CNN

no offense, but only an idiot would support and defend the continued criminalization of marijuana – the funny thing is, if it were to be legalized, and reason, logic and common sense dictates that it should, the number of people using it would probably go DOWN!

I'm extremely disappointed in President Obama's answer. To be frank he sounded a lot like George "I'm the decider" Bush with his arrogant and stupid answer.

I strongly support Obama. I voted for him. I donated money to him. I strongly support what he is doing on the economy and on health care and on other issues.

But he is wrong on this in a very big way. I understand he thinks it's a political hot potato. But the truth is to anyone with any real knowledge on the subject it's OBVIOUS that marijuana should be legalized.

For someone who said his favorite show of all time is The Wire, I would expect more.

I don't think the country is ready to become Amsterdam.

So I guess we learned nothing from prohibition of alcohol in this country. Hmmm....I wonder what created the Al Capones. I wonder why Mexican Drug Cartels are out of control? Why is no one questioning or answering if our legislation is creating the violence? Is drug use a crime or a sickeness? I am getting sick of how Obama thinks he can just ride off the momentum of Bush being out of office. This online question thing is a bunch of $#!%. No serious answers just a bunch of smoke blowing.

It's dissapointing to see the President, who claims to be "open-minded", laugh off such a suggestion I didnt find it was very funny at all.

@ RD

Why do people see racism in remarks about Obama and cocaine. He admitted to using it. Maybe you see racism in the remark because that's how you see african americans

@Just Shut Up!

The potheads are offering reasoned arguments. Seems to me the addled brain person is you.

I seriously regret voting for this man after hearing this. He said change. HE LIED!

Although I do not smoke pot, but lelalize it will definetely help to reduce the use of other hard drugs. I think it will take another generation to change it.

The decision to legalize marijuana at this time would give way too much room for those who criticize him for being already "too far left".
I can see it in the future tho.

I wonder how much money would be saved by reducing the incarceration rate of those convicted for marijuana crimes? No to mention expunging the record of those with convictions, allowing them to pursue jobs without the specter of a conviction looming over them?

When will these people wake up?

I guess the Republicans are a little let down. They were hoping that the President would say something concerning this that they could jump on. They were hoping he would've said that he'll think about it. I could see it now, all the Republicans saying, "see, I knew he was a drug addict in hiding." Or "we've got a dope dealer for a President."

I say this jokingly, but I am making a serious point. I am tired of our politicians demonizing each other. When do we as Americans demand more from our elected leaders to truly operate in respect?

Good answer Mr. President and great forum. I would never have imagined in a million years that we would have as much access to our government as you are allowing. Thank you, sir!

This is possibly the first time since Obama came into office that I've felt real disappointment with him. As several other comments have mentioned, pot legalization is a much more important and urgent issue than he seems to acknowledge, considering that not only has the War on Drugs proven itself beyond a doubt to be a useless waste of tax money and the drug cartels in Mexico (60% funded by marijuana) have been gaining unprecedented power, but that cannabis is by far the nation's #1 cash crop, legal or illegal. There are millions upon millions of untaxed dollars circulating through the black market because of this one plant alone, so let's tax them! I wonder how much of a tax break low- and middle-income families could get from all that extra revenue....
The reason why it was such a highly-rated issue is because it's an area in which a huge portion the people of the United States are ready for change, not because the "online audience" is a bunch of burned-out stoners.

What the question says about the President's online audience is:

1.) This is a major issue for many many Americans, and
2.) Since the online audience is generally more educated and since pot smokers are also gnerally more educated, it isn't so surprising that this question was near to top of the list.

Is it finally time for a national debate? Ask all of the people who voted for this question.

The evidence of the damage of marijuana to your brain can be found by reading some of these potheads' comments.

"If these pot users put that pot down and got up from their computer and started actually working THAT would stimulate the economy!"

-Peter E.

Here we go again with the 'lazy pothead' stereotype. After a four-year tour in the US Military I decided to start smoking marijuana again. In the past two years while I have been smoking, I have outperformed all of my co-workers. I am halfway through my 4th semester at a university in Wisconsin, with a grade point average of 4.0.

Now here's a surprise: I have been high 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during this time, with the exception of maybe 7-10 days. That is no exagguration, it's just my lifestyle. It increases both my creativity and productivity, and even better, it is what makes my stress instantly disappear.

It is the small-mindedness of the general population and their refusal to think outside the box that is hurting this country. These politicians and voters were brought up on the idea that marijuana is evil, and will never think twice about the benefits.

I can only wait, excitedly I might add, for a few more years when my generation stars coming into political power and changes the way this country is run.

This hypocrite wouldn't be president had he gotten caught smoking as he talks about in his book, he would be just another number in the system.
I'm just waiting for the impeachment trial, because he's done nothing good for us so far.

I have MS I wish the presadent would conceter medical marijuana.It helps my pain and also spasum control.I need a pump and have surgery and marijuana helps me so much I dont need the surgery as long as I use marijuana.It controls my spasums that good.marijuana has also saved my life it helped me quit smoking sigerits and drinking.My DR. can give me Morphine but I cant smoke marijuana legal or put in jail thats a shame when i have a termanel Disease.

doug March 26th, 2009 4:45 pm ET

Just say no to Puritan/Judeo/Christian "values"! Rise up American Drug culture don't let the status quo win! Legalize marijuana today!

Yikes. That was a blanket statement...
Nearly all my Jewish friends smoke pot.
Almost all my Christian friends, including 2 fundamentalists, smoke pot.

Uh, what was the question again?

It is going to take conservative to get pot legalized, just like it took Nixon to go to China and the USSR. This is not a knock on Obama, just a political fact of life.

