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white house marijuana petition gets bullshit response

so the white house has this site where you can submit petitions, and if they get enough signatures, the white house will give an official response. when they first started, the threshold was 5,000 signatures. they then raised it to 25,000, and then the petition quoted below gathered almost 75,000:

Quote:

we petition the obama administration to:

Legalize and Regulate Marijuana in a Manner Similar to Alcohol.

We the people want to know when we can have our "perfectly legitimate" discussion on marijuana legalization. Marijuana prohibition has resulted in the arrest of over 20 million Americans since 1965, countless lives ruined and hundreds of billions of tax dollars squandered and yet this policy has still failed to achieve its stated goals of lowering use rates, limiting the drug's access, and creating safer communities.
Isn't it time to legalize and regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol? If not, please explain why you feel that the continued criminalization of cannabis will achieve the results in the future that it has never achieved in the past?
Created: Sep 22, 2011
Issues: Civil Rights and Liberties, Economy, Government Reform
total signatures

74,169

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petition...cohol/y8l45gb1

so then they gave us this canned response that doesn't even address half the questions posed.

Quote:

Official White House Response to Legalize and Regulate Marijuana in a Manner Similar to Alcohol. and 7 other petitions
What We Have to Say About Legalizing Marijuana

By: Gil Kerlikowske
When the President took office, he directed all of his policymakers to develop policies based on science and research, not ideology or politics. So our concern about marijuana is based on what the science tells us about the drug's effects.
According to scientists at the National Institutes of Health- the world's largest source of drug abuse research - marijuana use is associated with addiction, respiratory disease, and cognitive impairment. We know from an array of treatment admission information and Federal data that marijuana use is a significant source for voluntary drug treatment admissions and visits to emergency rooms. Studies also reveal that marijuana potency has almost tripled over the past 20 years, raising serious concerns about what this means for public health – especially among young people who use the drug because research shows their brains continue to develop well into their 20's. Simply put, it is not a benign drug.
Like many, we are interested in the potential marijuana may have in providing relief to individuals diagnosed with certain serious illnesses. That is why we ardently support ongoing research into determining what components of the marijuana plant can be used as medicine. To date, however, neither the FDA nor the Institute of Medicine have found smoked marijuana to meet the modern standard for safe or effective medicine for any condition.
As a former police chief, I recognize we are not going to arrest our way out of the problem. We also recognize that legalizing marijuana would not provide the answer to any of the health, social, youth education, criminal justice, and community quality of life challenges associated with drug use.
That is why the President's National Drug Control Strategy is balanced and comprehensive, emphasizing prevention and treatment while at the same time supporting innovative law enforcement efforts that protect public safety and disrupt the supply of drugs entering our communities. Preventing drug use is the most cost-effective way to reduce drug use and its consequences in America. And, as we've seen in our work through community coalitions across the country, this approach works in making communities healthier and safer. We're also focused on expanding access to drug treatment for addicts. Treatment works. In fact, millions of Americans are in successful recovery for drug and alcoholism today. And through our work with innovative drug courts across the Nation, we are improving our criminal justice system to divert non-violent offenders into treatment.
Our commitment to a balanced approach to drug control is real. This last fiscal year alone, the Federal Government spent over $10 billion on drug education and treatment programs compared to just over $9 billion on drug related law enforcement in the U.S.
Thank you for making your voice heard. I encourage you to take a moment to read about the President's approach to drug control to learn more.
Resources:

National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Marijuana Facts (ONDCP)
Drug Abuse Warning Network (HHS)
Treatment Episode Data Set (HHS)
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS)
Monitoring the Future Survey, University of Michigan

Gil Kerlikowske is Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petition...zing-marijuana

so i'm reading some comments on (fancy popular social news site), and come across this:

Quote:

According to scientists at the National Institutes of Health- the world's largest source of drug abuse research - marijuana alcohol use is associated with addiction, respiratory liver disease, and cognitive impairment. We know from an array of treatment admission information and Federal data that marijuana use boozing is a significant source for voluntary drug treatment admissions and visits to emergency rooms and morgues. Studies also reveal that marijuana potency Bud Light drinkability has almost tripled over the past 20 years, raising serious concerns about what this means for public health – especially among young people who use the drug because research shows their brains continue to develop well into their 20's. Simply put, it is not a benign drug like marijuana.

which has since been turned into a white house petition:
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petition...paign=shorturl

be sure to also check out NORML's response, which completely destroys the official response. it's a really good read and much too long to quote here.

