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Why isn't Luv and Mr Mushrooms defending the Bush administration now?

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Swami said:

But wait then, that is contrary to your sig: "Liberals believe in virtually every conspiracy under the sun..."

See if you can point out the error. 

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whiterasta said:

Germin8tionst8tion,and Luvvie. Please weigh in on the original topic please. I very much would like to here your views on Bush's attack on MMJ, but please refrain from comparisons with equally onerous views expressed by the alleged "opposing" party. In other words what do you think in YOUR terms of his acts.

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Also, while the previous administrations hypocritical persicution of Cannabis is inexcusable,is not the further escalation to warfare on the sick and disabled an order of magnitude above being "tough on drugs"?

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How do Ya'll feel about the precipitous loss of your Constitutional rights?

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Honestly, it doesnt' affect me that much.  When I was but a young lad, I did get in a spot o' trouble with the law over marijuana. Since then I've developed reliable contacts and smoke in safe places.  Their stupid laws have no bearing on how I get my doh-ja fix in

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I am sorry I just cannot put Bubba's eight years aside he was a better president than either Bush and Reagan too IMHO of course
WR

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Divided_Sky said:

I think the whole medical marijuana thing is a little ridiculous. Just legalize it! It shouldn't be legal for cancer patients and nobody else. It should be legal for everyone over 18.

Besides, the medical marijuana thing seems a little silly in the case of lung cancer patients.

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Decriminalization

US Senator John Kerry (D-MA) is on record voicing mild support for the removal of criminal penalties for the possession of marijuana for personal use. In a November 2003 interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Kerry said he has little problem with the responsible use of marijuana by adults, stating: "I've met plenty of people in my lifetime who've used marijuana and who I would not qualify as serious addicts -- who use about the same amount as some people drink beer or wine or have a cocktail. I don't get too excited by any of that." However, when asked whether he supported decriminalizing the possession and use of marijuana as a public policy, he replied: "No, not quite. What we did in the prosecutor's office was have a sort of unspoken approach to marijuana that was almost effectively decriminalization. We just didn't bother with small-time use. It doesn't rise to the level of nuisance, even. And what we were after was people dealing with heroin and destroying lives, and people who were killing people. That's where you need to focus."

When asked during a live November 2003 debate on CNN whether he'd ever smoked marijuana, Kerry responded that he had.


Medical Marijuana

Kerry is on record voicing mild support for the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Speaking in January 2004 at the New Hampshire College Convention, Kerry said he opposed federally prosecuting medical marijuana patients who reside in states that have legalized its use. However, Kerry stopped short of endorsing marijuana's therapeutic use, stating (as summarized by the Associated Press), "he wanted to wait for the completion of a study to see what other alternatives might be available ... before deciding whether to legalize it in all states."

As a Senator, Kerry has been supportive of statewide medical marijuana reform efforts in his home state of Massachusetts. He praised legislation approved by the Massachusetts legislature in 1996 that sought to establish a medicinal marijuana therapeutic research program, and most recently, he wrote a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in support of a University of Massachusetts Amherst proposal to manufacture marijuana for FDA-approved medical marijuana research.


Repealing the Drug Offender Exclusionary Provision from the Federal Higher Education Act

Kerry is on record supporting the partial repeal of a 1998 provision to the federal Higher Education Act (HEA) that bars convicted marijuana and drug offenders from receiving financial student aid. Speaking in January 2004 at the New Hampshire College Convention, Kerry responded to questioning from the organization, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, by stating that his position depends on the type of drug offense. "If the offense is use, yes," he said. But "if the offense is selling, no."


Industrial Hemp

Kerry has not taken a public position regarding the legalization of industrial hemp, despite publicly promising to do so at the January 2004 College Convention in New Hampshire. In addition, he failed to respond to a 2004 survey by the organization Vote Hemp, even after the group extended their deadline to accommodate Kerry's staff.

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Decriminalization

President George W. Bush has not voiced support for the removal of criminal penalties for the possession of marijuana for personal use. To date, his administration has overseen more than 700,000 marijuana arrests per year, nearly 90 percent of which have been for simple possession only. In addition, the Bush administration has levied significant political pressure upon Canada's Parliament to persuade them to reject a federal proposal to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana in that country. The administration has also led an unprecedented domestic crackdown on businesses that sell glass pipes and other items associated with marijuana smoking, and handed down criminal indictments against their owners, including noted actor Tommy Chong.


Medical Marijuana

Bush is on record strongly opposing the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes, despite promising as a candidate in 2000 to let states decide the issue without federal interference. The Bush administration has launched numerous federal raids against medicinal marijuana patients and dispensaries in states that have legalized its use. In addition, administration officials have aggressively campaigned against local and state proposals seeking to protect patients who use marijuana as a medicine. The Bush administration has also appealed court decisions barring qualified patients from federal prosecution, and upholding a physician's right to discuss marijuana therapy with their patients.


Repealing the Drug Offender Exclusionary Provision from the Federal Higher Education Act

Bush instructed the Department of Education to vigorously enforce a seldom used 1998 provision to the federal Higher Education Act (HEA) that bars convicted marijuana and drug offenders from receiving financial student aid. As a result, approximately 50,000 citizens have been denied federal student aid annually under the Bush presidency.


Industrial Hemp

Bush has not voiced support for allowing farmers to legally cultivate industrial hemp. In response to the question: "Does the President favor the legalization of industrial hemp?" posed at a July 16, 2001 White House briefing, a spokesman for Bush said the President has not made "any statements ... that would lend one to reach that conclusion." The Bush administration also backed efforts by the Drug Enforcement Administration to ban edible hemp foods. He received a failing grade on the Vote Hemp 2004 Presidential Candidate Report Card.

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JonPathetic said:

I did read the thread. Except for pinky's statement about voting libertarian, I didn't really see any views on it from the right. I have a hard time keeping track of everyone's political leanings, so there may have been some righties views on it.

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Divided_Sky said:

IMO the medical marijuana thing is peripheral as what is really important is legal marijuana for EVERYONE.

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