Pubdate: Tue, 17 Mar 2015
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Copyright: 2015 The Seattle Times Company
Contact:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409
Author: Steven Dennis, CQ-Roll Call (TNS)

OBAMA CLOSER TO BACKING LEGAL POT, BUT WITH CAVEATS

WASHINGTON - President Obama appeared to come closer than ever to 
endorsing legal marijuana in an interview posted Monday by VICE News.

Obama, asked about the popularity of legalizing marijuana among young 
people, appeared initially unenthusiastic.

"Young people, I understand this is important to you, but you should 
be thinking about climate change, the economy, jobs, war and peace. 
Maybe way at the bottom you should be thinking about marijuana."

But he said, as he did in a YouTube interview earlier this year, that 
incarcerating nonviolent drug offenders has devastated communities, 
particularly those "of color."

"It costs a huge amount of money to states, and a lot of states are 
starting to figure that out," he said.

He said that "some very conservative Republicans realize this doesn't 
make sense ... they see the money and how costly it is to incarcerate.

"So we may actually be able to make some progress on the 
decriminalization side. At a certain point, if enough states end up 
decriminalizing, then Congress may then reschedule marijuana," Obama said.

He added caveats, though.

The president said he wanted to draw a difference between 
decriminalizing the drug and encouraging its use, and he expressed 
concern about problems from the abuse of drugs, legal and illegal.

"Legalization, or decriminalization, is not a panacea. Do you feel 
the same way about meth? Do we feel the same way about coke? How 
about crack? How about heroin? There is a legitimate, I think, 
concern about the overall effects this has on society and 
particularly vulnerable parts of society.

"Substance abuse, generally, legal and illegal substances, is a problem.

"Locking up someone for 20 years is probably not the best strategy, 
and that's something we have to rethink as a society as a whole."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom