Let me preface this by saying that I am not a smoker of marijuana. In fact, I am very allergic to marijuana (MJ) which I found out at a concert when I was 17 years old. Whenever I get around someone smoking, I get horrible hay fever symptoms and my throat swells. So, I have never had a dog in the fight regarding the decriminalization or legalization of MJ. That is until the Obama administration let loose the Justice Department (DOJ) on those states that have voted and passed medical marijuana (MM).
I was certainly taken aback by this development because it is an absolute break of his promise to the MM community that he would be hand’s off. I also found it rather ironic that Obama has gone after MM with much more vitriol that even conservative George Bush. Once again for those people who keep reiterating that all politicians are the same, take a close look. Obama promised hands off MM and has betrayed your confidence whereas Bush, the one who gets vilified was hands off. The difference in the two comes down to States Rights versus Federal Rights. Conservatives by nature believe very strongly in States Rights. Democrats believe very strongly in Federal Rights. If you love having the government in your business and taking your land, then you are a big supporter of Federal Rights. And the consequences of that support means that the President can renege on promises and sic Federal Agencies on you if it supports their agenda.
And that had me thinking of the agenda for most of the afternoon. I did quite a bit of reading and I tend to agree with the people who believe that the pharmaceutical lobby is partly behind this. MM competes with big pharma’s drugs used for cancer, glaucoma and Multiple Sclerosis to name a few. The prescriptions for those illnesses can be astronomical compared to a few ounces of MM. With the election season beginning to fire up and Obama casting glances at this war chest, he knows he will need some serious money. Let’s face it, right now he is in a deep hole and the scandals of Solydra, Operation Gunrunner and Operation Fast & Furious are beginning to drown him. Add to that the deepening recession and on-going unemployment he has a very serious uphill battle. I read a blog the other day from a former Obama supporter who said that if the Republicans run a quesadilla she would vote for it over Obama.
I also happen to think that Obama is trying to woo back the coveted independent and moderate voters. Nothing gets the crowd going better than showing you are hardcore on crime. Also, if you play the “will someone think of the children” card you will win over some voters. So, we are hearing that targeted dispensaries are within 1000 feet of schools. Personally, I don’t know why there is that city ordinance if you are checking ID’s or stamps or cards before you make the sale. But each community has the right to figure out what works for them and if it makes parents feels better than I’m all for it. If this is a tactic for Obama to move towards center, it’s another miscalculation on his part.
74% of all Americans support MM. When it comes to legalization of marijuana in general the statistics are much more conservative with only 31% support. Essentially, Americans favor decriminalization but not legalization. It is an important distinction. Most Americans have had loved ones who have suffered greatly from HIV, cancer or Multiple Sclerosis and everyone wants to see their loved ones have relief from pain and suffering. Frankly, if MM can do that without all the unpleasant side effects of prescription drugs then we feel comfortable with that. However, when you begin to speak about legalization, most Americans see that as a slippery slope which opens the door to the legalization of Meth, Crack, LSD etc.
Not only did Obama miscalculate how many people favor MM, but he is really showing a shocking hypocrisy. Under his watch, 2,500 guns were walked over to the Mexican cartels with only 600 being accounted for. It also caused the deaths of Agent Brian Terry and ICE Agent Jaime Zapata. All of this without speaking to the Mexican Government. So, on the one hand we gave arms to the enemies of the Mexican Government while on the other hand we are going to crack down and smash the STATE LEGAL MM dispensaries. Which coincidentally also helps the enemies of the Mexican Governments. If the STATE LEGAL dispensaries are closed, the I have no doubt the Cartels will be happy to step in and provide the product.
That quesadilla is really starting to look good!!
Coffee N Chat 
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