Does President Obama support marijuana legalization?
The legislative battle to legalize pot in California has gained so much attention that President Obama can no longer ignore it. In an online town hall meeting Obama rejected the argument that legalizing, regulating, and taxing marijuana would be a good way to raise money in this recession (See my previous post explaining that argument.) And what was Obama’s reasoning? Well, there wasn’t any. He just stated in direct terms he does not think legalizing pot “is a good strategy to grow our economy.” Read more about the town hall meeting here. Does that mean he thinks it’s not a good strategy because it would not actually grow the economy? Or does he think legalizing pot would have other costs that would subsume any economic benefits, thus making it not a good strategy? We don’t know, but they are questions to ponder. Sources: http://www.usnews.com/blogs/
Those who support the reform of marijuana laws are hoping that President Barack Obama will take action in their favor. While he has adamantly stated that he is not in support of marijuana legalization, Obama does favor reform in the way of marijuana decriminalization. While supporters would like a lot more than just decriminalization, many view that as a step in the right direction.Esquire: Obama on Marijuana Legalization (December 23, 2008)1 At an online town hall meeting on March 26, 2009, Obama stated his official position on whether or not the legalization of marijuana would be an effective strategy for economic growth: “The answer is no, I don’t think that is a good strategy to grow our economy.”Los Angeles Times: Obama Addresses Marijuana Questions… (March 26, 2009)2 # Fast Facts 1. Obama does not think legalizing marijuana is an effective strategy to grow the economyLos Angeles Times: Obama Addresses Marijuana Questions… (March 26, 2009)2 2. Marijuana question ranked #1 in o
