cannabisnews.com: Obama Says Easing MJ Restrictions Job for Congress

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  Obama Says Easing MJ Restrictions Job for Congress

Posted by CN Staff on January 31, 2014 at 10:33:20 PT
By Zeke J Miller 
Source: Time  

Washington, D.C. -- President Barack Obama says in a new interview that that it’s up to Congress to remove marijuana from the federal government’s list of the most serious narcotics, implying but not explicitly saying that he might support such a move.In an interview with CNN that aired Friday, Obama was pressed on recent remarks he made to the New Yorker that marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol, and on whether he would push to remove pot from the Drug Enforcement Agency’s list of so-called “schedule I” narcotics. “First of all, what is and isn’t a Schedule I narcotic is a job for Congress,” Obama said.
“I stand by my belief, based, I think, on the scientific evidence, that marijuana, for casual users, individual users, is subject to abuse, just like alcohol is and should be treated as a public health problem and challenge,” Obama added. “But as I said in the interview, my concern is when you end up having very heavy criminal penalties for individual users that have been applied unevenly, and in some cases, with a racial disparity.”The DEA is required to make determinations, Obama said, but based on laws passed by Congress. A spokesman for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy tweeted Wednesday that the attorney general can reclassify marijuana after a scientific review, but that it was “not likely given current science.”But Obama wouldn’t specifically back congressional action to remove the schedule I classification for marijuana in the interview.The drug is already treated differently than other drugs in the schedule I category. It is decriminalized for medical purposes in almost two-dozen states, and Colorado and Washington state recently became the first to allow it for recreational use. The Obama administration has cautiously allowed those two states to move forward in implementing their new recreational pot markets, while warning that it will react swiftly if the drug finds its way across state lines or into the hands of minors.“We’re going to see what happens in the experiments in Colorado and Washington,” Obama said. “The Department of Justice, you know, under Eric Holder, has said that we are going to continue to enforce federal laws. But in those states, we recognize that we don’t have… the resources to police whether somebody is smoking a joint on a corner. And we are trying to provide them structures to make sure that, you know, big time drug traffickers, the spillover effect of the violence, potentially, of a drug trade are not creeping out of this experiment.”Obama has admitted to his own drug use as a student in his memoir, Dreams From My Father, writing of using marijuana and “maybe a little blow.”“But I do offer a cautionary note,” Obama told CNN. “…Those who think legalization is a panacea, I think they have to ask themselves some tough questions, too, because if we start having a situation where big corporations with a lot of resources and distribution and marketing arms are suddenly going out there peddling marijuana, then the levels of abuse that may take place are going to be higher.”Correction: The original version and headline of this story incorrectly characterized Obama’s stance on congressional action to reclassify marijuana. Source: Time Magazine (US)Author: Zeke J MillerPublished: January 31, 2014Copyright: 2014 Time Inc.Contact: letters time.comWebsite: http://www.time.com/time/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/u7ymOEx8CannabisNews  -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 

