President
Barack Obama says that the new batch of legal states could force the
American government to finally address marijuana legalization. The
outgoing commander-in-chief made that remark during an interview with
Bill Maher that aired last night on HBO.
"[Marijuana
is] on the ballot now in 9 states," Maher said during the chat.
"Including California for recreational -- and Arizona. And
medical in places like North Dakota. Isn't it time the federal
government caught up to progressive states like Arizona and North
Dakota?"
Obama
chuckled before offering a response that has become common among
tepid drug reformers: the government needs to treat the use of
illegal substances as a public health concern, not a criminal justice
issue. "I don't think that legalization is a panacea," he
concluded. "But I do think that we're going to have to have a
more serious conversation about how we are treating marijuana and our
drug laws generally."
And
the five states that will vote on recreational marijuana this Tuesday
-- Arizona, California, Maine, and Nevada -- could force
the federal government to have that conversation.
Of
course, the situation is already untenable in terms of medical
marijuana. In total, 26 states and the District of Columbia have
legalized medicinal cannabis use. But Chuck Rosenberg -- the head of
the DEA -- still insists that "marijuana has a high potential
for abuse, has no accepted medical use in the United States, and
lacks an acceptable level of safety for use even under medical
supervision." Rosenberg made those comments last summer while
justifying the DEA's decision to keep cannabis listed alongside drugs
like heroin in the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
That
decision seems even more absurd after Obama told Maher that opioids
like heroin and oxycodone pose much greater risks to Americans than
marijuana. "It is indisputable that right now the biggest drug
crisis we have is with opioids -- many of which are legal and are
ravaging entire communities across the country," he said.
Check
out his full remarks on the issue in the clip below, which includes
Maher putting Obama on the hot seat. "We all make jokes about
it. But it's not funny to the people who get arrested, which is over
half a million, I think, last year. You and I both could have had our
lives ruined not really by smoking it. But by being arrested for it."
Of
course, the situation is already untenable in terms of medical
marijuana. In total, 26 states and the District of Columbia have
legalized medicinal cannabis use. But Chuck Rosenberg -- the head of
the DEA -- still insists that "marijuana has a high potential
for abuse, has no accepted medical use in the United States, and
lacks an acceptable level of safety for use even under medical
supervision." Rosenberg made those comments last summer while
justifying the DEA's decision to keep cannabis listed alongside drugs
like heroin in the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
That
decision seems even more absurd after Obama told Maher that opioids
like heroin and oxycodone pose much greater risks to Americans than
marijuana. "It is indisputable that right now the biggest drug
crisis we have is with opioids -- many of which are legal and are
ravaging entire communities across the country," he said.
Check
out his full remarks on the issue in the clip below, which includes
Maher putting Obama on the hot seat. "We all make jokes about
it. But it's not funny to the people who get arrested, which is over
half a million, I think, last year. You and I both could have had our
lives ruined not really by smoking it. But by being arrested for it."
Story
Source: The above story is based on materials provided by CIVILIZED.
Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length
No comments:
Post a Comment