Posted on 01/10/2009 1:17:51 PM PST by IbJensen
Esquire magazine recently reported that representatives from Barack Obama's administration team admit the president-elect will give strong consideration to decriminalizing marijuana by the end of his tenure in office.
Those remarks follow comments issued last summer by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts), who introduced H.R. 5843 -- an act to remove federal penalties for the use of marijuana by "responsible adults." According to CNN, the liberal lawmaker "doesn't think it's the government's business to tell you how to spend your leisure time."
Lending the Esquire article additional credence is an interview with Obama, recorded in January 2004, during which the then-U.S. Senate candidate expressed interest in decriminalizing the personal use of pot. (See YouTube video)
As someone who is very much aware of how this drug has harmed so many people from my generation, I adamantly disagree with this "floating" proposal. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency lists marijuana as "a Schedule 1 controlled substance, meaning it has a high potential for abuse."
It's irresponsible for members of the incoming administration to float this idea and to send such a message to millions of young Americans -- although I'm sure many supporters of medical marijuana use would disagree. But I think they should reconsider. Currently more than 50 head shops in San Francisco act as fronts for marijuana distribution in that city. According to The O'Reilly Factor, these shops not only attract petty crime but other non-desirable activity as well.
Anyone who knows anything about drug abuse knows that marijuana has been a "gateway" drug for many of those who use and abuse hard narcotics. Many people are first exposed to that dark world through a few puffs of a supposedly "innocent" marijuana cigarette.
Marijuana desensitizes people -- and its everyday use makes people lazy and unproductive. And it's addictive! I have personally seen this substance harm friends from school days past. Perhaps that's why I am so upset that consideration would be given to decriminalizing its use.
Still, Congressman Frank garnered support from seven other Democratic House members in sponsoring his legislation. Included in that group was Rep. Barbara Lee from California's District 9 (Berkeley and Oakland). By voicing her support, Lee -- a member of the House Black Caucus -- made light of the recreational use of a drug that is destroying the lives of hundreds of her own constituents.
If Lee wants to act responsibly and do something constructive, she should target the drug dealers in her district who are irreparably damaging the lives of untold numbers of people. Ironically, though, Congresswoman Lee's tact is to say that present drug enforcement laws are "inhumane" and "immoral."
Similarly, if president-elect Obama wants to act responsibly, he should immediately retract this reckless proposal being "floated" by his advisors.
Yes, I understand that I can get high today and fail a drug test three weeks from now.
so how can any employer with potential liability take a risk on you ?
Given that employers ALREADY can refuse to hire a TOBACCO smoker and prohibit such activity even OFF company time away from company property, the decriminalization and possible legalization of dope still does not mean that all Americans would be permitted to use said substance (certainly if pilots and even stewardesses are prohibited from drinking, something like 24 hours before a flight), other job fields would employ the same standard.
But then, if you are a dope head, and want to lay on a couch all day, and concede that you can’t get a number of jobs because of the use of pot, then it will drop the unemployment rate by not SEEKING employment. Score one for Obamonics.
I agree.. Personally I think the Drug War has increased the Government ten fold..
If you put that on a T-shirt, it would be gold. You could sell it to Dummies who love Barry, and Repubs who get the joke. It might even replace the ubiquitous and dumba$$ Che Guevera shirts that are now all the rage.
Heey, everything’s cool, man!
We told you it was Jeemy redux.
“Like not beginning a sentence with a capital letter.”
Or addressing people as “DUDE!”;)
They take a risk on us all.
Employers can NOW refuse to hire or maintain employment of workers using LEGAL substances. My wife works at a firm that tests potential and current employees for use of illegal drugs, plus tobacco and alcohol. A few years ago, they were trying to hire a tool and die maker and needed to reject several candidates before they could find one who hadn’t had a few beers over the weekend.
A capital "C" can be made by striking both the shift key and "C" at the same time.
Try it! You can make grown-up letters like all the cool kids.
some risks are defensible, this one is not.
I just want industrial hemp to be legalized.
The War on Drugs has been a complete failure — worse and longer than Prohibition.
While Obama’s motives should always be suspect, clearly a FREERepublic should allow folks to be dopes if they so desire.
I fail to see how it is any worse than the much more immediately dangerous consumption of alcohol.
:-)
>> George Soros wants to decriminalize drugs. <<
Me too. So did my two greatest intellectual heros, Milton Friedman and William Buckley.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.