White House response to NORML’s “We the People” marijuana legalization petition | NORML Blog, Marijuana Law Reform

a recent gallup poll showed Americans favor legalization. 50% of Americans support legalization, 46% oppose. when are we going to stand up and actively fight our government's draconian drug policy?

seriously its disgusting how facts can just get ignored and instead they use the same old worn out and dis proven arguments against the legalization of a plant , yet legalize alcohol which requires chemical processes to even obtain the proper alcohol group is completely legal.

marijuana will never be legal

big pharm has too much monies

haha shit, i laughed my ass off in that cigarettes can be substituted for marijuana anywhere in their response, and it would still be accurate.

Personally I do not like weed, I don't like its effects on me. and even if it is legal i will not smoke it.

however i see no reason why cigarettes are around, which contain multiple poisons and marijuana is illegal.

It bothers me that whenever I post about this, there is no debate. We're all on the same page, and our government is going by a different book.

I really don't get why your country makes such a big deal out of this. And I'm not talking about the government.

Are you really that hard up for a good time that you need another legalized substance to have fun?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walperstyle (Post 4332401)

It isn't about going out and getting high so much

I don't even smoke weed and i support it.

legalize and tax the FUCK out of it, like what is done with cigarettes.

the point is, the costs to imprison people from marijuana possession crimes, is crippling our jail system. The police could be pursueing much worse crimes, my step dad is a cop, he hates the fact that so much of police revenue is forced into pursing marijuana crimes (no he doesn't smoke nor has he ever) ESP when police are being laid off left and right because of how much they are struggling right now.

our government cannot find ways to increase income.
people still smoke weed, rates have not dropped since the war on drugs started.
It does have some medicinal value, and i mean shit, i am on legal heroin right now (oxycodone, yes it is prescribed to me.) that shit is FAR worse and addictive than weed.

Cigarettes are legal which are fucking horrible.
i <3 booze but i understand it's effects are some of the worst.
and alcohol addiction is actually stronger than almost all drugs.

We are not hard up for a good time so we want it legal. there are people who are just Stoners and want their habit to not be illegal yes, however there are people like me, who look at this and just think why is this illegal, it makes NO sense. especially when the LEGAL substitutes that come out (spice etc) are sooooooooo much fucking worse for you than the actual product.

what is it with 95% of Canadians being fucking condescending as shit.

If you really were curious about why, ask, but don't be such a fucking douche about it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walperstyle (Post 4332401)

People are going to jail for possession of flowers...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walperstyle (Post 4332401)

Are you really that hard up for a good time that you need another legalized substance to have fun?

Yes, because that is all anyone would use it for.... fun.:picardfp:

Thank you Revcyanide for that explanation ... finally someone that illustrates the concept correctly

Quote:

Like many, we are interested in the potential marijuana may have in providing relief to individuals diagnosed with certain serious illnesses. That is why we ardently support ongoing research into determining what components of the marijuana plant can be used as medicine. To date, however, neither the FDA nor the Institute of Medicine have found smoked marijuana to meet the modern standard for safe or effective medicine for any condition.

All their con's are related to smoking, Why are cigarettes still legal?

Medical cannabis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Quote:

One of the major criticisms of cannabis as medicine is opposition to smoking as a method of consumption. However, smoking is no longer necessary due to the development of healthier methods. Today, medicinal marijuana patients can use vaporizers, where the essential marijuana compounds are extracted and inhaled. This is somewhat similar to steaming vegetables to avoid cancerous by-products that are produced at higher temperatures. In addition, edible marijuana, which is produced in various baked goods, is also available, and has demonstrated longer lasting effects.

