Barack Obama bats for Decriminalization of Marijua
Posted by Sagar Satapathy on March 16, 2015.
US President Barack Obama, who has always admitted about his marijuana habits, has said an in interview that the divide between Republicans and Democrats on the subject of decriminalization of marijuana is narrowing. The interview, telecast by Vice News, showed Obama strongly batting for use of marijuana.
The President said that it does not make sense to ban marijuana. He added that not only liberal Democrats but also some very conservative Republicans support the decriminalization of pot. The libertarian wing of the Republican Party are also favor of use of pot. He lamented the massive crackdown on non-violent drug offenders and talked about harassment of communities of color.
According to Obama, the states are suffering huge losses because of the restrictions."So we may be able to make some progress on the decriminalization side," Obama said. "At a certain point if enough states end up decriminalizing, then Congress may then reschedule marijuana," said Barack Obama. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican, was one of the three lawmakers who moved a bill, seeking removal of federal prohibitions on medical marijuana. "We, as a society, are changing our opinions on restricting people's choices as far as medical treatments," he said.
Apart from Paul, Democrats Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York are part of the marijuana battle. Obama's statement would give tremendous boost to their campaign. The recent survey conducted by Gallup, has revealed that 51 per cent of Americans are in favor of legalization of marijuana. Nearly 10 years ago, around two-thirds of Americans were against it.
Medical marijuana is currently legal in 23 states and in Washington D.C. Voters in four states and Washington D.C. have approved marijuana for recreational use. But, pot still remains illegal at the federal level.
