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Marijuana legalization now has a legitimacy in Americans politics it has never enjoyed before
Now that the people of Colorado and Washington State have voted to legalize marijuana the big question is how the federal government will response. In this potential upcoming fight the Washington Post has taken the side of voters in the two states. The editorial board is calling on the Obama administration to not heavily interfere with the new laws. From the Washington Post:
But it’s unrealistic and unwise to expect federal officials to pick up the slack left by state law- enforcement officers who used to enforce marijuana prohibitions against pot users and small-time growers. Unrealistic, because it would require lots more resources. Unwise, because filling prisons with users, each given a criminal stain on his or her record, has long been irrational. For the latter reason, we favor decriminalizing possession of small amounts of pot, assessing civil fines instead of locking people up. Also, for that reason and others, the Justice Department should hold its fire on a lawsuit challenging Colorado and Washington’s decision to behave more leniently. And state officials involved in good-faith efforts to regulate marijuana production and distribution according to state laws should be explicitly excused from federal targeting. . . .
For now, the federal government does not need to stage an aggressive intervention, one way or the other. It can wait, watch and enforce the most worrisome violations as they occur.
The Washington Post is the largest paper in the Washington D.C. area and is read by many federal officials and politicians. It is often viewed as the embodiment of centrist conventional Washington thinking. It asking the federal government to leave Colorado and Washington State alone shows how significantly the election changes the politics surrounding marijuana.
Since the election we have seen politicians and prominent organizations saying that although they don’t support the idea of marijuana legalization, they still believe the will of the electorate should be respected. The passage of the two initiatives has given marijuana legalization a legitimacy in Americans politics it has never enjoyed before.
Not long ago legalization was an idea that was mockingly dismissed. Now we have supporters and opponents saying voters at least deserve a chance to test the idea in our laboratories of democracy.
11 Comments
They want to make sure they dont chuck “states rights” in the toilet..not that the wapo has any problem at all contradicting itself ..the same day if need be..i support the laws but for etirely different reasons..the WOD is a nightmare that needs to end..ALL of it.the whole thing
Good news. Tweeted. Recommended.
Good luck with that, WAPO. Who knew O would turn out to be a militant weed-o-phobe?
When you’re writing an article that is supposed to have a significant impact with readers you should really try to use better grammar (please proofread, before you submit your final article.
I’ll smoke to that!
Here’s the problem with the Feds’ war on drugs. It fails to recognize the most chronic diseases found in all law enforcement agencies from the city, county, state, etc. The first is the most obvious to about 1/2 the population. If they weren’t in law enforcement they’d be leaders in the most vicious gangs and gangster organizations in the world. And, like politicians they all suffer from ” posterior craniosos “. Which is having your head completely up your ass in laymans’ terms.
The extent to which Obama cracks down after the Election can indicate the extent to which Obama has been Bribed by the opponents of Marijuana.
A fight is coming, there’s no doubt about that. The only question is how ugly it’s going to get…and, considering the Obama administration’s unambiguously anti-decriminalization stance, I believe it’s safe to say that the fight’s gonna get pretty damned ugly.
See the Documentary “THE HOUSE I LIVE IN” about drugs, marijuana, and the history of drugs, the law, incarceration, and the effects on society and the police force. Very Important. Share and pass on to your friends. Incredible and significant documentary.
First it was the states that ended the alcohol prohibition, before the federal government got around to it. The federal government has always been slow, and it is the states that lead the way. The precedent has been set, and it needs to follow suit on this prohibition also.
States rights are superior to the federal government at the state level.
The federal government has plenty to do already, and it needs to keep it’s nose out of state’s rights on this prohibition.
End the Cannabis Prohibition today! It is a resource to be leveraged.
The Feds won’t embrace sane cannabis policy until there is a Republican in the WH. Democrats are too concerned with building their dumb redneck bona fides crossover appeal by going all in on anything that starts, War On ______. Nixon to China etc. etc. Noting good will come from the more effective evil– except more evil.