I see that research is being done. I thought the governments legal definition placed it in a category of no medical benefit? If you are so committed to medical use, why not move it down a classification?
Controlled Substances Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Quote:

Originally Posted by badbob2121 (Post 4332703)

Thank you Revcyanide for that explanation ... finally someone that illustrates the concept correctly

I try.

msgggg

Quote:

Originally Posted by S14DB (Post 4332719)

yes! why the fuck is above cocaine, pcp and fucking meth?

I lived in Tucson, it is called spun valley for a reason, I have FIRST HAND seen the devastating effects of meth. Meth is only a class III or class II when in an inject-able form. Yet marijuana is 2 categories worse! (or 1 depending on the form meth is in, which doesn't mean a damn thing smoking meth demolishes lives just like shooting it.)

i agree, i voted + for the petition, and got the BS response emailed to me. i knew our bullshit government would respond the way they did.. but they didn't even respond to the question asked, why not tax and distribute M-J the same fashion as alcohol.

its total crap, its all about mexico.. any reason to keep the illegal immigrants out.

it has nothing to do with the small amount of relaxation that MJ can give..

honestly, when i drink alcohol i feel more dangerous and have less control, than if i were on MJ

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walperstyle (Post 4332401)

imo this is like the divorce, and single parent rate, shit is more and more commen and accepted now, mainly due to the image and influence these have been introduced to the generation, i.e. music stars smoking weed etc

i agree with op, this is RIDICULOUS. hell i don't even smoke but even i can factually realize it's less harmful then cigs and booze. if they are legal their is ABSOLUTLEY NO reason it shouldn't be taxed and regulated as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaluska (Post 4332807)

its all about mexico.. any reason to keep the illegal immigrants out.

what the hell does that have to do with legalizing marijuana?

in keeping with the style of the original article...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walperstyle (Post 4332401)

I really don't get why your country makes such a big deal out of hockey. And I'm not talking about the government.

Are you really that hard up for a good time that you need to riot and cause millions of dollars in damage and ruin thousands of small businesses to have fun?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaluska (Post 4332807)

honestly it's arguments from people like you that immediately make people of any intelligence disregard legalization as stoners just wanting to get high.

Quote:

Originally Posted by revcyanide (Post 4332849)

honestly it's arguments from people like you that immediately make people of any intelligence disregard legalization as stoners just wanting to get high.

+1 lol :picardfp:

I like you have no desire to use marijuana, whether legal or not; I just find it ridiculous that they'd send a response back stating the reasons why they intend on keeping it illegal are because of ill effects and public health. There are many other legal substances that people use daily that are known to cause much worse adverse effects.

I think the most absurd part is that it is a naturally growing plant, a damn plant lol. I can't stand that our system works off of "what if", so many stupid rules are in place because of "what if". I don't feel that the government should even have the power to tell me what is and isn't good for me, if I'm doing no harm unto others don't bother me.

I'm sure a good reason for them not allowing it to become legal is probably because people could then grow it in their own homes, so taxing it wouldn't work quite as well as they'd hope for.

Quote:

Originally Posted by revcyanide (Post 4332849)

honestly it's arguments from people like you that immediately make people of any intelligence disregard legalization as stoners just wanting to get high.

It was once associated with oppressed ethnic groups. used as slander to make the public scared of marijuana.

"The intense anti-marijuana movement of the 1930s dovetailed nicely with the intense anti-Chicano movement of the 1930s. Marijuana was associated with Mexican Americans, and a ban on marijuana was seen as a way of discouraging Mexican-American subcultures from developing."

"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others."

"Colored students at the Univ. of Minn. partying with (white) female students, smoking [marijuana] and getting their sympathy with stories of racial persecution. Result: pregnancy"[11][12]

"Two Negros took a girl fourteen years old and kept her for two days under the influence of hemp. Upon recovery she was found to be suffering from syphilis."[12][13]

sorry if my previous response was miss-understood. i hope this clears up what i was talking about....

i think its crap that its considered such a deadly thing, when alcohol is much more mind altering, and has killed many more people.

if it weren't for propaganda it would still be legal is what i was getting at.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaluska (Post 4332923)

It was once associated with oppressed ethnic groups. used as slander to make the public scared of marijuana.

