# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![imfloating](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bc79bd/32.png) [@imfloating](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imfloating)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/41 "2009-02-06T20:17:52Z")
If they tax/legalize it, so many people will run out to buy it that I won’t be able to get any. ---
**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, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/42 "2009-02-06T20:46:21Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > Sounds to me like you wanted a hell of lot more than that. It sure would be nice if I got a lot more than that, but at the very least, a response to that question that was even ambiguous would have been welcome. And ordering the DEA not to do this would have been _very_ welcome, not taken a hell of a lot of effort, and sent a positive message to a fairly large percentage of the American people who have been ignored, harassed, and imprisoned for far too many years for no good reason, and in accordance with laws directly rooted in racism and ridiculously wrong “science.” (Anslinger once testified to Congress that he tried marijuana once, and it literally made him turn into a bat and fly around the room. I’m not making that up.) ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/43 "2009-02-06T21:00:44Z")
Fuck. the. DEA ? Oh hell no! Do you know where that agency has been ?! ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/44 "2009-02-06T21:05:03Z")
> [@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. As long as the taxes would probably less than the bail… ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/45 "2009-02-06T21:53:43Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > It sure would be nice if I got a lot more than that, but at the very least, a response to that question that was even ambiguous would have been welcome. And ordering the DEA not to do this would have been _very_ welcome, not taken a hell of a lot of effort, and sent a positive message to a fairly large percentage of the American people who have been ignored, harassed, and imprisoned for far too many years for no good reason, and in accordance with laws directly rooted in racism and ridiculously wrong “science.” (Anslinger once testified to Congress that he tried marijuana once, and it literally made him turn into a bat and fly around the room. I’m not making that up.) That’s the problem I have. People, abiding by the laws of the sovereign state of California, are having their lives ruined by overzealous Federal prosecutors on the basis of an insanely rigid interpretation of Federal law (interstate commerce, my ass). **Gfactor** ’s illuminating post upthread made me realize that the situation was more complex than I’d imagined and it’s far from straightforward for a President to interfere in federal prosecutions, but surely there has to be _something_ Obama can do to rein in the DEA until the new guy takes over. ---
**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, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/46 "2009-02-06T21:58:53Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > 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? That’ll do, pig. Thanks. ---
**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 7, 2009, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/47 "2009-02-07T04:32:58Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > Ask them if they prefer it over going to jail for their habit. Amen, brother. I’d rather pay $10 in taxes than $100 bail and gamble on court penalties, fees, and probably probation fees and the personal invasion of my privacy. Once you’re in the _legal_ system, it’s tough to get out. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/48 "2009-02-07T05:39:42Z")
> [@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: Well, man, like, ya gotta have, like, _priorities_, dude. Ya know? Who ate the last Twinky? ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/49 "2009-02-07T06:08:57Z")
> [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](#): > > Amen, brother. > > I’d rather pay $10 in taxes than $100 bail and gamble on court penalties, fees, and probably probation fees and the personal invasion of my privacy. > > Once you’re in the _legal_ system, it’s tough to get out. And there’s the problem. Easier to tax .60 cents on cigarettes, a legal product, than to legalize and tax $10 and lose the incentives they already get due to it being illegal ($100 bail, court penalties, fees, etc…). What’s a better income stream for the government, $10, or $100 to 1,000’s+? Of course there’s overhead, it’s not all profit. Get rid of the DEA you say? Not today. The govmit is all about saving jobs in this current enviroment. They’re not going to axe the DEA, even though they desperately need to be cut down in droves and put to work in other more useful areas of government. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/50 "2009-02-07T06:43:42Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > 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. Looks to me like he did give an answer to that question about marijuana. The answer was “No”. Ed ---
