Is Obama Close to Waging War on Legalized Pot?

I believe that election day 2012 will go down in U.S. history as an extremely important event.  No, not because in its national apathy the citizens re-elected a crony capitalist puppet as President.  Rather, because it was the day when two states overwhelmingly rejected the Federal Prohibition on marijuana.  Of course, I am referring to Amendment 64 in Colorado and Initiative 502 in Washington State, which legalize pot for recreational use.

Upon its passage, I wrote a piece titled: Colorado Legalizes Marijuana: Your Move Eric Holder.  I knew right away that the Federales would not be pleased by this law.  I also knew that, contrary to popular myth, Obama isn’t “liberal” in any sense of the word and in fact he has demonstrated highly authoritarian characteristics throughout his Presidency and an uncanny willingness to lie repeatedly.  So I assumed his reaction would be aggressive, because for him this issue isn’t about marijuana, but rather Federal (his own) power versus the power of his “subjects.”

We learn from the New York Times that the administration is indeed looking to get tough:

WASHINGTON — Senior White House and Justice Department officials are considering plans for legal action against Colorado and Washington that could undermine voter-approved initiatives to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in those states, according to several people familiar with the deliberations.  

Some law enforcement officials, alarmed at the prospect that marijuana users in both states could get used to flouting federal law openly, are said to be pushing for a stern response.

The Obama administration declined to comment on the deliberations, but pointed to a statement the Justice Department issued on Wednesday — the day before the initiative took effect in Washington — in the name of the United States attorney in Seattle, Jenny A. Durkan. She warned Washington residents that the drug remained illegal.

So what are the Federales considering?

One option is for federal prosecutors to bring some cases against low-level marijuana users of the sort they until now have rarely bothered with, waiting for a defendant to make a motion to dismiss the case because the drug is now legal in that state.

A more aggressive option is for the Justice Department to file lawsuits against the states to prevent them from setting up systems to regulate and tax marijuana, as the initiatives contemplated.

Another potential avenue would be to cut off federal grants to the states unless their legislatures restored anti-marijuana laws, said Gregory Katsas, who led the civil division of the Justice Department during the George W. Bush administration.

This is going to be an incredible drama to watch unfold, and in many ways I wouldn’t mind seeing Obama get aggressive on this issue because it will be such a huge political blunder.  Not only was the vote overwhelming in favor of legalization in my state of Colorado (55% voted yes and it received more votes that Obama did in the state), but a very high percentage of Democrats support legalization and does he really want to start off his second term by marginalizing the remaining supporters he hasn’t already as a result of his horrible track record on civil liberties, banker bailouts and aggressive foreign policy?  It’s not just Democrats though.  A Rasmussen poll in May showed that 56% of those surveyed nationwide were in favor of legalization.  Obama would just be fighting the inevitably culturally, protecting Mexican drug cartel profits and in the end just look like a fool.

Even more than a States rights versus Federal power issue, this is about democracy versus authoritarianism.  Obama pushing back hard on the will of the people will only further expose the sham that is his Presidency for more to see.

I also discussed this issue on my recent appearance of Capital Account, which you can watch here.

Full New York Times article is here.

In Liberty,
Mike

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8 thoughts on “Is Obama Close to Waging War on Legalized Pot?”

    • Actually the “hard left” have never been on board with Obama for the reasons stated herein. We don’t like the drone wars. We don’t like Goldman Sachs. We don’t like NDAA. And we’ve been pro-legalization all along.

      The only people who turn a blind eye to those things are the establishment Democrats, the DINOs. The hard left, like me, is completely sick of their shit.

      That said, if you can give me some information that will make me look like a deer in headlights, please do.

  1. Obama is definitely one of the worse liars we’ve ever had. He does it openly without flinching. I find this installed puppet quite creepy and there is an article written several months ago by Michael Dickinson called The Bearding of Barak Obama, at CounterPunch. CP, a left leaning site, would not publish this if they had any doubts. It is pretty damning. This is also a man that has given himself the “right” to call for the assassination of any American.

    Ok, I admit…I’m freaked out, even scared. But not for the same reasons most people are. I’m not so spooked over the manufactured external terrorists the government tells me to be frightened of…I’m worried about Drones flying overhead by the very gov’t that feigns concern for my “security”. I’m also worried about doors being kicked in the middle of the night, constitution-scrapping, and that type of stuff.

    What really disgusts me about Obama trying to stop petty pot smokers, is the fact that THE US HAS OPENLY ADMITTED TO GUARDING THE POPPY FIELDS IN AFGHANISTAN…WHERE 93% OF HEROIN COMES FROM.

    Then, they tell the American public they are protecting the fields so the Afghan farmers will not retaliate because they have no sources of income!!

    It is strange that the lies are getting more obvious and more preposterous. They obviously feel confident that they can get away with it all with the American public.

    Folks, Afghanistan is a resource rich nation. The Afghan people would have plenty of means of providing for themselves without Poppy production, if other nations would simply stay out!! One of the reasons for the Afghan invasion was to get the Poppy production up and running again after the Taliban had eradicated it. At that time, the Central bankers of Europe, had lost their cash cow from Afghanistan from the profits that were laundered through their banks.

    Obama (and the Bush admin before) will tell you the Taliban got the poppy production going again. It’s all a total lie.

    Heroin overdoses have increased by thousands since the invasion of Afghanistan. My nephew is one of the lucky ones. He got hooked (during the bush years after the crop was re-ignited) on heroin and had a hell of a time getting off. He’s doing good now. Heroin is getting real common on campuses and even high schools. Heroin was getting rarer and rarer in the U.S. It is now an epidemic. Thanks to Bush and Obama and all the Central Bankers.

    There is NO WAR ON DRUGS. It’s an illusion to keep the Americans thinking it is some “outside external” force that is behind it. Obama was giving away guns to Sinoloa drug cartel.

    The analysis of all this is what is amazing, but it is a matter of connecting the dots…..A crisis is unfolding with the economy….Likely a manufactured crisis that could have been prevented……they will need great distractors…..Distractors, such as hard core drugs like heroin……and distractors like stirring up racial tensions……

    We are already in Armageddon.

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  2. Like Michael, I see this as a states’ rights issue. Personally, I’ve got no skin in the game, I am not a user, but don’t condemn those who do. On the other hand there’s more to the war on marijuana than a purported battle against a proscribed intoxicant. We all have skin in the game where our state’s rights are being subsumed by Washington, where hemp is a forbidden cash crop to farmers and resource to citizens, and where hemp oil is scheduled as a narcotic to be stamped out rather than a medicine to be researched. There’s plenty of historical evidence it was these now-secondary issues that brought us to where we are today. When it’s pointed out most people see how strange the war on pot is; absurdly vociferous. Where The Prohibition outlawed vodka or beer, say, it’s didn’t criminalize potatoes and barley. At this point, of course, there’s a ton of current evidence segments of the US government are part of the trade, while the US banking system is its financial back office. Hence the High Noon over states’s rights Michael’s article anticipates.

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  3. Obama’s going to go after states legalizing cannibis because the big banks need the drug money that this failed prohibition creates.

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