Tag Archives: obama

Medical Marijuana’s Place in the November Election

September 04, 2012   Patrick


MMJBusinessDaily.com

With just two months left until the election, many medical marijuana professionals are still unsure which name to check in the ballot box. And the decision won’t get any easier in the days leading up to Nov 6. The bad news is, the only candidate who is certain to back the medical marijuana industry – Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson – stands very little chance of actually winning come November. Recent polls indicate that just 1% to 5% of likely voters will cast their ballots for Johnson as president. That could change, but the odds are extraordinarily slim that Johnson will win – meaning a vote for the Libertarian candidate could end up being more symbolic than anything.

That leaves Democratic incumbent Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Here, the industry faces another problem: Democrats are traditionally the party of choice for medical marijuana supporters, but many MMJ professionals are livid at Obama for the widespread crackdown on cannabis businesses under his watch. They feel betrayed by the president and cringe at the thought of backing him in the election. The future of the industry would be very murky if Obama remains in charge, as his policies towards MMJ have been vague and uneven.

However, the alternative could be far worse. Romney has steered clear of talking specifics when addressing medical marijuana, but he is clearly against the legalization of MMJ in general. He could choose to continue the crackdown but – like Obama – at least let some MMJ operations continue to exist. Or he could try to dismantle the industry entirely.

So the question becomes: Which is the lesser of two evils?

The industry is split on the issue. The United States Medical Marijuana Chamber of Commerce officially endorsed Obama this week, but the organization itself is not very well known in the industry and it’s unclear just how much influence it has. The National Cannabis Industry Association and other MMJ advocacy groups have not recommended a candidate yet to their members, and it’s unclear if they plan to do so (NCIA says it “is not endorsing any candidates at this time”).

Of course, the other option is to refrain from voting entirely. Some professionals have indicated that they’ll take this route, saying it serves as a way to punish Obama without directly supporting Romney. This strategy, however, won’t really accomplish much for the industry.

Comment and let us know your thoughts on the upcoming election this November.

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Update: Harborside’s Battle With Feds to Set Precedent for Marijuana Industry

July 23, 2012   Patrick

MMJDaily.com :

All eyes in the medical marijuana industry are focused on Oakland, where a federal crackdown is testing the limits of how far the government can go in its war on MMJ.

As we reported last week, Oakland medical cannabis advocates are planning a protest timed to President Barack Obama’s visit today. Organizers are hoping the protest will draw national attention to the plight of the MMJ industry in California. In the past few months, federal officials have taken numerous steps to force medical marijuana business to shut down, from threatening landlords to raiding MMJ centers and educational institutions like Oaksterdam University.

Now, the Obama administration is taking on one of the biggest fish in the medical marijuana industry: Harborside Health Center.

Despite Harborside’s apparent compliance with California’s laws and regulations, US Attorney Melinda Haag is attempting to shut down the nonprofit center by putting pressure on its landlord. But Harborside has vowed to fight back, and you can bet it will use all its ample resources to challenge the move.

The stage is now set for a high-profile showdown between the government and the MMJ industry, and you can expect a drawn-out court case to follow. Everyone involved in the business – especially in California – should watch this closely, as it will have major implications going forward. A victory for Harborside could cripple the government’s moves to crack down on the industry, eliminating its shaky justification for closing MMJ businesses in compliance with state laws. If the feds come out on top, however, we could see the medical marijuana industry evaporate in California, and the government could theoretically expand its crackdown elsewhere in the country.

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Forthcoming Obama Biography Reveals Details of Regular Marijuana Use

June 04, 2012   Patrick
obama_pot2012-bw-med-wide

Drug Policy Alliance

A forthcoming biography on President Obama is making headlines, with new details about the president smoking marijuana with his teenage friends in Hawaii.

David Maraniss’ book, “Barack Obama: The Story,” describes Obama as a marijuana enthusiast: “When a joint was making the rounds, he often elbowed his way in, out of turn, shouted ‘Intercepted!’ and took an extra hit,” Maraniss writes. Maraniss also describes Obama’s technique of “roof hits” while hot-boxing cars. “When the pot was gone, they tilted their heads back and sucked in the last bit of smoke from the ceiling,” he writes. Obama has been less than shy about his drug use in the past, writing about the topic in “Dreams from My Father.” “Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it,” he writes in the memoir.

While Obama’s term began with great promise for drug policy reformers, in the past two years it has been difficult to distin¬guish Obama’s drug policies from those of his White House predecessors. Although President Obama has acknowledged that legalization is “an entirely legitimate topic for debate” – the first time a sitting president has made such a statement – his administra¬tion has made a string of increasingly disappointing moves over the last year. Half of all U.S. drug arrests are for marijuana – more than 850,000 Americans were arrested for marijuana in 2010 alone, 88 percent for mere possession.  Read more.

 

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