I think obama will come around. he still has to get reelected. I think when he does, his attitude will change. it's politics

What worse legalizing marijuana or partial birth abortion? He is absent minded. Maybe to much pot?

Do you guys really want to be paying 100$ for a gram?

I have MS and have been told that marijuana helps. I have never tried it and probably wont but I think that if its legalized it should be done only for medical use. I think our President has an open mind so if he does make it legal its because he saw proof that it would help many.

I voted for change not the same BS. Thank you for scoring a three pointer for the status quo Obama! You helped ignorance of the American people to flourish. Now if you'll excuse me I have to spark up before I go study. Legalize marijuana today! Just say no to Puritan/Judeo/Christian "values"! Rise up American Drug culture don't let the status quo win! Legalize marijuana today!

It will certainly help out the junk food industry.

Totally bummed about Obama's flippant attitude on this topic. Legalizing pot actually helps the economy (saves $44billion in drug war and could bring in $30billion in new revenue), adds to healthcare (natural pain killer vs. pharma), and helps take power away from drug cartels like the ones causing so many problems in Mexico (and the U.S.) right now. Maybe technically he's right, it isn't the best way to spur the economy, but I think that putting it in the context of science (much like the embryonic stem cell issue) makes it a valid topic of discussion.

I'd much rather my tax $ go to finding natural solutions to our problems than to fighting a never ending drug war. Legalization will happen, it's just a matter of which President has a big enough pair to actually enact a common sense measure vs. one mired in political strings. I really thought he'd be less dismissive about legalization. I still like him but just like his detractors, he needs to approach this with an open mind and look at the facts vs. worrying about the social stigma. He favored legalization as an IL Senator; I wonder what changed his mind.

I agree with BB. Banning Marijuana is the modern day version of Prohibition. And prohibition was removed during to great depression to help stop violence it created and stimulate the economy. Whats soo bad about Marijuana over alcohol. Alcohol kills alot more people than Marijuana. Billions of dollars are spent by the government to monitor and govern the laws against marijuana and no its not harder to get. While those billions could be saved by legalizing marijuana and also billions made by the tax it would produce, just like cigarettes and alcohol. There should still be regulations against it, as their is with cigarettes and alcohol, but legalizing marijuana would bring a big change to the economy especially now in a time that needs it. Majority of the marijuana that is used in the US is produced in the US, so job creation would be increased as well as helping improve that deficit with the taxation on it. I vote yes legalize it.

P.S. Sharon LV you must be a crackhead for even making that comment.

It is terrible for a country which used to be a leader in the world in almost everything has to ask it president to legalize pot, and use that money to pull the America out of recession. May be these short cuts to success brought us to this soup.

I agree with everyone in support of legalizing marijuana. There are more illegal users than legal non-users. It is not a gateway drug and most certainly not addictive. A marijuana smoker only desires to be left alone. Therefore crime would go down while food sales would go through the roof!!!

As a past marijuana user I am offended by the comments made regarding pot smokers. There are lots of us out there who have or still do use marijuana on a regular basis. We get up in the morning, we go to work, we pay our taxes, we pay our bills. We take care of our families and our jobs. We contribute to society, we do what we have to do. There are people who lose their jobs, lose their families, and occasionally kill innocent victims all while using the legal drug of alcohol. Keeping prohibition around for a drug that has had scientific proof of helping people in pain is a ridiculous and antiquated way of thinking. Do we not remember the crime and violence that happened during alcohol prohibition? Get your heads out of the dark ages America.

I will not go away CNN Like Arnold I'll be back, and when you ask for my interview, it will be refused. Watch for my youtube coming soon, after 50 years of trying to do make this change nicely, time for some radical 1960's protests.

That's too bad. I've never been a user, but I definitely support the idea of legalization and govt regulation of the industry......deficit? What deficit? As a nation, we'd be out of debt in no time, and it would it would put the gangs (transport & distribution) and drug cartels (manufacture/supply) out of business.

Whiskey was illegal and was looked at as "bad" back in the roaring twenties but when things turned bad after the crash they legalized it.

For all you ignorant people who talk bad about it, just remember that Thomas Jefferson grew pot on his own land and would "sit back and enjoy the fruit of his labor" everyday.

I'm educated, successful, and a dedicated smoker of the great plant that has many medical uses as well as recreational uses. Nothing wrong with it. Liquor is a far worse enemy of health issues than pot. You'll see the prisons in this country less full and crime take a down turn. Maybe that's the reason why it'll never be legal... job security for the police, courts, judges, and correction officers. Very sad.

Keep the blunts burning and make it legal.

The reason this country is the way it is you can find it reading the comments. "Legalize pot to improve economy". What a joke to ask a president.

Apparently the GOP has come up with an alternative budget proposal. Now, if they have guts they will put it on the web for everyone to see!!

I am disappointed and deeply concerned regarding a comment that CNN posted regarding this article. The comment by Sharon LV reads:

Osama's not legalizing marijuana? pretty sure he will legalize crack cocaine?

Directly to the right of this comment box CNN's policy states that all comments are reviewed before posting and "...may not appear on this blog until they have been reviewed and deemed appropriate for posting." Furthermore CNN's Comment Policy which states, "You may not post any unlawful, threatening, defamatory, obscene, pornographic or other material that would violate the law. All comments should be relevant to the topic and remain respectful of other authors and commenters."

This policy is appropriate and I support it, however it has clearly been overlooked or ignored as the hateful, racist, and ignorant words that Sharon LV has written have somehow been deemed appropriate to post in the comment section. There is the argument that everyone should have a voice and certainly people sharing her views exist, however a news company's website is certainly not the place for such hate.

I hope CNN will remove those words and follow their own policies more accordingly.

