MSNBC's Rachel Maddow gave a nod to the smashing success of marijuana reform initiatives in Tuesday’s election, observing on her show tonight that "smoking weed is getting more respect from our citizens." As images of shiny nugs sprawled across the screen, Maddow acknowledged the passage of 9 out of 10 marijuana reform initiatives this year.

So while I didn’t particularly care for her delivery, this is really the exact impression we need to make on the mainstream media. The antiquated notion that marijuana reform is politically suicidal cannot possibly be permanently sustained amidst the constant accumulation of evidence to the contrary.

Reading me blog about the evolution of drug war politics is one thing, hearing Rachel Maddow snark about it on MSNBC is quite another. Our mission remains the same, but the landscape is changing all the time.

When Barack Obama enters the White House in January, will he make good on his promise to end federal interference with state medical marijuana laws? Reformers have not easily forgotten the broken promise of George Bush, who spoke of "state's rights" regarding medical marijuana on the campaign trail only to subsequently declare war on patients and providers in states that protect medical use.

While the terms of engagement between DEA and the medical marijuana community under an Obama administration won’t be fleshed out for many months, I’d like to remind everyone what exactly we’ve been told to expect. This is the Obama campaign’s response to emails about medical marijuana:

Dear Friend,

Thank you for contacting Obama for America to inquire about the Senator's position on allowing severely ill patients to use marijuana for medical purposes.

Many states have laws that condone medical marijuana, but the Bush Administration is using federal drug enforcement agents to raid these facilities and arrest seriously ill people.  Focusing scarce law enforcement resources on these patients who pose no threat while many violent and highly dangerous drug traffickers are at large makes no sense.  Senator Obama will not continue the Bush policy when he is president.

Thank you again for contacting us.

Sincerely,

Obama for America

As I've argued previously, it's really quite silly to argue that arresting patients is a "poor use of resources" as though we'd persecute the sick if only we could afford to. The hysteria about "many violent and highly dangerous drug traffickers" is also utterly irrelevant and distracting, a frivolous pander to law & order types who may or may not require constant reassurance that Obama doesn't plan to end enforcement of all criminal laws on day 1.

And yet, despite the almost complete incoherence of Obama's position on medical marijuana, it somehow arrives at the conclusion that we must stop arresting medical marijuana patients and providers. Is there any ambiguity about that? If nothing else, the above statement insists convincingly that Obama has every intention of promptly discontinuing one of the worst excesses of the modern war on drugs. If this happens, it will be the functional equivalent of the chronically doomed Hinchey Amendment, and one could scarcely overstate the significance of such an event.

I’ve noted speculation that LA Police Chief William Bratton could be the next drug czar, but it looks like that isn’t exactly set in stone:

Los Angeles Police Chief Bill Bratton said that he is not seeking a position in Washington, D.C., and has no intention of leaving the LAPD. "That is not something I am seeking, it’s not something I have been approached about," Bratton said. "No reason to leave Los Angeles — they pay me very well." [LA Times]

Of course, Joe Biden said the same thing days before his nomination for VP, so such denials don’t mean so much. But I’d prefer to believe this because I’m hopeful we can do better than Bratton.

Regardless, anyone interested in the appointment process with regards to drug policy should read this helpful post from Eric Sterling, which indirectly highlights the absurdity of expecting the next drug czar to be revealed anytime soon. I agree, but I’ll continue tracking rumors because I’m obsessive and impatient. And so are you.