# Fuck the DEA **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 5, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603 "2009-02-05T18:58:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jaglavak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@Jaglavak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaglavak)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/21 "2009-02-06T04:27:25Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > Probably because the guys … appreciate paychecks in this fiscal environment. Bingo! Do asshole cops burn down the lives of people who are minding their own business and not hurting anyone, just for a paycheck, even though they and most of the nation knows it is wrong? People do. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/22 "2009-02-06T07:27:33Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > Why the fuck is the DEA continuing these busts when the President is clearly against them? More importantly (especially to the folk who may end up in jail in the meantime) why the fuck doesn’t Obama ORDER them to stop? He doesn’t need to wait until a new administrator takes over. > > I really don’t get this and it just burns me up. Why? Ever watch a DEA agent talk? Search youtube, lots of busts and commentary from these folks. They’re like a hardcore religion who believe what most of us don’t, except they get a badge and get to enforce their beliefs. Yay. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/23 "2009-02-06T09:12:58Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > The highest-voted question was about taxing and regulating pot. My friends and I have always debated this for years. It’s the best idea out there. Imagine this: You could theoretically charge twice the amount you charge for smokes (as a baseline for the argument for the dorks who want to do the math), and get twice the tax dollars. Eliminate the cost of the war on drugs (HAH!) by at least 50% (there’s still the coke dealers and whoever else out there doing their thing to deal with). Increased revenue from permit regulations and what not to meet the new importation regulations (ka-ching!)… …and not to mention eliminate at least 50% loss of lives of those fighting the war on drugs. That’s just for starters. I’m sure there are many more points to promote this idea and the big financial plan that I’m not aware of, but I can barely balance my checkbook. C’mon, Obama - just legalize it. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/24 "2009-02-06T10:30:28Z")
> [@Jettboy](#): > > Illegal at the _federal_ level, completely legal at the state level. The states that allow medical marijuana all think that the federal government has no right to bust marijuana dispensaries. Hmm. We all remember what happened the _last_ time we got into a big argument over states’ rights vs. the federal government… ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/25 "2009-02-06T10:37:04Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > A couple months ago, Obama’s transition team did a web site with questions from the public, and other members of the public could vote on which question they’d like to see answered. The highest-voted question was about taxing and regulating pot. The answer was a flat, one-sentence, NO. No nuance. No shades of gray. No explanation. Just no. Is that archived anywhere? [Change.gov](http://Change.gov) no longer has anything on it but a link to [whitehouse.gov](http://whitehouse.gov) ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/26 "2009-02-06T11:04:34Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > I like Obama, but deep down, I’ve always known that he was still a politician and that all that “change” stuff was likely little more than the empty words of a job applicant trying to please his potential employers. I’m sure a lot of you suspected the same. > > Welcome back to politics as usual. ☹ Ah yes. :rolleyes: Obama closes Guantanamo Bay, pulls the troops out of Iraq and tackles the massive budget deficit (all problems Bush created) and you focus on changes in marijuana as his top priority. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/27 "2009-02-06T12:11:16Z")
> [@Enfant Terrible](#): > > Many (most?) American citizens know little regarding the rationale regarding why cannabis is an illegal drug. All they know is that they have been told that it is dangerous, that it is associated with laziness, the hip hop culture, hippies, and the ‘gateway drug’ theory. [Wikipedia says more than 40 percent of U.S. adults have tried it, and frankly I think that figure is very low.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult_lifetime_cannabis_use_by_country) Aside from a minority of very culturally conservative people, I don’t think people are afraid of marijuana and buy into these stereotypes. I think they just don’t care about it one way or another because they have no reason to. It’s illegal, but they never got into it or grew out of it, and moved on to legal stuff because there was less chance of getting in trouble. > [@](#): > > Political inertia demands the status quo. This, however, is completely true. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/28 "2009-02-06T16:44:59Z")
> [@glee](#): > > Ah yes. :rolleyes: > Obama closes Guantanamo Bay, pulls the troops out of Iraq and tackles the massive budget deficit (all problems Bush created) and you focus on changes in marijuana as his top priority. :smack: Hey, thanks for reading and understanding my posts! > [@neutron star](#): > > That’s just the thing, though. There will always be an issue more important than this one. Does that make it okay to ignore it forever? Idiot. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/29 "2009-02-06T16:48:28Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Is that archived anywhere? [Change.gov](http://Change.gov) no longer has anything on it but a link to [whitehouse.gov](http://whitehouse.gov) [Here you go.](http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/open_for_questions_response/) > [@](#): > > Q: “Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?” S. Man, Denton > > A: President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana. All he had to do was say “We’re opening a dialog on this issue,” or even, “We’ll address this issue in the future.” That wouldn’t have required any extra effort. But he didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/30 "2009-02-06T18:15:46Z")
