Marijuana Policy

Marijuana Policy Subtopics:

Hemp

"Ask Obama" Top 100 Questions About Drug War, Pot

NORML took the time to review the Top 100 questions on the "Ask Obama" site and condense each one into a few words so President Obama could get an idea what is important to the country. When Obama did this in 2010 he heard loud and clear about marijuana law reform. Americans asked about re-scheduling cannabis to allow medical marijuana to flourish, decriminalizing marijuana to end thousands of arrests, legalizing pot to raise tax revenue, ending prohibition to cripple Mexican drug traffickers, regulating cannabis to keep it out of kidsâ hands, reforming drug laws to re-prioritize police resources, embracing industrial hemp as a truly green energy source, and using science, not politics, to dictate our drug policy. And President Obama flat-out ignored the citizenry, despite those questions dominating in both quantity and popularity. When Obama did this in 2009 he got the same response from the public. That time he didnât ignore his fellow Americans; he just laughed at them.

Sensible Washington Files New Marijuana Legalization Initiative, Despite Plea to Hold Off

Undeterred by last year's failure to pass a marijuana legalization initiative, and a plea by national advocacy groups to hold off until next year for another effort, Sensible Washington is filing a new initiative with the Secretary of State.

Just Say Now: Obama and Marijuana (Action Alert)

Friends,

Marijuana reform is dominating the list of questions President Obama will be answering as part of his continued State of the Union address tomorrow night. Pot is already in the top questions - can you make sure the top questions for Obama are about marijuana?

This is an incredible opportunity to hear Obama's views on drug policy. Our friends at Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) have a great question at the top of the list, and we're asking supporters to help keep it there for Obama to see.

Click here to visit the Ask Obama YouTube page. Then search for "POLICE OFFICER" on the right, and click the thumbs up button of the marijuana question to cast your vote.

Retired Deputy Sheriff and LEAP speaker MacKenzie Allen asks:

"As a police officer, I saw how waging the war on drugs has cost a trillion dollars and thousands of lives but does nothing to reduce drug use. Should we discuss legalizing marijuana and other drugs, which would eliminate the violent criminal market?"

It's an important question that we think Obama should answer. Can you help us make sure he does by giving LEAP's question a 'thumbs up'?

The deadline for voting is tonight at midnight! Click here to search for "POLICE OFFICER" and give LEAP's question a thumbs up so we can all hear what President Obama has to say about marijuana reform.

President Obama will begin answering questions from his YouTube page tomorrow, January, 26th, so time is running out. We want to hear what Obama has to say about the war on drugs, and this is the perfect forum for him to do so.

Thank you so much for your continued support.

Brian Sonenstein
JustSayNow.com

1st Annual Cannabis Convention at UBC

The International Hempology 101 Society announces the 1st Annual Cannabis Convention at UBC.

Hosted by the brand new University of British Columbia Hempology 101 Club and the Social Justice Center, this premier event features several prominent anti-prohibitionists from the US and Canada.

This gathering will give students, activists, medical patients and interested members of the public a chance to interact while learning about some of the latest developments in cannabis law, science and archaeology. Admission is free and open to the public.

Author Chris Bennett will begin the convention with comments on his latest publication, Cannabis and the Soma Solution.

He will be followed by Joanna McKee, a veteran Washington State activist who will provide an overview of the changes she has seen since that state passed medical cannabis laws in 1996.

Dr. Paul Hornby will follow with a discussion of his research on cannabinoids, extractions, fertilizers and genetics.

Also coming from the Seattle area is lawyer Jim Doherty from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, who will attack the ideals of the War On Drugs from the perspective of someone who has seen the futility of its practice.

Finally, local lawyer John Conroy, counsel in many important drug related cases including In-Site, will wrap things up with closing arguments.

