollars.

The more states that legalize marijuana, the more pressure this will put on Congress to change the law, and on the Administration to change enforcement.

 

The seizure laws are also fascist. Although I am against the drug war I can see the logic of taking the cash found along with the drugs. But they can seize your cash if they merely suspect it was ill gotten. That is wrong on every level.

 

The two states where it's legal are blue. I guarantee you the number of blue states where it's legal will always exceed the number of red states where it's legal. Don't kid yourself, the right loves to tell you what to do every bit as much as the left. And the right has a burr in its collective saddle about drugs.

 

Except that the seizures are tied up in court for years, are disputable, and are not that lucrative.

 

obama has declared war on the entire country, not just the pot states. He is determined to become a dictator so he does not have to deal with mundane things like getting congressional approval before doing something.

Worst president ever--------BHO