Cheer up. He’s not the President-elect anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/31 "2009-02-06T18:22:34Z")
I think it’s funny that so many pro-legalization people practically BEG the government to tax the stuff, like it would be a great thing. Ask some cigarette smokers how THEY feel about taxes on their product. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/32 "2009-02-06T18:34:50Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I think it’s funny that so many pro-legalization people practically BEG the government to tax the stuff, like it would be a great thing. Ask some cigarette smokers how THEY feel about taxes on their product. Ask them if they prefer it over going to jail for their habit. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Understander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@The\_Understander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Understander)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/33 "2009-02-06T18:36:36Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > [Wikipedia says more than 40 percent of U.S. adults have tried it, and frankly I think that figure is very low.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult_lifetime_cannabis_use_by_country) Aside from a minority of very culturally conservative people, I don’t think people are afraid of marijuana and buy into these stereotypes. I think they just don’t care about it one way or another because they have no reason to. It’s illegal, but they never got into it or grew out of it, and moved on to legal stuff because there was less chance of getting in trouble. > > \ Oh, I know just about everyone and their Aunt May has tried it… but I just don’t think many have had the morbid curiosity to look back at the history of just [how](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Anslinger) it became an illegal substance. Not the greatest link but it’s a good start. I wish for reincarnation just for the opportunity to meet that guy somewhere in the Universe and kick him in the groblax. Hard. With all five pseudopods. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/34 "2009-02-06T18:38:53Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > Hey, thanks for reading and understanding my posts! > > Idiot. Idiot yourself. Obama would be a fool if he spent time on marijuana right now. Er, marijuana legalization. Not marijuana itself. Though that wouldn’t be too smart either. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/35 "2009-02-06T18:40:12Z")
Kick him? I’d kill him to prevent his ideas from ruining millions of lives. Is it okay to wish death on someone who’s already dead? ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/36 "2009-02-06T18:43:43Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > Idiot yourself. Obama would be a fool if he spent time on marijuana right now. Er, marijuana legalization. Not marijuana itself. Though that wouldn’t be too smart either. I can’t really argue with you when you have the reading comprehension of a government official studying an independent report on whether or not pot should be legal. That’s a roundabout way of saying none. You fucking have none, Captain fucking Kangaroo Carrot whatever. I’m not asking him to do a thing right now as far as suggesting the proposal of legislation. All I wanted was a reasonable answer (or hell, even an answer with _some_ sort of explanation) to the most popular question asked of his transition team. He refused to give one. e: sorry I’m so pissy, but this is something I recently found out about, and I’m not too fucking happy with the candidate I voted for right now. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/37 "2009-02-06T18:59:57Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > All I wanted was a reasonable answer (or hell, even an answer with _some_ sort of explanation) to **the most popular question asked of his transition team**. He refused to give one. Er… not to be difficult, or anything, but… CITE? ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/38 "2009-02-06T19:22:52Z")
OKAY! Just a MINUTE! I’ll be RIGHT BACK with it. PROMISE. e: [Here’s](http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/open_for_questions_round_2_response/) the second round of questions, where it’s narrowed down to the top five, but they’re not in any stated order. I’ll find something better. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/39 "2009-02-06T19:29:47Z")
And here you go: [Marijuana Legalization Tops List of Questions for Obama in Online Poll](http://www.salem-news.com/articles/december122008/barack_cannabis_12-12-08.php) Good enough? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/40 "2009-02-06T20:14:52Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > That’s just the thing, though. There will _always_ be an issue more important than this one. Does that make it okay to ignore it forever? > [@neutron\_star](#): > > Obama has smoked pot. He knows it’s no big deal. He had the chance to stand up and do the right thing. Instead, he did the thing that he thought would curry the most political favor. > [@neutron\_star](#): > > I’m not asking him to do a thing right now as far as suggesting the proposal of legislation. All I wanted was a reasonable answer (or hell, even an answer with _some_ sort of explanation) to the most popular question asked of his transition team. He refused to give one. Sounds to me like you wanted a hell of lot more than that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603.md?page=3)