Thanks,
Ben

I think that pot should be legalized for one simple reason. Alcohol.
How as a society can anyone who has ever had even one drink say that pot is bad? No one has ever died from pot, ever! No one crashes their car into a tree from smoking, no one beats their wife after smoking, no one gets into a bar fight after smoking or has sex in a way they would regret and then not remember. Alcohol is a dangerous deadly DRUG and yet you can buy it anywhere and in hundreds of flavors. Yet harmless pot is illegal? Who makes up these rules? Obama should be ashamed.

I have never used drugs (cocaine, crack, marijuana, etc) because it is medically proven that it kills your brain cells. But, it is openly used in San Francisco and on college campuses, so the government should legalize all drugs. This law would provide jobs and stimulate the economy, plus think of the sin tax the IRS could collect! It would also cut out the drug cartel. President Obama openly admitted he smoked marijuana in the past. Also Eric Holder could release thousands of prisoners from the system. It would be a win win situation!
BUT, due to working in the medical field for 30 years I would educate my family and friends on the dangers of drug use and how it ruins your life and can kill you.

I am sure the GOP and far right would just love to see Obama advocate the legalization of marijuana.

this would be the ultimate going green. Many people don't realize that this could bring in billions thats with a b from the state of california alone. the best thing to get us out of this economic mess would be to grow america grow and not drill baby drill. Grown in the earth nourished by the water burn by the fire its the greeniest we could go

Peter E,

I am a funeral director and work on average 70 hours a week. So, that makes me unproductive? BTW, its hard for ANYONE in this economy to be productive when there are no jobs.

But I digress. 800,000 arrests a years is too high a price to pay both in human rights and in court, prosecution, and incarceration costs. For what? A crime that is based on nothing more than personal choice. When are we going to stop this rash or legislating personal morality and belief and forcing others to abide? Live your life how you see fit and leave mine alone. End this prohibition!

as for putting down the pot and going to work i know many people who work full time plus hours. they put in 48-72 hrs weekly. they have the same jobs for multiple years and fear getting hurt because that would cost them their job. not all "stoners" are lazy. most have to work to afford it as well as all the rest of their bills. i've seen people do more harm with alcohol which is LEGAL than 10 pot smokers put together. making it legal would just stop governments from making so much off the tickets and court costs

He shouldn't look at it as a way to stimulate the ecomomy but as a way to cut the budget. If you took the people who used, produced, sold or stole to get drugs out of the prisons, the prison population would be more than halved. Police would be able to concentrate on more pressing issues and the cost of drug enforcement would be eliminated. The Mexican/South American cartel problem would vanish. Think of the savings. But no. Why not? A correctional officer once told me that "we don't want that because legalization would put us out of business."

Peter E. said – If these pot users put that pot down and got up from their computer and started actually working THAT would stimulate the economy!

Of course, theres always got to be one who just doesn't have a clue. I have been a pot smoker for 30 years and it has never caused an issue. Spent the last 12 years in the same job, owned a home, paid my bills on time, etc. Time to get into the 21st century and realize that pot is such a puppy drug, so much less destructive than cigarettes or alcohol, no addiction, hangovers, etc. The gov't might as well legalize it cause its a waste of time to try to eradicate it since that will never happen. I certainly have no problem finding it and it is readily available so why even bother enforcing such an outdated and stupid law. Take the trade out of the Mexican smugglers and gangbangers hands and that eliminates a huge portion of your "war on drugs", which is such a failed joke !! Legalize, tax it and let Americans catch a buzz, chill and enjoy !!! I know thats what I'll be doing when I get outta work !! Party on dude !!!

Thats garbage. Its obviously an imporant issue that millions feel deserves to be a topic of national talk.
DONT JUST LAUGH IN THEIR FACES..THATS WAS A BUSH MOVE

Florence, Marijuana has no physically addictive properties. Please at least fact check a little before posting. Makes you seem less uneducated.

Peter E., Many people consume Marijuana and hold a job. An estimated 25 million people use Marijuana. Why even bring such a weak argument?

You guys at least come with something semi-intelligent if you want to debate FACT. Thanks. As far as Obama laughing, of course he did. Legalization is not going to be an issue for the foreseeable future. He would get destroyed by the press if he broke focus on the war, economy, etc. Eric Holder already stated those ludicrous dispensary raiding's by the DEA are a thing of the past. A good start.

So he gets something ELSE wrong. We're used to it.

And he IS wrong on this.

i like obama (most of the time), but this is BS!

what kind of nonsense answer was this? "no i don't think it should be legal, next question"????

ANSWER THE QUESTION MR PRESIDENT! WHY should it remain illegal????

taxing it will bring in revenue for the states and legalizing it will take a huge amount of power away from the drug cartels!

He should legalize it, but not now, americans can't handle that much change in such a short time.

The nutcase, ignorant, conservative, hillbilly, religulous folks who cannot wrap their martini and moonshine infused brains around the fact the weed is 100 times less dangerous would want to start a civil war.

They would prefer to wrap their cars around poles.

Peace.

yep, let's continue to waste billions of dollars chasing this white whale. have we not learned anything from the abysmal failure that is the "war on drugs"? have we not learned that legislation is no deterrent?

what do you think the percentage of people who refuse to use marijuana because of it's legal status is?

at what point do we realize that our initiatives have failed here? how much money are we going to continue to waste on a program of prohibition that does not work? how many people are we going to lock up (at the taxpayer's expense) for non-violent drug offenses? if they weren't criminals before, they sure are by the time they get released!

at what point do parents take responsibility for their children rather than relying on the government? if you want to keep your kids off drugs, don't lobby for legislation, be a parent. a real parent who invests real time into your child's life. there is no bigger deterrent for drug use.

