For this reason, it would never happen, as well as having to loosen the tight grip of the prison industry lobby in Washington.
Shhh! We all know what happened when it came to expectations, Bill Clinton and gays in the military.
A “Puff but don’t Tell” policy?
Why do people around here constantly pose questions about whether a president will change certain laws when only Congress can do that? No, Obama isn’t going to legalize marijuana because he won’t have the authority to do it as president.
The price of products is generally determined by supply and demand. If flights from DC to London cost $900, it really doesn’t matter to the consumer how much of that $900 is taxes, does it? It can be a $100 ticket or a $850 ticket, and so long as the seats are being filled at the $900 price, the airlines will continue to sell seats at that price. Same thing with gasoline.
But this is a hijack, I’ll say no more in this subject.
I expect that one day it is likely marijuana will be either legalized or subject to much lesser restrictions, but there isn’t going to be any leader that pushes that through. It’s going to be based on changing attitudes toward the drug.
And in any case, even if Obama and Congress wanted to change the Federal laws on marijuana (which I don’t think they do), it really won’t mean very much, as most state legislatures show little interest in following suit.
You laugh, but I swear–like I said in the other thread, this is more or less exactly the claim our mid-west relatives made in regards to legalization, saying this was the sole reason they would never even remotely entertain the thought of voting in favor. DUI.
Yep. And JM, why do we keep agreeing, you conservative bastard? 
Speaking as a liberal Democrat: no, it ain’t gonna happen. Keep your stashes hidden. Dude’s got enough problems without trying, and failing, to keep you dudes high. You are on your fuckin’ own. Where the hell did you get the idea that would change? Are you THAT high?
Fear sucks.
Wait, you mean pot is illegal?
If Obama’s smart, he won’t even bring up marijuana decrim until after the 2010 midterm elections. If those break Dem, he’ll have enough credibility to broach the issue nonsuicidally.
Well when asked if he inhaled, his reply “Well, isn’t that the point? Right, isn’t that the point of smoking marijuana to inhale?”
There’s a video somewhere of the commentary.
Aha! Here it is. Some of you may get a kick out of that.
Probably not, but Rep. Barney Frank has at least introduced a very limited decrim bill.
“I inhaled… uh… frequently” 
In this video, he says he supports decriminalization, but not outright legalization.
I say fuck the whole “legalize it and tax it” argument. Fuck more taxes. I’m not paying a tax on weed. If it’s going to be “legal but taxed” does that mean that we’re not going to be able to grow our own? How will the government regulate individual growers working out of their backyard and selling to their friends? Is the government going to allow only government-sponsored corporate-produced weed or something?
Either weed is legal TO GROW, or it’s illegal, as far as I’m concerned.
How does the government do that with tobacco?
ETA: I don’t know, I’m wondering.
Well from a farming point of view, growing a tobacco plant is easy, the hard part is making from it a cigar or cigarrette. Whereas with Marijuana - it’s a weed - so if you have a female plant, it will grow buds, all you need do is pick them, dry them and smoke them.
Just an observation, I have no empirical evidence - IANA-Grower.
BTW - Michael Pollan in his book the Botany of Desire - he gives a wonderful history of Marijuana with it’s native american background and how it infused into popular culture and how it managed to change culture/society as we view them.
(cite is pdf)
How do they do it with beer and wine?
Tell me, I don’t know. Do you have to have a license to brew beer or wine?
No, as long as you are not selling it.
It doesn’t, but very few people – nobody I’ve ever met or heard of, at any rate – bother to grow their own tobacco when processed tobacco products are so easy to buy. It would be perfectly legal to grow your own (municipal ordinances permitting), but if you try to sell it, you’d have to be careful to pay the right taxes.