What is Barack Obamas position on marijuana legalization/decriminalization?
It’s not completely clear what his position is at the moment. In the past, he expressed his support for decriminalization of marijuana. In 2008, during his presidential campaign, he briefly tried to distance himself from those remarks. Here is what we do know about his position: He told an audience during a 2004 debate: “I think we need to rethink and decriminalize our marijuana laws, but I’m not somebody who believes in legalization of marijuana.” His campaign says, “Senator Obama does not believe in legalization of marijuana, but agrees with President Bush that long minimum sentences for first-time drug users may not be the best way to occupy jail space or heal people from their disease.” When asked if he would curtail DEA raids of medical marijuana growers he said “I would because I think our federal agents have better things to do, like catching criminals and preventing terrorism.