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Comment #22 posted by schmeff on February 01, 2014 at 08:41:30 PT
The Bureau of FACT?
If cannabis is no more dangerous than alcohol or cigarettes, why not take it away from the DEA and let it be regulated by the same agency that regulates alcohol and cigarettes? I'm speaking of the ATF. The commodities regulated by the ATF are, with few exceptions, available to citizens in whatever quantities we can afford. We can purchase guns right across the street from a school or church - no problems.If we wanted to stress the FACT that policy would be dictated by science instead of politics, just switch the initials around a bit and call it the Bureau of Firearms, Alcohol, Cannabis and Tobacco: FACT.Not legal like tomatoes, but a step in the right direction.
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on February 01, 2014 at 06:27:32 PT
Hope
Obama knows how to say things. Instead of him saying we should legalize marijuana which would cause Republicans to go orbital he said he doesn't like the heavy criminal penalties of marijuana. I say the opposite of criminalized marijuana is legalized marijuana.  
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on February 01, 2014 at 06:04:48 PT
Paint with Light 
Thank you for the link!
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Comment #19 posted by Paint with light on February 01, 2014 at 01:01:50 PT
Has this been posted?
I don't have time to look through the threads, but I ran across this,http://news.discovery.com/earth/plants/hemp-gets-high-five-for-heart-health-benefits-140131.htmLegal like alcohol.
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Comment #18 posted by Hope on January 31, 2014 at 22:24:17 PT
FoM Comment 12
"If big money gets a strangle hold on marijuana will people ever be able to grow their own for personal use?"Most of us can't do it now. Some kind of big money has got all ahold of it now. We, all of us, are a perfect example of the power of a small group of determined and dedicated people. We're not such a small group, anymore, either. We got this! None of us, crowd that we've become, are as easy to steam roll and dictate to as we once were in this country. 
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Comment #17 posted by Hope on January 31, 2014 at 22:05:53 PT
Obama, I think, is no coward.
I think he's no fool. I think President Obama is the first President since Carter that has said a civilized word about this problem while he is still in office. I Repeat. While he is STILL IN OFFICE. In the scheme of this struggle... that's a danged big deal. Of course it's not as much as we'd like... but we've made progress, real progress... painfully slow... but really significant progress... all the while... getting not as much as we'd like. Someone else used a Yogi Berra quote on this thread or another thread. This President and his time in office, and this problem that we want his help in fixing, makes me think of another Yogism."It ain't over 'til it's over."
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on January 31, 2014 at 19:37:51 PT
schmeff
You are right. It was done and ignored by Nixon.
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Comment #15 posted by schmeff on January 31, 2014 at 17:39:58 PT
Scientific Reviews
There have been several, official scientific reviews over the years, starting with the Shafer Commission during the Nixon years. "Neither the marijuana user nor the drug itself can be said to constitute a danger to public safety." The Commission recommended "Decriminalization of possession of marijuana for personal use on both the state and federal levels."Did Nixon sit on his hands and wait for Congress. Hell no, he created the DEA and initiated the War on Drugs, with cannabis as linchpin. He showed leadership. Poor leadership, for sure, but he wasn't afraid to act.
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on January 31, 2014 at 17:17:00 PT

More From The Link
(2) remove any drug or other substance from the schedules if he finds that the drug or other substance does not meet the requirements for inclusion in any schedule.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on January 31, 2014 at 17:14:52 PT

Might Be Worth Checking This Out
Evaluation of drugs and other substancesExcerpt: The Attorney General shall, before initiating proceedings under subsection (a) of this section to control a drug or other substance or to remove a drug or other substance entirely from the schedules, and after gathering the necessary data, request from the Secretary a scientific and medical evaluation, and his recommendations, as to whether such drug or other substance should be so controlled or removed as a controlled substance.http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/21cfr/21usc/811.htm
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on January 31, 2014 at 17:06:10 PT

Hope
One of the things we have talked about on CNews over the years is fear of mom and pop folks being run over by big corporations. If big money gets a strangle hold on marijuana will people ever be able to grow their own for personal use? If people could grow their own like brewing beer or wine the price would drop because supply and demand creates the marketplace. Just my thoughts though. Obama is addressing the criminalization of marijuana as being unfair. Interesting way to approach this.
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Comment #11 posted by Hope on January 31, 2014 at 16:55:25 PT

This is new news to me.
"The attorney general can reclassify marijuana after a scientific review".
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on January 31, 2014 at 16:52:08 PT

Asking myself some questions.
What about if "Big corporations with a lot of resources and distribution and marketing arms are suddenly going out there peddling marijuana, then the levels of abuse that may take place are going to be higher.”Do people abuse tea? Do people abuse spinach? Stop it with "Abusing" cannabis. Wasting or adulterating it is abusing it. Other than phone books with addresses and what they do and what they have, and signs on their stores and vehicles, there is no reason to "Peddle" "Marijuana". No ads in media other than locations and what they do. That's enough. I certainly don't mind the regulations that curtail over promotion of any product. We are bombarded daily with advertisers trying to sell us stuff. I'd be fine with "Marijuana" not being promoted through glitzy and expensive advertising at all. It would help keep costs down. Advertising is expensive.My main thing is people stop getting arrested, imprisoned, or killed. If people are allowed to advertise their locations and that they sell simply cannabis, cannabis products, and paraphernalia, that's really enough. All this "Big" bologna is probably our fault for throwing around "Big Pharmaceuticals" so much. But "Big" business of all kinds and "Big" government are with us and have been for a long time. Let's ease off some on the "Big Boogie Man!" and the "Big oh it's so scary!" and the "Big oh be afraid!" I ask myself, "Would that be a good idea?"In answering myself, I'd say, "Yes, I think that would be a very good idea. We need to give it a try, I think."
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on January 31, 2014 at 16:34:59 PT

