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Barney Frank Criticizes Administration On MMJ Raid
Posted by CN Staff on April 30, 2012 at 10:47:37 PT
By Luke Johnson
Source: Huffington Post 
Washington, D.C. -- Retiring Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) sharply criticized the Obama administration's recent raids of medical marijuana dispensaries in states where its use is legal."I think it's bad politics and bad policy," he told The Hill in an interview Friday. "I'm very disappointed. I think it's a grave mistake." He added that he had brought the criticism to the president.
Frank has introduced the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, which would prohibit federal actions in state medical marijuana programs. He also doesn't smoke marijuana, once telling an interviewer, "Do you think I’ve ever had an abortion? I don’t play poker on the Internet, either."The administration's crackdown on marijuana dispensaries has drawn criticism from other lawmakers. Nine House members -- eight Democrats and one Republican -- signed a letter in October calling on the Justice Department to end its targeting of cannabis dispensaries. Comedians have taken notice too. Jimmy Kimmel, speaking at the White House Correspondent's Dinner Saturday, quipped, "What is with the marijuana crackdown? Seriously, what is the concern? We will deplete the nation's Funyun supply?" He continued, "Pot smokers vote too. Sometimes a week after the election, but they vote." The Justice Department has conducted over 170 SWAT-style raids in 9 medical marijuana states, according to Americans For Safe Access, a pro-medical marijuana group.DEA and IRS agents raided Oaksterdam University, an Oakland, Calif.-based trade school known as the 'Princeton of Pot,' earlier in April. Oaksterdam's founder, Richard Lee, decried the crackdown in an interview with HuffPost. "This is one battle of a big war," he said, "and here's thousands of battles going on all over."During the 2008 presidential campaign, then-candidate Barack Obama was asked about medical marijuana by a Southern Oregon newspaper. "I'm not going to be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on this issue," he said.Obama was asked about his stance on medical marijuana recently by Rolling Stone, and he clarified that during the campaign he had said that he would not prioritize prosecuting people using medical marijuana. "I never made a commitment that somehow we were going to give carte blanche to large-scale producers and operators of marijuana -- and the reason is, because it's against federal law," he said. Source: Huffington Post (NY)Author: Luke JohnsonPublished: April 30, 2012Copyright: 2012 HuffingtonPost.com, LLC Contact: scoop huffingtonpost.comWebsite: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/dTpSYrRUCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #9 posted by Hope on May 03, 2012 at 09:47:56 PT
I'm so sick of so many people's attitudes.
Including Obama's. They have "more important" things to think about than changing the current cannabis prohibition?That's so wrong. It's so important? What is it... 800, 000 people arrested in this country every year? That's IMPORTANT!!!! Extraordinarily important? People's lives ruined? Careers ruined? Property seized? Sometimes death by police or of police? It's so important and I have greatly diminished respect for the sense of the people who don't have enough sense to see it. It's so important... and to brush it aside as unimportant is the cop out of this day and age.Do something, people! It's important! Extremely important and only someone of seriously diminished mental capacity and conscience would not realize it.It's time to fix it! Now!
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Comment #8 posted by afterburner on May 02, 2012 at 12:30:03 PT
Winds of Change
Driving While Stoned? Marijuana DUI Bill Gets Closer To Approval In Colorado.
Posted: 05/ 2/2012 10:53 am Updated: 05/ 2/2012 11:15 am.
Follow: Denver News, Medical Marijuana, Video, Marijuana, Driving While Stoned, Marijuana DUI, Colorado, Denver Colorado, Legalize Pot, Marijuana, Marijuana, Marijuana Rights, Pot Rights, Stoned Driving, Denver News
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/02/driving-while-stoned-mari_n_1470641.html
excerpt: { The Associated Press reports that a single vote change from Sen. Nancy Spence (R-Centennial), who voted in favor of the bill, gave SB 12-117 the support it needed to pass.Spence had voted with opponents of the bill in 2011, but said that she is convinced that a standard for legal impairment is needed in Colorado. "I'm just sick of the abuse that the state of Colorado has taken from the medical marijuana industry," Spence said. }"Abuse ... from the medical marijuana industry"? Are you kidding?!!!Chris Weigant.
