NOT SO DOPE
Giving power to cartels: Your story's on point when it says the Obama administration's anti-marijuana policy, if enforced, will kill taxpaying businesses and put money in the hands of Mexican drug cartels in the middle of the second Great Depression ("Obama's War on Weed," Ray Stern, October 27).
Here we are, besieged by drug- and gunrunners from south of the border, and the president of the United States and his administration want to give them more power — at the expense of the U.S. economy.
I supported Barack Obama, but now I'm wishing I hadn't.
Ken Johnson, Phoenix
At what cost, Barack?: Man, do I wish I had supported Hillary Clinton over Obama.
He has done very little that he told his base supporters he would do, and now he's coming down on medical marijuana! He's obviously trying to throw a bone to right-wing Bible-thumpers to get re-elected, but at what cost?
Terrell Denny, Los Angeles
"Land of the free"? Please: We need to re-examine how society deals with the abuse of drugs and repeal the Controlled Substances Act.
Labeling other people's choices as abuse is just a ploy that aggrandizes prohibitionists, and it has driven the United States to incarcerate more of its own people than any other nation on Earth — more than 3 percent of the population of our country is in jail or prison. Or on parole or probation.
We cannot do this and still pretend to be the "land of the free."
Robert Chase, Colorado Coalition
for Patients and Caregivers
Money and lives are wasted by drug war: The illegal drug trade now is estimated to be somewhere in the region of $400 billion a year (equal to the U.S. defense budget ).
This former "land of the free" arrests 1.5 million of its citizens a year for drug violations, half for marijuana alone. The majority of the 2.2 million inmates in this country are incarcerated, at a staggering cost to all taxpayers, because of this insane drug war.
Prisons have been filled to capacity. Violent criminals — murderers, rapists, and child molesters — are released early to create space for these so-called drug offenders. Half of trial time and a huge chunk of police officers' time are pointlessly wasted.
Enormous untaxed profits from illegal drugs fund multinational criminal empires that bribe law enforcement authorities and spread corruption faster than a raging bush fire.
When governments prohibit drugs, they effectively and knowingly hand a monopoly on their sale to dangerous criminals and terrorists.
Malcolm Kyle, city unavailable
Simple re-election posturing: This [Justice Department stance on medical pot is] re-election posturing. [The] douchebag wants to be seen as "tough on crime."
Dave Barnes, city unavailable
Legalize it!: The only answer is full legalization of marijuana; it is the only way to get the drug warriors to back off of medical pot.
Norman Gooding, city unavailable
Legalization would destroy prison industrial complex: Once again, the corporate pharmaceutical companies have "persuaded" puppet, er, President, Obama [to take this route].
Abolish lobbyists in government! Legalize marijuana for those over 21, tax it, and reduce the country's deficit.
Oh, wait. Can't do that. Then, the corporate prison systems would lose too much money by having to release all the "felons" there on possession charges.
Brandie Crain, city unavailable
Stay out of our business: Obama is on his way out. The people in certain states voted [for medical marijuana]. Obama, stay out of our personal business.
Markus West, city unavailable
Guess not: And you friggin' liberals thought Obama was so cool!
John Carter, city unavailable
Pants on fire: [This story] makes you wonder why Obama is such a liar.
Baker Finch, city unavailable
Obama knows it's right-wing BS: The real issue is that [Obama] has smoked, and he knows in his heart that all the crap about pot being a drug as dangerous as heroin is a big lie, that it's BS from the right! [Yet] he is somehow willing to let the feds interfere in states' rights.
Dan Castro, city unavailable
Where's the national policy on medical pot?: The article misses one very important point: state versus federal law. Things like marriages clearly are the purview of the states. Narcotics and the IRS belong to the feds.
Until there is a clear national law/policy on medical marijuana, [issues like those brought up in this article] will continue.
John Castle Age, city unavailable