I think it would be a great idea! It would immediately decriminalize everyone handling the stuff, gotta like less criminals around. I've never heard of MAPS (mothers against pot smokers), never heard of anyone dying from it, but I have heard of thousands of people dying because of Alcohol. Never woken up sick from it. Anyone who wants it, gets it anyway. Should the fireman, school principal above be arrested becuase they have pot despite the fact that they are true role models? Why should anyone care what someone does in the comfort of their own home? How could it NOT boost the economy? It IS NOT addicting. Would you rather be in a nightclub next to a guy who just had 5 jack-n-cokes or the guy who just burned one?

Shows what sort of bought out coward he is. He knows that this would be something his political enemies, the Republicans and their filthy base, would use, and yet, he knows it is the only logical outcome. The decriminalization of marijuana would end tons of "war on drugs" policies that are costly, sustain murder along our border, and needlessly ruin lives due to prosecutor zealots who lock up users. End this prohibition nightmare once and for all.

Obama is playing politics. He cant legalize MJ because he will not get re-elected in 2012. I am a user of marijuana and smoke frequently,so of course i want it legal, but those voting for obama in hopes he was going to legalize pot should of voted for Ron Paul. he is a conservative but seems to know what he is talking about when it comes to the war on drugs. i voted for Obama in 2008, But if he dont start thinking straight and just keep playing politics( On all issues) he wont get my vote in 2012.

baby steps, at least it's being discussed...maybe it will be legal by the time I hit retirement age...oh yeah!!

Peter E, I can guarantee you plenty of "pot smokers" are stimulating the economy as you speak. My husband and I are young professionals contributing to society with advanced degrees, and we pay taxes on our $300k income, and we smoke pot every day. It's a heck of a lot less dangerous than alcoholism. Puritanism and productivity are not necessarily connected. I do not see any ethical issue with marijuana and think the laws are absolutely absurd, particularly given the current crisis in our prisons.

I agree with BB's comment fully. I do not think the online questions all came from pot crazed stoners. In light of the violence occurring along the Mexican border, which is now requiring us to commit military resources we don not have (ie. $) in a futile attempt to quell the fighting, the questions are valid. According to Hillary, WE are the problem due to the huge demand here in the US for drugs. Obviously prohibition did not work then and it is not working now. If there is such a high demand (which no one is questioning) then why not let enterprising Americans meet the demand for each other, and take all that money out of the hands of violent criminals. Simple economics. It's more than just the tax revenue we're talking about. This would also help solve the problem of prsion overcrowding and free up law enforcement to focus on crimes that actually have victims.

There is more to legalizing pot than just the revenue. Opening up economic streams within the US for decriminalized weed will stop the flow of money south, and dealing a significant blow to the structure of the drug cartels in Mexico. Marijuana is 70% of the total revenue sent back to Mexico from illegal drugs.

The sad thing is that we live in a Barney loving world full of judgemental, uninformed people. Peter E. demonstrates how ignorance will never allow for common sense to prevail here.

Yet another gotcha question for our new President. Where the heck were all these gotcha questions when Bush was in office. Another double standard... This is getting really old.

Obama himself has said he was a former pot and cocaine user. So does he think he should have should have been prosecuted then or that users should be prosecuted now?
I wonder how he would feel if he had spent years in prison before he just brushes aside a serious discussion in such a flippant and arrogant manner.

People who smoke marijuana will do so wither it is legal or not.

Decriminalizing the use of marijuana will do little to increase usage, but will generate tax revenue similar to cigarettes and alcohol.

I believe those who do not smoke it now, wont smoke it if legal.

smoking pot isn't the worst thing someone could do – i've never heard of a pot smoker abusing kids, beating their spouses, robbing banks...
we tax cigarettes and alcohol, so why not?
not only that, the benefits for some (pain control, nausea) are tremendous.
i'm not saying it will cure the economy... but the "refer madness" mentality towards pot is just so unrealistic.

It's all very interesting to me. I do not believe in legalization of marijuana (decriminalization, yes) but it is interesting that so many people want to chalk it up to "stoners" for asking this question. I don't think it was an organized event, I think that many hard working, open minded Americans have trouble understanding why drugs such as Tabacco and Alcohol are easily accepted into our communities and generate millions of dollars for this economy. How many people die every year due to lung cancer, liver disease, drunk driving. Not to say that smoking marijuana does not have it's consequences, but why it this so outrageous and ludacris of a question to ask? We must think realistically about our options and if we are going to realistically allow the use of alcohol and tabacco, what makes marijuana any different? Do my beliefs make me a lazy stoner? Absolutely not. Do I sit on the couch all day and play video games? Absolutely not. I think it's time we reitire that sterotype. A few years back, people thought global warming was a ridiculous idea made up by crazy and wacky scientists.

Obama, the country killer, said..." a public service program will begin in afew weeks".
You idiots have no idea what he's talking about do you..
Well, when you start losing some of your freedom you might realize how stupid you were for drinking so much koolaide and slobbering all over the server.

This is an outrage pres. obama is doing what the last 4 Presidents did double dipping, They illegally collect tax on marijuana then nail the good citizens with fines if their caught with it. I call for the immediate impeachment of obama. Bush put this country into a nose dive, obama is doing nothing to pull us out he is slamming down the throttle and running us into the ground faster. WAR ON DRUGS is bull it should be POLITICIANS ON DRUGS, i'm not saying they shouldn't go after the big drugs meth,crack,coke but pot is just horrendously stupid, Here easy fix have the politicians give up their 6 homes, legalize and tax pot like cigarettes and the economy stabilizes

Seems to me that America is stuck in the 1920's with the propaganda of "Reefer Madness", never mind that it's already Americas #1 cash crop and never mind that Thomas Jefferson & George Washington both said in writing that Hemp would save the human race! And if I'm adding correctly the $44billion we'd save from the enforcement of prohibition plus the $33billion in tax revenue just for one state and let's not forget about exporting it to other countries and last but not least the lives saved from bringing the business from underground / blackmarket to above ground! Too common sensical I guess, which is exactly why it won't happen! Because common sense just ain't very common anymore!

