Legalize Marijuana in California: Nancy Pelosi Says 'Yes,' Why Does Obama Say 'No'?

If there is a non-divisive issue that the president could earn points on, that issue is medical marijuana. According to CBS news, 77% of the people in the United States support medical marijuana. So why is the federal government constantly attacking the California marijuana dispensaries?

Medical marijuana dispensaries in California have been routinely and systematically closed down, their owners threatened and arrested by the federal government despite the fact that California has legalized medical marijuana and these people are operating within the parameters of that law. The landlords who own the buildings where the marijuana dispensaries are located have been threatened with seizure of their property, making it that much harder for the dispensary owners to reopen.

The federal prosecutors say that medical marijuana dispensaries are using the California law to make enormous profits despite the fact that it's supposed to be a nonprofit activity. Well DUHH. Nonprofit organizations often make a good deal of money, and most spend that money in ways that you and I never hear about. But federal prosecutors don't often go after these nonprofits.

Of course medical marijuana dispensaries are making money, and they’re paying taxes on that money. Marijuana growers are also making money and paying taxes. This small cottage industry is booming! All of this money is now being brought into the mainstream economy, instead of being part of the underground economy and feeding drug cartels in Mexico. Sometimes it seems as though the only people who are in favor of prosecuting the marijuana laws are the drug cartels in Mexico and law-enforcement agencies that make their living enforcing those laws.

President Obama, do you want to gain more votes in California, and Colorado, and all of the other states that support medical marijuana? It's easy to do. All you need to do is sign an executive order stopping the enforcement of national marijuana laws. You've done this for other laws, most notably the Defense of Marriage Act, and doing it for medical marijuana would be the most popular action you can currently take.

Even the House Minority Whip, Nancy Pelosi, someone who the right has vilified since she took office, believes that this is the proper course of action. Newt Gingrich came out in favor of medical marijuana, at least until he flip-flopped in an attempt to pander to the far right. Evangelical Christians have made statements in favor of medical marijuana. It seems that the supporters of keeping marijuana illegal are so few that we can't even find them, although some do live on the Supreme Court.

I'm calling on the Congressional Republicans to join with Nancy Pelosi and the Congressional Democrats to pass a completely supported bill, it's a way to make Congress look really good right now. This would be something that both parties work together on in order to pass a bill supporting medical marijuana. If President Obama chose to veto that bill, the 77% support for medical marijuana may well be enough to put a Republican in the White House. On the other hand, if President Obama chooses to stop enforcement of the federal marijuana laws, that may be enough to keep him in the White House.

Mr. Obama, I have been disappointed in many of your actions. I still support you even though you failed to close Gitmo, you failed to get us out of Iraq in a timely fashion (we were kicked out of Iraq), and now you extended Afghanistan for another decade. You also signed away our civil rights in the Defense Authorization Act, you have failed to eliminate the Patriot Act, and you have not campaigned against the many and varied infringements of the Internet. These things disappoint me and many of your supporters. Restore our faith in you right now, today, by signing an executive order that will eliminate the enforcement of national marijuana laws. If you don't do this Mr. President, I have to ask, “what kind of drugs are you on?”