Senator Barack Obama on Medical Marijuana

%3Cp%3EFrom%20StopTheDrugWar.Org%20--%3Cbr%20%2F%3E%0AThis%20writer%20is%20upset%20that%20the%20marijuana%20legalization%20question%20was%20ranked%20%231%20on%20President%20Obama%E2%80%99s%20Change.gov%20site%2C%20but%20the%20questioned%20was%20answered%20%204th.%20He%20believes%20that%20Obama%E2%80%99s%20team%20failed%20to%20explain%20the%20%22no%22%20answer%2C%20and%20didn%E2%80%99t%20even%20honor%20the%201st%20place%20popularity%20rank%20the%20question%20earned%20when%20it%20drew%20the%20most%20votes%20from%20the%20public.%20%20The%20lack%20of%20seriousness%20with%20which%20this%20issue%20is%20treated%20in%20political%20culture%20is%20due%20to%20the%20government%27s%20reluctance%20to%20address%20the%20subject.%20%22They%20never%20could%20have%20imagined%20that%20this%20experiment%20with%20online%20democracy%20would%20find%20us%20standing%20at%20the%20front%20of%20the%20line.%20They%20shook%20their%20heads%2C%20sighed%20and%20joked%20that%20this%20is%20what%20you%20get%20when%20you%20let%20the%20frickin%E2%80%99%20internet%20dictate%20political%20priorities.%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20Marijuana%20Policy%20Project%20--%3Cbr%20%2F%3E%0AAlthough%20Massachusetts%20has%20officially%20decriminalized%20possession%20of%20small%20amounts%20of%20marijuana%2C%20many%20police%20departments%20across%20the%20state%20are%20essentially%20ignoring%20the%20voter-passed%20law%2C%20saying%20they%20would%20not%20even%20bother%20to%20ticket%20people%20they%20see%20smoking%20marijuana.%20%22If%20the%20Legislature%20enacts%20some%20changes%2C%20we%27ll%20be%20happy%20to%20do%20it%20in%20the%20future%2C%20but%20as%20it%20stands%20now%20we%27re%20not%20going%20to%20be%20issuing%20civil%20citations%2C%22%20says%20one%20officer%2C%20%20%22If%20an%20officer%20spots%20someone%20smoking%20marijuana%2C%20we%20will%20confiscate%20it%20and%20the%20person%20will%20be%20sent%20on%20their%20way.%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20StopTheDrugWar.Org%20--%3Cbr%20%2F%3E%0AFarmers%20in%20Morocco%27s%20Rif%20Mountains%20have%20been%20growing%20marijuana%2C%20since%20the%2015th%20Century%2C%20which%20is%20usually%20processed%20into%20hashish.%20%20Moroccan%20hash%20has%20been%20a%20mainstay%20of%20European%20marijuana%20markets%20for%20decades%20now.%20But%20in%20recent%20years%2C%20production%20has%20declined%20in%20the%20face%20of%20aggressive%20government%20efforts%20to%20eradicate%20crops%20and%20break%20up%20trafficking%20organizations.%20But%20while%20the%20half-decade%20of%20harsh%20repression%20has%20led%20to%20ever-larger%20seizure%20numbers%2C%20it%20has%20also%20led%20to%20ever-larger%20arrest%20figures%2C%20initiating%20resentment%20in%20traditional%20marijuana%20growing%20regions.%20Efforts%20to%20reduce%20cultivation%20through%20alternative%20development%20programs%20have%20proven%20only%20partial%20success%2C%20and%20now%20the%20debate%20over%20what%20to%20do%20about%20marijuana%20production%20has%20broken%20out%20into%20the%20public%20sphere.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20About.Com%20--%3Cbr%20%2F%3E%0AAccording%20to%20the%20first%20answers%20to%20the%20public%E2%80%99s%20questions%20posted%20on%20the%20Obama%20presidential%20transition%20team%E2%80%99s%20Open%20for%20Questions%20web%20site%2C%20President-elect%20Obama%20opposes%20the%20legalization%20of%20marijuana%2C%20but%20plans%20to%20overturn%20President%20Bush%E2%80%99s%20limitations%20on%20human%20stem%20cell%20research.%20Based%20on%20600%2C000%20votes%20from%20more%20than%2010%2C000%20people%2C%20Team%20Obama%20ranked%20the%20more%20than%207%2C300%20questions%20received%20from%20the%20public%20and%20has%20now%20started%20posting%20answers%20to%20the%20most-voted%20for%20questions.%20The%20top-ranked%20question%20overall%20framed%20the%20issue%20of%20legalizing%20marijuana%20in%20the%20context%20of%20economic%20recovery%3A%20%20%E2%80%9CWill%20you%20consider%20legalizing%20marijuana%20so%20that%20the%20government%20can%20regulate%20it%2C%20tax%20it%2C%20put%20age%20limits%20on%20it%2C%20and%20create%20millions%20of%20new%20jobs%20and%20create%20a%20billion%20dollar%20industry%20right%20here%20in%20the%20U.S.%3F%E2%80%9D%20The%20Team%20Obama%20Response%3A%20%E2%80%9CPresident-elect%20Obama%20is%20not%20in%20favor%20of%20the%20legalization%20of%20marijuana.%E2%80%9D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20StopTheDrugWar.Org%20--%3Cbr%20%2F%3E%0AAttorney%20General%20Terry%20Goddard%2C%20from%20Arizona%2C%20has%20announced%20that%20he%20might%20be%20willing%20to%20consider%20legalizing%20marijuana%20if%20a%20way%20can%20be%20found%20to%20control%20its%20distribution%20and%20figure%20out%20who%20has%20been%20smoking%20it.%3Cbr%20%2F%3E%0AGoddard%20said%20marijuana%20sales%20make%20up%2075%20percent%20of%20the%20money%20that%20Mexican%20cartels%20use%20for%20other%20operations%2C%20including%20smuggling%20other%20drugs%20and%20fighting%20the%20Mexican%20army%20and%20police.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A