Pubdate: Sun, 23 Oct 2011
Source: Times-Standard (Eureka, CA)
Copyright: 2011 Times-Standard
Contact: http://www.times-standard.com/writeus
Website: http://www.times-standard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1051
Website: http://mapinc.org/url/K6zbFAe2
Author: Dave Stancliff

UP IN SMOKE: OBAMA'S PROMISE TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA USERS

Remember how President Obama assured us he would work with the states 
who enacted medical marijuana laws when he campaigned for the presidency?

He sure was blowing smoke on that one, wasn't he?

" The Obama administration really is more aggressive than the 
administration of his predecessor,"  said Americans for Safe Access 
(ASA) spokesman Kris Hermes in a recent interview.

The vast difference between Obama's promises and what his 
administration is doing against medical marijuana has shocked many 
who voted for him. The "oebringer of change"  dangled some hope to 
states that approved medical marijuana, thereby snagging many votes. 
Obama clearly forgot what he had promised the states and the people 
living there after he got elected.

Obama's war on medical marijuana is escalating, and he's blatantly 
trashing his promises. Incredible as it may seem, his administration 
has stated, "oeThere are no medicinal properties in marijuana."  Not 
only is that a ridiculous thing to say, it's a lie.

In the last 20 years, numerous independent studies and research done 
at universities across the country have revealed an ever-increasing 
number of medical applications for marijuana. Yet the Obama 
administration refuses to conduct any research on its own that might 
prove marijuana has medicinal properties.

Instead, they've chosen to conduct a search-and-destroy mission in 
California to eliminate state-approved pot dispensaries.

A reign of terror intended to send a message. It doesn't matter that 
they take away people's medicine and their way to get it safely.

" We're not at war with people in this country,"  Obama's drug czar 
Gil Kerlikowske told The Wall Street Journal in May. I beg to differ. 
The raids on medical marijuana dispensaries have actually increased 
under Obama's watch.

The DEA propaganda machine tells the public marijuana has no medical 
qualities and is as dangerous as heroin. These outright lies are 
easily disproved by current and past research.

Over the past eight months, Obama has become arguably the worst 
president in U.S. history regarding medical marijuana. The most 
recent example is what happened to Northstone Organics, a Mendocino 
collective. They are the perfect example of cooperating with state 
law enforcement. The nonprofit has been featured on Frontline (The 
Pot Republic) and was a pioneer for Mendocino County's "zip-tie"  program.

The feds raided them anyway. California NORML Coordinator Dale 
Gieringer denounced the raid as a "oeshameful and despicable"  attack 
on California's most successful legally regulated marijuana cultivation program

Escalating the war, U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy says she'll go after 
any marijuana advertising in the media. On Sept. 21, Obama's ATF 
issued an open letter saying gun shops cannot sell guns to medical 
marijuana patients -- or people who are known to be addicted to drugs 
other than alcohol or tobacco, ironically enough.

Despite a previous Department Of Justice memo that targeting medical 
marijuana is an inefficient use of time and resources, four 
California-based U.S. Attorneys and their staffs have vowed an 
aggressive new crackdown on medical marijuana operations throughout the state.

After Obama's inauguration, Attorney General Eric Holder said federal 
prosecutors would not enforce action against patients or providers 
who adhered to state law. Six months later, the new policy was 
officially articulated in the landmark Ogden memo: "Prosecution of 
individuals with cancer or other serious illnesses who use marijuana 
as part of a recommended treatment regimen consistent with applicable 
state law, or those caregivers in clear and unambiguous compliance 
with existing state law who provide such individuals with marijuana, 
is unlikely to be an efficient use of limited federal resources."

What happened? Why the rabid all-out assault now? Either Obama has a 
short memory, or he's been lying all along and waiting for an 
opportunity to step up the senseless war on marijuana. Also, look at 
the ties between Big Pharma (opposed to marijuana legislation for 
competition reasons) and the Obama administration.

As Obama campaigns for his second term, one thing stands out to me: 
He's an expert flip-flopper when it comes to political expediency.

What you can do about this senseless war is to urge your 
representative to co-sponsor HR1983, a bill forcing the feds to stop 
their raids on state-approved medical marijuana programs.

As It Stands, I suspect Obama (a former pot smoker) is going to have 
to answer to a large block of medical marijuana users who vote in 2012.

Dave Stancliff is a retired newspaper editor and publisher who writes 
this column for the Times-Standard. Comments can be sent to  or to www.davesblogcentral.com.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart