Obama Gets It: RNC Out of Touch with Electorate’s Views on Medical Marijuana

ghost-written by Rebecca Saltzman, Chief of Staff, Americans for Safe Access and crossposted at Medical Cannabis:  Voices from the Frontlines

This week, presidential candidate Barack Obama made strong statements indicating he would end the DEA raids on medical marijuana providers. These statements are in line with the nation’s views on medical marijuana - a 2002 TIME/CNN poll found that 80% of Americans approve of cannabis for medical use, and other polls show that a majority supports it in every region of the country, irrespective of age or party affiliation.

But the RNC apparently hasn’t seen these polls or just doesn’t care what the electorate thinks about this important issue. In response to Obama’s comments, they issued this statement:

Barack Obama’s pledge to stop Executive agencies from implementing laws passed by Congress raises serious doubts about his understanding of what the job of the President of the United States actually is. His refusal to enforce the law reveals that Barack Obama doesn’t have the experience necessary to do the job of President, or that he fundamentally lacks the judgment to carry out the most basic functions of the Executive Branch. What other laws would Barack Obama direct federal agents not to enforce?

On the contrary, I think Obama’s pledge to end raids on medical marijuana providers shows his deep understanding of the job as President. As Americans for Safe Access has mentioned before, the next President of the United States has the power to end these raids by signing an Executive Order that would deny funds to the Department of Justice for federal enforcement efforts against patients and providers in states that have adopted medical marijuana laws.

The President’s job isn’t just to rubber stamp decisions made by Congress, especially when the President and the nation fundamentally disagree with these decisions. The President’s job is to lead our nation and to create and enforce policies that protect all US citizens, including medical marijuana patients. I applaud Obama for clearly stating that he will do this:

I would [end DEA raids on medical marijuana providers] because I think our federal agents have better things to do, like catching criminals and preventing terrorism. The way I want to approach the issue of medical marijuana is to base it on science. And if there is sound science that supports the use of medical marijuana and if it is controlled and prescribed in a way that other medicine is prescribed, then it’s something we should consider.

There are many Democrats and Republicans in Congress who support Obama’s statement, but in this case the Democratic front runner has clearly shown that he’s leaps and bounds ahead of the RNC on medical marijuana and patients’ rights.