Romney: Clueless Drug Warrior

[RainDog]

http://www.alternet.org/story/155605/how_many_antipot_politicians_will_be_ousted_before_they_realize_the_will_of_the_majority?page=entire

...not that people didn't already know this.

At a recent campaign stop in Colorado, a CBS news reporter questioned Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney on a number of issues relevant to Centennial State voters. Among them was marijuana. Romney, appearing visibly agitated, did not take kindly to the inquiry.

“Aren't there issues of significance that you'd like to talk about?” Romney barked, before veering off into prototypical Reefer Madness territory: “I think marijuana should not be legal in this country. I believe it is a gateway drug to other drug violations. The use of illegal drugs in this country is leading to terrible consequences in places like Mexico -- and actually in our country.

hmmm. actually, Democrats are no better than Republicans on the issue of addressing the failure of the WoD in Latin America by refusing to discuss options other than the current failure, sadly.

anyway, Romney-

2007 New Hampshire

Romney: Industrial Hemp? huh?

Here ya go, Rmoney - http://www.industrialhemp.net/

back to that original link:

In Colorado alone, an estimated 100,000 residents are authorized to grow and possess cannabis for therapeutic purposes under state law, including some 15 percent of all residents living in the Mile High City. (Nationwide, well over one million Americans are now estimated to be using marijuana medicinally in compliance with the laws of their states, 17 of which now recognize the medical utility of pot.) In recent years, Colorado state officials have licensed several hundred brick-and-mortar retail outlets to dispense cannabis – a move that has allowed for the creation of several thousand local jobs and has raised several millions of dollars in new revenue. (Two other states, Maine and New Mexico, also presently license medical marijuana dispensaries; four additional states – Arizona, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont – as well as the District of Columbia, are presently in the process of doing so.) And this coming November, at the same time voters will be deciding their next President, Coloradoans will also be deciding the fate of A 64 – a constitutional amendment that seeks to allow for the legalization and regulation of cannabis for all adults. Yet, to hear Romney tell it, American voters don’t particularly care about cannabis.

Well, not according to Ellen Rosenblum or Kamala Harris - who won their elections by appealing to pro-mmj voters.

Rosenblum's election: Holton enjoyed the avid support of Oregon’s law enforcement community as well as a fundraising advantage. In a typical election for attorney general, that would have been a hard combination to beat.

“Dwight got painted as a conservative and Ellen a liberal,” said Jack Roberts, former Oregon Labor Commissioner. “I don’t think those labels were entirely fair to either candidate. But Ellen was able to take advantage.”

Halfway through the race, Holton seemed to have all the momentum.

The race took a surprising turn in April after the pro-marijuana legalization camp threw its support to Rosenblum.

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/05/ellen_rosenblum_dwight_h.html

Harris' election: California Attorney General’s race has significant implications for the distribution of medical cannabis in California, as Cooley had pledged to prosecute dispensaries that engage in over-the-counter cash sales of marijuana to authorized patients.

By contrast, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris has previously voiced strong support for protecting the legal rights of patients who use cannabis medicinally, stating, “We will not prosecute people who use or sell marijuana for medicinal purposes.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/21/kamala-harris-defends-medical-marijuana_n_1023310.html

Harris, on recent crackdowns: Federal prosecutors should be careful not to overreach in their crackdown on California's pot dispensaries, even though there are ambiguities in the state's medical marijuana laws, the state attorney general said Thursday.

The law passed 15 years ago by California voters has ambiguities that must be resolved either by the state Legislature or the courts, state Attorney General Kamala Harris said in a statement.

However, Harris said she was worried that "an overly broad federal enforcement campaign will make it more difficult for legitimate patients to access physician-recommended medicine in California."

or this

74% of Voters, Across the Political Spectrum: Stop Interfering with State MMJ laws
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002691496

and back to that original link:

One would think that candidate Romney would be learning from these life lessons, but he isn’t. Neither is his party. Last week, House Republicans led the charge to defeat a bipartisan budgetary amendment that sought to limit the use of taxpayers’ dollars to fund Department of Justice and DEA operations targeting medical marijuana consumers and operators who are compliant with state law. (During the floor debate, Republican Congressman Frank Wolf of Virginia likened the physician-supervised, state-authorized use of medicinal cannabis to that of engaging in “sexual trafficking.”) Two-hundred-and-twelve Republicans (88 percent of GOP House members who cast votes) decided against the measure, which was ultimately defeated 262 to 163. (Ironically, during Romney’s CBS interview, he specifically referred to marijuana as a “states issue;” apparently the majority of his political brethren in Congress disagree.)

Unfortunately, President Obama has not staked out a position to appeal to the 74% - but he can surely evolve on this issue, as he has on others. He needs to recognize the time has come.

Romney - well, d'uh. He and his party just will not. This is NOT a "Nixon goes to China" issue - this is an issue that Democrats need to recognize, in the same way they recognized women's rights and civil rights and gblt rights - as an issue that matters to a core constituency of their voters and act accordingly.