This is serious, not funny. There are people out there whose lives are being ruined because on joint is on their permanent record. I am wondering if all the people who think this isn't serious ever tried pot, and how they would feel in the same situation. It's about time we got real in this country and let people decide things for themselves.

Smoking pot is not harmless. It is highly carcinogenic. Legalizing pot may help make money off taxes and gbut wouldonly force the drug cartels to focus more on pushing meth and cocaine instead of pot. All in all, legalizing pot will increase the number of high people on our streets and it will increase our overall health care costs by astronomical proportions. Forget leglaizing pot altogether. It's a stupid idea.

I think it could have been a valid question if framed differently. Connection between marijuana and job creation...huuummm!!! I hate the smell of it, so have never done it...but I don't care if someone else wants to do it. Its like hard liqueur, what's the difference?

But most important, I think president handled it quite well.

being a business professional, and more than an average smoker i can honestly see both sides of the story. however the strong backing for me is hemp is such a HUGE cash crop and with such availability, the US government would be silly not to seriously look into that option. also i feel if marijuana is legal then there could be more focus to the meth epidemic that is growing so rapidly fast!!! also, how many alcohol related deaths have you heard of within the past year? either it be drunk driving and killing someone yourself, or being an innocent bystander and killed or injured by a drunk driver; what about alcohol poisoning from drinking too much? funny you don’t hear of pot smoking related deaths; smoking to much.........................but yet alcohol is legal???

also FYI do you all know that one of the most important documents in United States History; the Declaration of Independence is written on hemp?

"Making it illegal has not made it taboo or hard to get."

Maybe true, but making it legal would make it even easier to get and the new legalized industry would zealously promote pot to our children on TV, online and in print, the same way the tobacco industry did for generations.

Marijuana will never be legalized because it’s a weed and can not be controlled! How are you going to tax what grows wild?

COuld help some areas BUT Obama has us headed toward 10 extra Trillion in Debt. A few bill does nothing for what he plans on spending.

Although, I do not agree with the legalization of all drugs, Marijuana, as stated above, would save a lot of money in the U.S. I know money is not everything, but we have to get real, the penal system’s numbers are staggering and anyone who has ever smoked weed knows it is not any worse than alcohol.
- Just my opinion.

It is shocking that readers of CNN would use such misguided language as 'hooked on weed'. The only thing preventing marijuana from being legalized is an outdated stigma that is not based on any sound reasoning. Laws on the recreational use of marijuana have been softening because the drug is medically acknowledged to be no more harmful than either alcohol or tobacco. That was an uncharacteristically weak response on Obama's part.

The point of de-criminalizing marijuana is that it DESTROYS its black market value! Just like alcohol prohibition made criminal gangs more powerful and wealthy(being that they controlled the black market of booze)

Legal weed=Zero profit for the Mexican drug cartel!

FYI, legalizing Marijuana is no more of a Federal issue than alcohol is. It should be something that is regulated by the state. I would think that if someone could afford to buy Marijuana today on a regular basis, they are not hurting all that bad financially. Threre are so many more critical issues besides "How can I get high today." Those that want it legalized could care less of how it impacts our economy. I am sick of the fast food mentality in todays times. "I want it now, and without restrictions? is the mantra. That is why our country is in the shape its in. By the way, his name is Obama, and its in no way related to the name Osama. It actually means beautiful one. What does your name mean, Moron?

I've never used marijuana and don't plan to, but I know enough people that use it to confidently tell Florence Mutesasira that marijuana alone is not an addictive drug–it doesn't alter the brain or the body's chemistry to create a dependency or need. Occasionally, other drugs like crack will be added to marijuana (crack is addictive)–which is all the more reason to legalize (and regulate the content) of pot. It is worth pointing out that tobacco, alcohol and caffeine are all habit forming drugs.

We spend billions per year trying to stop the flow of drugs across the Mexican border, and yet 100s of 1000s of TONS manage to make it across apparently unnoticed each year. We spend billions housing drug offenders in US prisons (70% of the prison population is there on drug related charges). And in spite of all of this, the amount of drugs entering the country is increasing. We need to admit that this policy is not working, and has created a spectacularly funded criminal network that has more money than the US government does, most likely. This is exactly what happened during Prohibition, and the government finally gave up and legalized alcohol again, and the crime syndicates were forced to move on to other prohibited venues. We cannot stop this, obviously, so is it really smart to go broke over it and get everyone killed over it? I am not a pot smoker, but it is a fact that marijuana is NOT addictive and there is not one recorded death EVER from using it...you cannot say the same for alcohol, and it is legal.

However; if everyone really looked at its implication, and how it would be so hopefully at help to curb all of the violence going on at the boarder.

President Obama, never answered any of my questions about Social Security, Disabilities, Illegal immigration, economical impact to the fore mentioned, Employment, taxing Social Security Disability, and several others directly related?

I think we have alot better things to worry about then legalizing pot.

emil: well its better than having a president who was getting lauged at.

America has the highest drug sales in the entire World. Wake up people..anyone and everyone can get weed if they want to, illegal or not. At least, if it's legal there can be regulations on it. Not to mention, people would probably be more prone to admit they have a problem if their problem wasn't illegal and they would lose their jobs over it.

I think it's important to note also that he didn't actually speak against legalizing it, just that it's not a good strategy to spur the economy.

I never figured he would legalize marijuana and has stuck to his guns as far as having the feds back off of states with medical marijuana laws implemented, but to laugh it off as a joke was wrong.

