A few people have written to us for an opinion on the recently updated ‘Open for Questions‘ feature on the President-elect’s official Change.gov website.

It’s a pretty simple format. People submit questions that they would like answered by Obama’s transition team, then those questions are voted up or down depending on their popularity / relevance. The 5 most voted on questions then get answered.

Out of the 5, here is the question that most of us are interested in:

Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.? – S. Man, Denton

And here is the transition team’s expansive response:

President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.

It might not be the answer we wanted, but at least their reasoning is clear. And by clear, I mean non-existent.

Before everyone gets worked up about this, let’s think about the venue more than the response. Is a Change.gov blog post really going to be the launching point for an incoming administration’s marijuana policy? I don’t believe so.

Instead, this feels more like a boilerplate response than a final answer. Out of all 5 questions, the marijuana response was the shortest answer (only 1 sentence) and there was no attempt made to delve into any of the root issues.

In other words, this isn’t what marijuana progressives wanted to see, but it’s not an end-all / be-all either. I’m sure the MPP, NORML and LEAP will all continue to push just as hard for marijuana reform. I also bet they’ll hold the incoming administration accountable for a logical and thorough response to the legalization movement as a whole.

At a meeting with several drug prevention leaders and spokesmen for recovery, Bush announced three new studies conducted by his administration; one study pertaining to teenage drug use, and the others in regards to cocaine abuse and availability.

Bush also announced that overall drug use among youths has declined 25 percent since 2001, based on a Michigan study. The results have not shown any sort of decrease as of late, but the numbers trend a seven-year decline Bush used as proof of the effectiveness in prevention and treatment programs, as well as an ability to disrupt drug supply. Although “mild bother” might be a better word for the administration’s efforts at drug trade disruption.

The article also notes the use of drugs such as ecstasy, steroids and marijuana, did not statistically change.

Joseph A. Califano, Jr., director for the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, said:

Marijuana is as available to teenagers in this country as candy.

It’s not a coincidence that this is coming during Bush’s “legacy tour” as he has less and less impact on policy and, instead, continues to eulogize accomplishments during his 2 terms. Unfortunately, cherry picking studies that apply to small areas of the country doesn’t exactly cement a successful tenure when it comes to drug prevention.

A report released by the Centers for Disease Control showed fewer Americans are smoking cigarettes than ever before.

The number of legal-aged residents smoking dropped below 20 percent of the population for the first time in more than 200 years of crusty lungs and smoky lounges.

The CDC actually points out the significant of its accomplishment thusly; in the past 40 years tens of millions of Americans have voluntarily quit smoking a legal, yet highly addictive intoxicant. They took a measured, informative approach that worked.

Comparatively, the government’s campaign against marijuana is failing. There are an estimated 2.5 million new users every year…

You’d think the incoming administration would notice the trend that truth sways people more affectively than scare tactic propaganda and adjust accordingly. Or, legalize and tax the damn plant so we can get some availability for adults and revenue for our economy.

Many left-wing pundits are a little surprised by the signals, mixed or otherwise, sent by Obama’s choice for U.S. Attorney General – Eric Holder.

Tasked with setting the federal agenda for prosecution, many are shocked Obama went with a former prosecutor who has repeatedly called for stiffer sentences for drug users.

According to a December 1996 report in The Washington Times excerpted at TalkLeft, Holder wanted “minimum sentences of 18 months for first-time convicted drug dealers, 36 months for the second time and 72 months for every conviction thereafter.

The article in Reason does a pretty good job of summing up why so many are scared.
Holder’s record suggests he epitomizes the Clinton administration’s desperation to prove that a Democrat who used to smoke pot can too be tough on drugs—precisely the motivation that could make Obama just as bad on drug policy as the current administration, if not worse.

Jacob Sullum, from Reason Magazine, wrote an extremely insightful article on the possibilities of drug reform in the Obama era.

We’ve already documented Obama’s vague positions since becoming a major party candidate, but Jacob takes the topic a step further.

Beyond nitpicking the meaning of ‘decriminalization’ or the potential to follow in Bill Clinton’s footprints, it should be noted that Obama’s new Chief of Staff – Rahm Emanuel – is a staunch anti-drug crusader.

His quotes on drug reform sound more like a military commander than a former Democratic representative. It should be noted, while Emanuel was in office, NORML rated him as a -20. That’s right in the middle of NORML’s -10 to -30 rating for “hard on drugs.”

Although a Chief of Staff doesn’t directly affect policy (his main duty is to co-ordinate and support the President at the highest level of executive interactions), it’s still worrisome to know someone so militant about drug reform will have Obama’s ear.

Although this video won’t make anyone grip their seat in suspense, it’s a good example of the more advanced dialogue that goes on between active members of the marijuana reform movement.

Above is a talk that involves the bias of mainstream media in its presentation of cannabis to the public. You could also listen to Rob Kampia talk about pot and politics.

Or, find something interesting in this long list of NORML CON 2008 videos.