Political writer and blogger at ChrisWeigant.com.
The Marijuana Vote.
Posted: 04/30/2012 11:01 pm.
Follow Medical Marijuana , Justice Department Marijuana , Justice Department Marijuana Crackdown , Marijuana , Justice Department Medical Marijuana , Marijuana , Marijuana Crackdown , Marijuana Vote , Medical Marijuana Crackdown , Obama Marijuana Crackdown , Pot Smokers Vote , Politics News
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-weigant/the-marijuana-vote_b_1466102.html
Conclusion: { Kimmel is right about one thing. Pot smokers vote. He's also right that, sometimes, they just stay home and don't bother... but it's not because they're too stoned to remember what day it is. President Obama needs to realize this. }What IS President Obama trying to accomplish by the so-called "marijuana crackdown"?
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Comment #7 posted by afterburner on May 02, 2012 at 11:43:06 PT
Hope - Libertairians
Here in Canada, third-party planks are often adopted by one of the major parties in order to siphon off their opponent's voters. Perhaps this is just what the U.S. needs to get the Democratic Party to take the right stand on rescheduling, for a start.
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Comment #6 posted by Hope on May 02, 2012 at 10:20:05 PT
Gov. Johnson and Judge Gray.
I love them both. The Libertarian Party will probably get a record turnout because of them this year. If they even get them on every ballot. Last time, I think they just fooled around and failed to get the fees and specs done and all that to get on the ballot in every state. I wish they'd go all out on this one, like they did several years ago for Ron Paul. I remember billboards all over the place then.Whether they can win or not, I love the Johnson and Gray ticket. It's wonderful. They are two of my favorite activists. How powerful can they be? How powerful can the Libertarian Party be?Looks like we're going to find out.This is going to be wild.
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Comment #5 posted by Lucas on May 02, 2012 at 08:52:33 PT
obama is a non candidate
Well, in my opinion, we have no choiceif we vote for Obama, we get no Medical Marijuana at Federal levelif we vote against Obama, we get a Republican and we get no Medical Marijuana at the Federal levelwhy? Because its against Federal Law.. sheesh!
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Comment #4 posted by The GCW on May 01, 2012 at 16:54:33 PT
Johnson & Gray
Pro-Pot Judge Will Be Gary Johnson’s VP PickBy Will Rahn, The Daily Caller - Monday, April 30 2012 Libertarian presidential candidate and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnsonhas picked California Judge Jim Gray, a prominent pro-marijuana legalization advocate, to be his running mate, The Daily Caller has learned. 
The decision to run with Gray “puts pot front-and-center in the campaign,” one Johnson adviser told TheDC, before adding that Johnson’s opposition to the war in Afghanistan will likely remain the campaign’s defining issue.Cont.http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/content/2012/04/30/Pro-Pot-Judge-Will-Be-Gary-Johnson-s-VP-Pick
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Comment #3 posted by The GCW on May 01, 2012 at 05:20:58 PT
Sports
Australia: Aussie sport: Marijuana not performance-enhancing Webpage: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20520546/aussie-sport-marijuana-not-performance-enhancing
Pubdate: 1 May 2012MELBOURNE, Australia—Australia's major sporting organizations have called for marijuana to be removed from the list of performance-enhancing drugs. Cont.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on April 30, 2012 at 13:26:56 PT
The GCW
No matter what Obama does abour our issue I will vote for him. He has done a lot for the Vietnam Veterans that has helped my husband and me. Romney would never of helped the Vets like Obama has.
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on April 30, 2012 at 12:24:23 PT
"grave mistake"
A grave mistake in this example would be Obama not getting RE-elected in November. If Obama doesn't get re-elected, it will be by a slim percent and there will be no question His war against cannabis cost Him dearly.
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