So much for listening to the people.

I do not like Marijuana at all, but it is a lot less dangerous than alcohol and I cannot understand why it is not legal. If the police did not have to worry about the hundreds of thousands of pot arrests each year, then they could focus on the harder drugs, violence, etc. Besides, it costs us 46,000 dollars a year per person that is incarcerated because of pot. We could save billions each year in just not have hundreds of thousands of pot heads in jail and at the same time could bring in about 50 billion in tax revenue each year. That would be enough revenue to begin making Social Security and Medicare safe in the long term.

Besides, most of the studies that say marijuana is a gateway drug suggest that the reason it is a gateway is because it is illegal, so you have to deal with people that also have access to the harder stuff. Most of the studies also show that alcohol is just as much of a gateway drug and yet it is perfectly legal.

Finally a good decision!!!!!

Legalizing marijuana would put so many people out of work, Lawyers, police, DEA, Border patrol, prison guards. They would all be affected.
I know it would decrease our taxes due to less city payrolls and increased revenue for the government through sin taxes, and decrease cost for cities due to less crowed prisons. wait what was the question again.

To bad we can not get past the stigma of marijuana. It is not just a drug. Hemp can be used for clothes (stronger and more long lasting than cotton with less environmental impact), food, alternative fuel, (hemp seed oil) and paper (saving trees and reducing the cost for newspapers.) People really need to do a little more research. Lets stop wasting tax payers dollars on a drug war that makes us less safe and creates overcrowding in prisons for nonviolent crimes. We Should start creating jobs in a new and potentially huge green industry. Educate yourselves and stop listening the propaganda that has been put out by the government since prohibition.

guess he really DOESN'T want to help the economy then. Marijuana is WAY less destructive than alcohol, wjhy don't I hear you people critisizing THAT?!?!

People that are against the legalization REALLY need to get a grip on REALITY!!! seems they would rather have border wars and crime than a boosted economy and people not thrown into overcrowded jails for something that is NATURAL and SAFE!!

The best news here is that this will spur strong support for what Obama is NOT. I think both the Green Party and the Libertarian movement just got a shot in the arm.

Obama is not about being progressive or for smaller government in many ways and this is yet another example.

I know a lady who smokes pot, went to college on scholarship, graduated with Honors and currently owns a half million dollar house. It obviously didn't make her stupid or lazy.

This someone chooses to smoke a joint rather than drink alcohol because the alcohol made her sick and incoherent.

I've personally never known anyone to die from marijuana use. I do know several people who have died from alcoholism.

I find it laughable and clearly old school education to continue this ridicules battle against marijuana.

Americans are going to smoke marijuana regardless of it being legal. It is the will of a large segment of the popualation to do so. It is America's best interest to get marijuana out of the black market, and into the mainstream population, IT IS ALREADY. Those of you who think that it is not part of you or anyone you knows life are simply the ones that have made your opinions clear to those around you, and the smokers that know you are being smart.......therefore quiet. I don't care so much about the tax revenue as I do about removing the black market situations from every day Americans lives, and removing the possibility of criminal proceedings for folks who simply want to smoke marijuana. If it were legal, a lot of people would injest it in different ways than just smoking, that is simply the most direct and efficient method. Cooking with it would be next, it is a nice spice. Marijuana dealers are simply people who fraternize with trusted friends only, until you get to street pushers and large distributors. Now many who read this are going to say that I am "obviously" someone who smokes. I do not, and have not in a long time. I am a father, and will not again until it is legat here in America. I owe that to my children. But once it is legal, and hopefully America wakes up to everyone's right to the pursuit of happiness, then I will consider it, and admittedly probably would.

Aspirin kills over 7,000 people per year and nobody complains about that! What's wrong with this country is that we are all hipocrites! CRy and complain about poor starving people and war in other countries but don't even dish out 2 nickles to help our own!!!! Think about that!

Hey Florence:

Try talking to people addicted to alcohol or gambling or tobacco. All are legal and the government makes huge profits off them. So much so now that they couldn't replace those revenue streams.

It's ridiculous not to make marijuana legal. All that does is increase violence in your nation among the drug gangs and take away a badly needed source of revenue from your government.

Seems like all Obama wants to do is bail out banks and huge companies like AIG further corrupt our country. Let them fail. Isn't that what the whole purpose of a free-market economy is??? The ones that don't make it go under, and the ones that do well stay afloat??? Why are we wasting OUR money on companies that are failing for a REAL reason???

Also there is no clear-definitive evidence of marijuana being physically addicting, nor for that matter psychologically addicting, hallucinogens rarely are.

I find it amazing that taking low level amphetamines like your Tylenol, etc. or ingesting caffeine, or an SSRI for depression (tantamount to ecstasy in its effectiveness in releasing serotonin). Those are all have addictive qualities, both physically and psychologically, but that's fine. You people really should research before spouting off what you don't know, nor understand. There is far worse out there that is legal, then this illegal weed.

I see what you are saying BB. but completely legalizing it charles? has even more capability of abuse. if you put an age on it? has that stopped underage children from obtaining alcohol and cigarettes? we would have children younger than we do already smoking that garbage. here's a concept address the vices we already have control over. raise cigarette taxes more raise alcohol taxes more. hit people with 2000 dollar fines for possesing marijuana that raise auto insurance much like a speeding ticket. people contrary to popular belief will not want to do something that is going to cost them an arm and a leg at a time like this. parents would take a much more pro active role in their children if they knew they would be footing the bill.

Just look at the economics, it is a sure way to bring money into out economy. It will save money that is spent in the legal system, it will make more room in jails for real criminals. It will control who uses it better by controlling who can uy it. It will get rid of the violence and keep it away from the gangs and cartels who do sell it now. It will also give the farmers a real good cash crop and something that can replace the tobacco fields. It is no worse than alcohol and a whole lot of people use it already. What is the downside to legalizing it?

