Obamarijuana

Last week Change.gov opened a section called Open for Questions. The number one question:

"Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?"

Sadly the response later in the week was:

President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of Marijuana.

This coupled with his selection for Attorney General Eric Holder makes even the slightest of chances that Marijuana would be legalized under Obama vanish.

Holder has fought to create mandatory 18 month sentence for Marijuana sellers.

"Worse than this he defended his client Chiquita Banana Corp’s financing of death squads in Colombia by stating that such activities are not against international law. Please spread the word and write to congressmen and senators on the judiciary committees to block his appointment."

~Psychedelic Salon

At the very least Obama will most likely end the DEA raids on medical Marijuana clinics and if we are incredibly lucky maybe the entire country, or at least more than 14 states will be voting on legalizing medical Marijuana.

A step in the right direction, but a very small one. We need a president who understands the reality of the war on drugs in America. That it is failing terribly and wasting millions of dollars.

We need drug treatment, not mandatory jail sentences.

We need an intelligent differential between classes of drugs. Separating the harder drugs like heroin and crack from Marijuana and Peyote.

We need to completely decriminalize natural substances such as Marijuana, Peyote and Psilocybe Mushrooms and avoid going after others such as Salvia and San Pedro.

We need to create new multi billion dollar industries right here in America by producing and distributing these newly legalized "drugs"

We need to send hard drug addicts to treatment and follow up on them with social work instead of sending them to jail.

We need to spend more money on drug awareness and education than on trying to get it off the streets. Drugs will always be there, but if we have informed youth they will know to avoid them.

We need to spend more military and economic might on strengthening the governments of the countries who are run by drug lords and war criminals instead of oil tycoons.

There are alot of things this country need to do. But with all of our attention drawn to two wars, the economy, and our every day struggles, no one is demanding too much right now, just the bare minimum of security and a semblance of comfort.

I demand more of my Government and Society though. And so should everyone. Even if it isn't about prohibition, everyone has a beef with how things are run. In a country of by and for the people we should all have the chance to have our voices heard and our concerns dealt with.