"The intense anti-marijuana movement of the 1930s dovetailed nicely with the intense anti-Chicano movement of the 1930s. Marijuana was associated with Mexican Americans, and a ban on marijuana was seen as a way of discouraging Mexican-American subcultures from developing."

"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others."

"Colored students at the Univ. of Minn. partying with (white) female students, smoking [marijuana] and getting their sympathy with stories of racial persecution. Result: pregnancy"[11][12]

"Two Negros took a girl fourteen years old and kept her for two days under the influence of hemp. Upon recovery she was found to be suffering from syphilis."[12][13]

sorry if my previous response was miss-understood. i hope this clears up what i was talking about....

i think its crap that its considered such a deadly thing, when alcohol is much worse, and has killed many more people. if it weren't for propaganda, it would still be legal.

(2009 - annual causes of death by cause - FDA)
Cause of death1 Number

All causes 2,436,652

Cardiovascular diseases 779,367 Malignant neoplasms 568,668 Drug induced2 37,485 Suicide 36,547 Motor vehicle accidents 36,284 Septicemia (infections) 35,587 by Firearms 31,224 Accidental poisoning 30,504 Alcohol induced 23,199 Homicide 16,591 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 9,424 Viral hepatitis 7,652 Cannabis (Marijuana) 0

2 Drug induced include both legal and illicit drugs.

guess what.

I am Hispanic too, stop using it as a trump card and start making intelligent arguements, (like your ending comment).

This isnt the 1930's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by revcyanide (Post 4332931)

guess what.

I am Hispanic too, stop using it as a trump card and start making intelligent arguements, (like your ending comment).

This isnt the 1930's.

I don't think he was trying to use it as a trump card. I think he was just reiterating the fact that part of it's illegal nature was based on corrupt and misguided propoganda aimed at minorities in the 1930's.

I might be misreading him, but I don't think he was using ethnic groups as an argument against it's legalization.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brok3n_RB25 (Post 4332954)

I never said it was.

"its total crap, its all about mexico.. any reason to keep the illegal immigrants out."

this is a race card, "you are only doing this because i am (insert race here) is a race card.

He later explained himself, but he is still caught up on being the victim because of his race, I do not believe in that crap.

Quote:

Originally Posted by revcyanide (Post 4332978)

Oh, alright. Sorry about that. I misunderstood where you were coming from.

I agree with you entirely on that note.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walperstyle (Post 4332401)

Quote:

Originally Posted by murda-c (Post 4332576)

People are going to jail for possession of flowers...

there are people in prison over something less addictive than caffeine and less harmful than tobacco. there is no reasonable reason for it to be illegal. the drug war is an enormous waste of tax money and it's fucking up peoples' lives. that should be reason enough to care.

Can't to much about it... its pretty well known throughout the "people" that its not a bad thing anymore..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lg5I...layer_embedded

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brok3n_RB25 (Post 4332954)

^this.

take it however you want.

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/9...dwardnorto.jpg

its sucks we cant enjoy a natural plant, because a group of a few men get paid large sums of money to make it so..

"YOU CANNOT EAT STRAWBERRYS, THEY HAVE BEEN PROOVEN TO KILL HUNDREDS!!!!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaluska (Post 4333174)

its sucks we cant enjoy a natural plant, because a group of a few men get paid large sums of money to make it so..

There are plenty of other natural plants you can enjoy.
Have you considered starting a rose garden?
It is a very relaxing pastime.

Quote:

Originally Posted by az_240 (Post 4332697)

Yes, because that is all anyone would use it for.... fun.:picardfp:

I suppose you are one of those people thats all about having a hemp wallet, hemp clothing etc. How original.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BustedS13 (Post 4332985)

You do realize that many of those people that are in jail, simply could have avoided being there if they didn't have it on them right?

besides that, instead of making it Legal, how about lessening some of the laws, aka, fine people more instead of locking them up. Go after the dealers instead of the users.

you know what.... GOOD

keep narcotics illegal

the end