This may not be the time to legalize, but I do think it as something to consider for the future, and am glad that he did not say that it would never be on his agenda. As Green Machine commented, it would cut many Mexican Drug Lords at the knees, help to formulate regulations that could actually do some good (Putting the drug dealers in Pharmacys rather than street corners), and stimulate the economy, but there are several other reasons why we should consider it. My first and foremost reason has much to do with many peoples attitude towards government. To ruin someones life who has harmed nobody, nor their property, is not only immoral, but unjust. I've known several decent people whose worlds were crushed simply becuase the possesed marajuana, many of which have held a permanent vendetta against police throughout the rest of their lives, and were turned from constructive college students, to

peter e, you are one of the biggest tools ive ever come in contact with on one of these. grow up, i know hundreds of pot users far more succesfull than you'll ever be.

Now I understand some of the negative comments that appear on this blog.

I strongly support legalization of marijuana completely. Obama shouldn't have laughed off the idea. What's the matter with him? He's supposed to be able to think outside the box.

It is a complete waste of taxpayer money to bust potsmokers and prosecute them or pay for their rehab or incarceration. And, it's a pretty harmless form of recreation. It's safe than alcohol and just as prevalent. Legalize it and tax it, and use the criminal money for other things. It's good for the economy and it's just stupid that it's illegal.

Wake up and smell the ganja, folks.

I would have liked to have the president address the question with respect to the violence and funding of drug lords if he doesn't consider the matter of taxation and job creation worth debating. Savings in law enforcement could add up to billions as well, and allow them to focus on addictive drugs that are truly harmful to individuals and society.

Peter E, and Florence...It's obvious you don't know the facts.....
Some of the most productive members of society are current or former pot smokers, Including our last 3 presidents....
Senators, Governors, CEO's. Hooked on weed? There is no physical addiction to marijuana, that is a fact. People dont use because it's illegal, most people I know don't use because they dont like the side effects. Alot like why people dont drink.
People are going to prison, and dying in cartel wars over a plant that is less addictive, and harmful than Cigarettes and Alcohol....It's insanity!!

The President is wrong. We flush so much money down the toilet every year with our "war" on marijuana. I neither drink nor smoke but have friends that do both or one or the other. Pot is no worse than alcohol, if legislated the same way as alcohol it would be a tax revenue Godsend, not to mention the enormous savings we would have ending the futile and stupid "war".

And geniuses, check the facts, marijuana is not addictive.

The President won't legalize pot because too many uninformed would be all up in arms over this non-issue. As usual.

legalize it.

Yeah, and if you put down your Wall Street Journal and stopped hating black people, we'd have a better union. (Stereotypes are poison)

Peter E March 26th, 2009 3:32 pm ET

If these pot users put that pot down and got up from their computer and started actually working THAT would stimulate the economy!

The risks of marijuana are overstated. And too many people charged with just possession are in jail. And we probably could make a lot of money by taxing and regulating it. But...there are serious health problems that it does cause. Inhaling hot smoke into your lungs and then holding it there is not good. Emphysema and lung cancer are just the two main respitory dangers that will cost our society significant amounts of money on health care.

Prohibition didn't work to limit alcohol last century, it only made it possible for criminals to reap profits by feeding the demand.

This time it's drugs.

Billions of dollars are made supporting what's virtually an unstoppable demand (and no matter your own personal position on use, the demand will continue whether the economy turns around or not) while at the same time putting innocent citizens at grave risk from turf wars between competing criminal organizations.

Understand that prohibition is pointless, costly and virtually ineffective, whether you want to limit alcohol, drugs, sex between consenting adults, or ownership of firearms. We need a government policy that learns from prior mistakes, not one that repeats again what's failed before.

@Charles: The President was absolutely right to laugh it off! This was supposed to be a serious discussion about the categories that were listed, none of which said "Illegal drugs". The blatant immaturity of some people is behond understanding!

Tax revenue you must be smoking the stuff! People can grow this stuff in their backyards in the southern states and those people who have indoor plant lighting can grow this stuff in their houses so how do you tax someone's indoor plants or herb and veggie garden?? It would create an even larger headache for law inforcement and COST MORE in TAX dollars to control than is worth the bullcrap to legalize it; while only collapsing a tiny fraction of the drug cartels business, as they also deal in cocaine, crack, heroine, opium and a host of other illegal products.

Pete.... Quit generalizing, you probably work with many that use the substance amongst other ones. Do you have the same view for anyone that takes prescription medications? You know those alter perception as well, any controlled substance legal or not does.

I myself have been known to indulge in smoking, I go to school full time 18 credits, and work a full-time 40 hour-a-week job. At times I have worked two jobs and attended school. Get over yourself.

Are we really a nation of free people when we can`t chose to smoke marijuana in the privacy of our home. People can drink alcohol and destroy their liver or cause car accidents that affect many others or make them violent toward others and that is tollerated I just dont understand . Do a survey of our emergency rooms and see what the % of patients that come in due to alcohol related issues and then tell me why marijuana is illegal and alcohol can be purchased just about anywhere. How much money can we as a nation save by the decriminalizing of pot ,think how much it cost to jail people , police this issue ,not to mention we would be putting the drug cartels out of business and what about all that tax revenue $$$ This is america Land of the Free ?? I Think.....

$43 BILLION spent on the failed War on Drugs vs. $33 BILLION in REVENUE if marijuana were legal?

DUH!

I thought the President was better at MATH than THAT!