Obama
I recorded the interview and finally watched it. I know how smart Obama is. He is stirring it up but what is he doing and why? He is against making criminals out of people so what can be done without setting Republicans in a rage? I know he thinks things through so where is this going?
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Comment #8 posted by schmeff on January 31, 2014 at 15:43:24 PT

Hope
As in, hope you're right, Hope. :)
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Comment #7 posted by schmeff on January 31, 2014 at 15:40:50 PT

Anyone Can Point Fingers
To act takes a leader. Obama is a politician, not a leader. While I'm sure that the DEA presumably acts under the authority of Congress, I don't believe Congress made the determination that cannabis should be Schedule 1. The DEA determined that cannabis should be Schedule 1 all by itself, and the DEA's own Administrative Law Judge said that decision was "arbitrary and capricious."What is capricious? That's when a President boasts that in order to get things done, whenever possible he'll use his executive authority to bypass a do-nothing Congress, then, when he's asked why he doesn't instruct the AG to reschedule cannabis, he lamely asserts that Congress should do it. Any questions?
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Comment #6 posted by Hope on January 31, 2014 at 15:35:57 PT

"Gentle as a dove, cunning as a serpent."
Then he pops up and does it!Surprise!:)
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Comment #5 posted by MikeEEEEE on January 31, 2014 at 15:24:17 PT

Not going to happen
This is a corporate controlled government.
Cockroaches have a better approval rating than congre$$
 
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Comment #4 posted by Swazi-X on January 31, 2014 at 14:27:39 PT

Pass The Buck Chuck
When Obama says it's up to Congress to make the change, he's fully aware of the fact that those clowns can barely change their own underpants. It's his version of a parent saying to a child, "We'll see." I'm sorry to say this but this is a great example of Obama's cowardice where the rubber hits the road. His problem with the laws concerning cannabis is that they're applied unequally between races, not that they are scientifically invalid and a joke to anyone who spends 5 minutes reading about it. Apparently no problem if everyone gets locked up for cannabis - as long as it's applied equally between races. Is that really a step forward?Disingenuous is a polite way to characterize his slippery "I'm not responsible" schtick. A case could be made that he lied to us on this issue to get elected - his record is worse than lil' Bush on federal meddling in states where cannabis is medically legal despite his claim that meddling with state-legal cannabis users is "not a good use of federal resources." Remember when we all cheered this back in '08? There are people in jail on federal cannabis charges
who voted for him on the strength of that claim.Obama is the picture of a man who, if he had the courage and took his responsibility as leader of our country seriously, could and would be the one to change this blatantly wrong and infinitely destructive cannabis prohibition by a stroke of his pen.When he tells us it's up to Congress? Remember - this dude is a Constitutional Scholar - he knows better. He knows he can change it, but is such a forked-tongue weenie - even in his final term, for crying out loud - that he can't muster the cohones to do the right thing.

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Comment #3 posted by HempWorld on January 31, 2014 at 13:38:32 PT

Tapper on CNN just corrected this article above
and said the attorney general of the USA under orders from the president (Obama) can change CSA at once and take marijuana out.(but how come alcohol and cigs. are not in the CSA? How do you explain that to the layman?)
HempWorld
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Comment #2 posted by runruff on January 31, 2014 at 13:17:18 PT

Well then...
Quichyer snivilin' and git ta work!
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Comment #1 posted by Universer on January 31, 2014 at 12:03:48 PT

Change.org petition needs boost to hit 100K
Sorry for the repeat off-topic post, but I'm really liking the progress of this one particular Change.org petition and really would like to see it crest the magic 100,000 mark. (It presently sits north of 85,000, all since January 22.)http://www.change.org/petitions/president-barack-obama-if-marijuana-is-safer-than-alcohol-remove-it-from-the-dea-s-schedule-of-drugsSign it. Get others to sign it. Whether it makes actual political impact or merely remains a loud symbol from the people, bloody sign it and put it into the six-figure range.Plenty to be said about the above articles (this Time one and the NYT one) on O's thots re: reclassifying ... but I'll let y'all say it. I got me a work day today.You know -- I'm just one of those lazy good-for-nothing stoners who pays taxes and works for a living.
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