This event is modeled upon the 11 Cannabis Conventions hosted by the UVSS Hempology 101 Club at the University of Victoria. Now the largest student club on campus every year, the UVSS Hempology 101 Club also provides a free, non-credit lecture series which is available live on-line and recorded on YouTube. All live broadcasts and YouTube links can be found at hempology.ca.

With student clubs at the University of Victoria, Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, and now UBC, Hempology 101 plans upon spreading to more post-secondary schools in the near future.

The event will be available live on-line. For more information contact Ted Smith at [email protected].

LEAP.png

Will Obama Discuss Drug Legalization on Thursday?

Well, he sure as hell didn't go there during the State of the Union, but the President will have a good opportunity to comment on the drug war this Thursday when he takes questions from the public in a live interview on YouTube. If he's classy enough to answer the question that got the most votes, then we'll soon find out what he has to say about this:

State Senator: Should Indiana Legalize Marijuana?

A state senator is asking a question she hopes will spur debate over sentencing laws and possibly save Indiana millions of dollars: Should the state legalize marijuana? Sen. Karen Tallian, D- Portage, is sponsoring a bill that would direct the criminal law and sentencing study committee to examine Indiana's marijuana laws next summer and come up with recommendations. Senate Corrections Committee Chairman Brent Steele, R-Bedford, said he would give Tallian's proposal a legislative hearing.

YouTube Questions for President Obama Have Gone to Pot

On Reddit earlier today, a user noted that the top 50 most popular questions were all related to marijuana use and drug crimes. Will President Obama address America's burning questions about legalizing marijuana and other drugs?

Want to See Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) Ask President Obama a Question? (Action Alert)

Dear Friends,

In an ongoing effort by the White House to engage the public via the internet, President Obama will answer questions from YouTube users in a live-streaming event this Thursday, January 27, two days after his annual State of the Union address.

LEAP speaker MacKenzie Allen, a retired deputy sheriff, wrote in to ask:

“As a police officer, I saw how waging the war on drugs has cost a trillion dollars and thousands of lives but does nothing to reduce drug use. Should we discuss legalizing marijuana and other drugs, which would eliminate the violent criminal market?”

YouTube has stated that the president will answer the questions that receive the most votes. LEAP’s question is currently among the top-voted entries. Let’s keep it going! To vote, please visit http://www.youtube.com/askobama and use the search box on the right side to find the question above from LEAP speaker MacKenzie Allen, then cast your vote. The easiest way to find the correct entry is to paste a phrase from the question, like “as a police officer,” into the search box. Here's what you should see:

This is an incredible opportunity for us to get LEAP’s message in front of the nation, and we have until Wednesday at midnight EST to make it happen. Please click here vote now!

Thank you,

Major Neill Franklin - Retired
Executive Director

Your donation puts LEAP speakers in front of audiences. To support LEAP's work by making a contribution, please click here.

121 Mystic Ave. Suites 8&9
Medford, MA 01255
(781) 393-6985 [email protected]

We need help growing our all-encompassing movement of citizens who want to end the failed "war on drugs," so please invite your family and friends to learn about LEAP.

Washington State Bill Proposes to Sell Marijuana Through State Liquor Stores

State Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Seattle, is again proposing that the state legalize marijuana and regulate it much like alcohol. House Bill 1550, filed today, proposes that marijuana be sold through state liquor stores to adults aged 21 and over, and that the state Liquor Control Board issue licenses to commercial growers. Dickerson sponsored similar legislation in the previous legislative session, but the bill was voted down in the House Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee.

"I don't know what this says about the online audience"

Another Chance to Ask Obama About Legalization

[inline:obama.png align=right]

President Obama will be doing a live interview on YouTube this Thursday and, yet again, he wants us to vote on which questions we want answered. I've lost count of how many online voting contests we've been through at this point, but it's a pretty safe bet that questions related to legalizing marijuana and ending the drug war will get the most votes. That's what always happens with these things and if you just sort the page by popularity, you'll see it's about to happen again.

Subscribe to Marijuana Policy