**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 7, 2009, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/51 "2009-02-07T07:19:51Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Looks to me like he did give an answer to that question about marijuana. The answer was “No”. > > Ed I said “a reasonable answer (or hell, even an answer with some sort of explanation).” Just plain no isn’t a reasonable answer, and I guess I must have been foolish for thinking I could hope for a little bit more than that from Obama. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![mshar253](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@mshar253](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mshar253)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/52 "2009-02-07T07:23:46Z")
> [@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. Seriously. Am I supposed to be shedding a tear because the people running the pot shops in California got busted? In the raid, was 90% of the nation’s pot confiscated? Are the passionate pot smokers going to be completely unable to score a bag if they really want one? I don’t understand what the problem is. Maybe the people who got busted should have either a) sold drugs “the old fashion way,” by having individual clients whom they would meet, or b) get an honest job. Sure, pot is still illegal; I truly doubt that will ever change. But, unless you’re moving pot by the pound (which you wouldn’t do unless you’re a big-time drug dealer), you don’t have much more to worry about than a slap on the wrist. And if you’re _smart_ about your habit (if you have one), you probably don’t need to worry at all. I haven’t smoked pot in nearly three years, but when I did, I smoked _a lot._ Still, in spite of being a dumbass teenager at the time, I was still smart enough not to put myself in a position where I would be caught by the cops. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/53 "2009-02-07T07:36:23Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > It doesn’t matter. Obama could have issued an order the day he was inaugurated if he thought it was a priority. But it seems he doesn’t. I can’t blame him, he’s got lots of shit to deal with already. What the order: stop enforcing the law? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/54 "2009-02-07T17:58:23Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > What the order: stop enforcing the law? “Okay, some of you have questioned my decision earlier this month to devote all of the manpower of this precinct to a jaywalking sting operation at the corner of 4th and Elm. In response I say to you: would you prefer that we just stop enforcing the _law_?” ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/55 "2009-02-07T19:46:30Z")
It’s the _War on Drugs_, man. The DEA are the front-line soldiers in the combat and their generals are determined to bomb Drugs into submission. They obviously need billions and billions of dollars to do this and nobody should question their financial needs. I mean, that would be arguing _for_ Drugs! And Drugs are Evil! No matter that they’re inanimate substances, they’re wicked and evil! Ah, the eternal War on Drugs, unending, unendable, ours not to reason why, ours just to foot the enormous and ongoing bill. I really do hope and pray that Obama can bring some grown-up thinking to this area, but I’m not hopeful. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/56 "2009-02-07T20:45:27Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > I really do hope and pray that Obama can bring some grown-up thinking to this area, but I’m not hopeful. [White House: DEA Raids in Medical Marijuana States Will Stop](http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/white-house-dea-raids-medical-marijuana-states-will-stop) > [@](#): > > . . . White House spokesman Nick Shapiro on Wednesday reiterated Obama’s stance that “federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws.” > “And as he continues to appoint senior leadership to fill out the ranks of the federal government, he expects them to review their policies with that in mind,” Shapiro said. . . Patience, young Jedi. It’s been fewer than 3 weeks. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/57 "2009-02-08T06:45:10Z")
Why blame the DEA? Congress passed the Laws. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/58 "2009-02-08T07:26:17Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Why blame the DEA? Congress passed the Laws. Hmmm, you have a point. OK, fuck Congress too. ---
**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:** [March 1, 2009, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/59 "2009-03-01T04:54:51Z")
I’m giving this thread a bump because, to some extent, I may have spoken in haste. [DEA to End Medical Marijuana Raids](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29433708/) > [@](#): > > Supporters of programs to provide legal marijuana to patients with painful medical conditions are celebrating Attorney General Eric Holder’s statement this week that the Drug Enforcement Administration would end its raids on state-approved marijuana dispensaries. > > Federal raids on medical marijuana distributors continued at least into the second week of Barack Obama’s presidency, when federal agents shut down at least two dispensaries in California on Feb. 3. > > Holder was asked about those raids Wednesday in Santa Ana, Calif., at a news conference that was called to announce the arrests of 755 people in a nationwide crackdown on the U.S. operations of Mexican drug cartels. He said such operations would no longer be conducted. Wow! This is awesome news! ---
**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:** [March 1, 2009, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603/60 "2009-03-01T05:04:12Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > Wow! This is awesome news! Psst… it was awesome news on February 7, too. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-dea/484603.md?page=4)