Obama Punts

Yesterday in the LA Times, Grant Smith expressed exasperation that Obama is passing up the chance to spark a debate over marijuana legalization:

I suppose President Obama deserves some credit for addressing national marijuana policy during his recent online town hall. But instead of seriously answering the thousands of questions submitted by Americans on overhauling our failed drug laws, he joked about the issue. In doing so, Obama passed on an unparalleled opportunity to offer food for thought on how the White House might be willing to rethink our disastrous marijuana policy. "I don't know what this says about the online audience," Obama joked. "This was a fairly popular question; we want to make sure that it was answered. The answer is no, I don't think that's a good strategy to grow our economy."

Between the escalating drug violence along the border, Jim Webb's proposal for a bipartisan commission on the war on drugs, the Gaviria-Zedillo-Cardoso recommendations in the final report of the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy, et cetera, there has never been such a confluence of events favoring a serious discussion of legalization. Like the author, I'm disappointed Obama isn't taking advantage of the circumstances, though I'm not particularly surprised. The critical mass of support for legalization that will be needed is still a ways off, but Obama has more power than anyone to help create that groundswell of support, and he would have lots of respectable company if he spoke up now. Instead, he's punting.