Progressives, Marijuana Reform advocates outraged over Obama's turn on Pot Legalization

by Eric Dondero

This is just too funny for words. The Cultural Left has gotten smacked down in the first few days of the Obama administration by one of "their own." And now they're standing around with their hands up in the air asking themselvs and others, "why... just why... did he do this?"

A few days into the new Administration, Obama's DEA raided Medicinal Marijuana facilities throughout southern California and arrested 4 individuals on federal charges of intent to distribute. These facilities are completely legal under California law, and have the full protection of the State, including support of Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

From a libertarian perspective this is a double-whammy: Through this action, Obama has signaled that his administration would not be a friend of legalization, even for medicinal use, but worse, that he has little if any respect for the concept of States' Rights. It calls into question, what will his DEA be doing in the other 10 states in the Nation that have also decriminalized medicinal marijuana, most recently in the 2008 election, Michigan and Massachusetts, by overwhelming majorities.

Obama: The ultimate Authoritarian Democrat

We libertarians, especially libertarian Republicans, have been screaming at the cultural left for months now that Obama was no friend of civil liberties. Outside of abortion rights, and gay rights, Obama is a cultural authoritarian, most especially on issues such as seat belt laws, 55 mph speed limit, gambling, free speech rights, affirmative action quotas, gun ownership and smoking bans. Why should any civil liberties advocate expect anything different from him on marijuana reform?

But support him they did. Some of the loudest supporters for Obama, and some of the loudest critics of the Republican ticket were on the cultural Left, specifically within the Marijuana Reform movement; like Rolling Stones Mag., Bill Mahr, Marc Scott Emery, and Ron Chusid. This despite the fact, that Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin was moderately supportive of marijuana reform in Alaska for years. She chummied up to the Alaska Libertarian Party, known in the State for being the Number One advocate for legalization. She even caught hell for that stance from Alaska social conservatives in her '06 primary run. And the Governor admitted herself to being a past marijuana smoker.

Now we have befuddlement and even hints of betrayal coming from the Marijuana Reform movement.

As a side note, the following editorial (excerpt) breaks new news. NORML reports that it was not only California that had raids by Obama's DEA, but Colorado, as well.

NORML hurt and confused by Obama's Marijuana stance

From Paul Armentano, Director National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), AlterNet, Jan. 28:

Marijuana Reform Is Part of the Progressive Agenda, So Why Are Obama's Drug Cops Already Making Pot Raids?

Pot-reform activists have swarmed Obama's Change.gov, and huge majorities voted for pot reform in election '08, but no change yet from Obama.

In response to the Change.gov poll, the administration posted a curt, one-sentence response, "President Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana"... [Note also] as a candidate for president, Obama renounced his support for decriminalization...

Less expected, however, were the actions of the Justice Department last week when U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials raided the office of a California medical marijuana provider, as well as two medical grow houses in Colorado. (The possession of marijuana for medical purposes is legal in both states, and nonprofit organizations may legally dispense marijuana to authorized patients under California law.)

The busts outraged many drug-law-reform advocates... Many news outlets also were quick to voice criticism toward the new administration for continuing with the federal raids, noting that these aggressive actions possess little to no public support.

Rather than ignore the public's calls for drug-policy reform, the new administration ought to be embracing it. After all, many of the same voters that put Barack Obama in the White House also voted by wide margins in November to liberalize marijuana laws in two states -- Michigan and Massachusetts -- and in nearly a dozen municipalities nationwide.

Republicans better friends for Marijuana Reform advocates than Nanny-State Dems

It's going to be tough medicine to take for Marijuana Reform advocates in the next few months and years, for them to realize that Democrats, most especially authoritarian Democrat Obama, is no friend to the Marijuana Reform Movement. Rather, Republicans are much more open to their stance, particularly from the States Rights' angle, than big government Nanny-Stater Dems. Recall that it's Democrats who want to nationalize Health Care and will see marijuna legalization as running counter to their cost cutting efforts to regulate healthier lifestyles for individuals. Further, their prohibitionist efforts on tobacco smoking bans should serve as a dire warning to marijuana advocates.

And Marijuana Reform advocates cannot ignore the fact, that a number of libertarian-leaning Republicans, who are record in support of a States' Rights position on medical marijuana, were elected to Congress in 2008, like California's Tom McClintock. They've already had good friends on the GOP side of the aisle, for years now, like Congressmen Dana Rohrabacher, Pete Hoekstra, Jeff Flake and Ron Paul.

But for now, we libertarians who've recognized this from the start, can just sit back and have a chuckle at their naiivate'.

LINKS

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