What a disappointment that Obama did not give a thoughtful answer. A "no" was just ridiculous. And maybe what it says about the online audience is that they are more in touch with reality. Everyone knows someone who smokes pot. How much of that money goes down to Mexico? Legalizing would have to help the economy and could be taxed. Drinking alcohol and taking anti-depressants are far more destructive. What a backwards country.

I voted and stand behind Obama 100% but...I have to disagree on this one Barack! I don't even smoke pot or do any kind of drugs, but I pot is safer than alcohol.

Hopefully the gov't will soon realize that it isn't th effects of pot that is causing all of the violence at the Mexican border, it is the fact that it is illegal.

You wonder what it says about your online audience? It says that THE PEOPLE have a legitimate question. People who are for marijuana legalization are included in the "people" you are sworn to help. As I recall, you've used it as well...and you're the President...what does that say about YOU?

I think the issue is not about using pot production to boost the economy. It's about removing the profit incentive from the cartels and bolstering the tax base, which would focus resources on preventing the real menace, which is the triple threat of cocaine, heroin and meth. I mean, come on, pot is innocuous compared to alcohol and cigarettes, the criminalization of which doesn't seem to be on anyone's agenda.

Sharon Lv sounds like you know from experience about crack, seems like your on it now.

It's mind-blowing to see non-medical marijuana as a high-interest subject when our country hurts on so many levels. When are the Americans going to grow up?

Why not make all drugs legal and tax them all. It sounds good until your faced with health and other related problems. Bus drivers, pilots, boat captains and air traffic controllers could use pot if it's legal. Or do you exclude them. Who can and cannot have marijuna in their blood stream. Remeber it hangs around. I know I would prefer my doctor be clean before surgery.

I used to support what Obama was doing, but lately it just seems like EVERYTHING (and not just this pot issue) is a joke to him. He so far seems to laugh at every problem America is facing.

What I want to know is what makes people believe it is their right to tell me what I can, and can't put into my body in the privacy of my own home. It is simply not yours (or the goverment's) business.

Prohibition doesn't work. Never has, never will. And drugs aren't causing the violence - it's caused by their being illegal. It's time we all grew up and realized it.

because in essence it is a joke. why would you legalize this? then its basically opening the door to millions of our kids being put in line for the next dime bag at your local dispensary, it would end up just like cigarettes. another health epidemic instead of sicker making our country dumber by the day. the people that come up with this they are not considering the long term consequences of legalizing something they are thinking of the present and now in their own worlds so it would make things easier on them to get their own supplies. They arent being considerate of the country as a whole merely putting up a front. Any sort of legalization is naturally going to drive up demand. cough cartels cough. Plus something as powerful as drugs can not be regulated plain and simple, people will become dependent and instead of working they will save every dime for another J. I could write alot more on this subject.

"green machine" makes valid points. In addition to the medicinal value, legalizing hemp would spawn an increase in small business openings (smoke shops, cafes, etc) and revitalize farming. And for those of you that think pot smokers are all stupid, lazy and unemployed you are sorely mistaken. There were and are many successful smokers from Karl Sagan and the Governator to everyday business people, teachers, doctors, you name it. Perhaps it's alcoholics you are thinking of.

You first of all don't get addicted to marijuana, it's a harmless drug, yet we have alcohol an cigarettes legalized and taxes! Cigarettes literally kill millions a year and alcohol kills millions, with drunk driving and such! I think it's outlandish and I don't even smoke. We are so puritian in our ways, I'm glad I grew up with a father from Greece, where alcohol is respected and enjoyed. I lived in Germany and we were regarded as the drunk Americans because we drink too much too quickly because we don't respect it at all, europeans are respectful because they are around it all the time and it's not a big deal! You could tax marijuana and free up our prisons from people who got arrested with an 8th....I love Obama but he's wrong on this one, there's no moral issue here and it's a big Double standard we have always had

Decriminalizing pot would do plenty of good for some and plenty of harm for others. Obama and Holder's stance seems to be in line with much of the American population- medical users (many of whom are veterans) should have access to medication that has been wrongfully scheduled through the pressures of fiscal conservatives. Now that Bush is gone, it looks like although federal laws will not be changing in regards to marijuana use, those who rely on affordable pain relief will not be prosecuted. This just goes to show that leadership and hope IS alive in America. We have a far way to go, but the shift away from self-interested conservative ideology is good no matter what directions we may take. A quick note to the drug industry: Bush was no problem, but let's see you lobby your way through Obama. Lastly, I don't support marijuana's legalization any more than I do of alcohol. But, if those living in pain can benefit from anything- even if it is not controlled (profitable for someone)- they should be allowed access. I'm excited to see how Obama stands up to the other arms of the corporate cancer legion of America.

If not now, when?

Anybody who thinks that we are winning the drug war has greater delusions than pot could ever cause. I'm sick of the government trying to tell me what kind of cocktails and can have after a hard day's work. If I get up, go to my job, and live an honest life, then I shouldn't have to go sneaking around to do something that hurts no one else but myself.

Get some balls, Obama.

FLORENCE MUTESASIRA said: "I think the presiden is so right, it is the wrong timing for the country to legalize weed, because most people are going through a tough time and are depressed, so chances of being hooked on this drug are high. My advise to green machine is talk to people who are addicted to this drug and find out how it has stimulated their house economy."

Give me a break! How is this any different than people who are hooked on nicotine, caffiene or alcohol?

Sure mirjuana can stimulate the economy.....the food sector will flourish, the music industry will be revived, and the drug companies will hit jackpot!

"I don't know what that says about the online audience."
It's the same online audience that voted for him! Guess since he moved he doesn't care to hear from his supporters on the (other) issues.

"Osama's not legalizing marijuana? pretty sure he will legalize crack cocaine"

Yeah... that's the type of unity we want in this country... Shame on people who think that this ignorance should belong on websites, or exist for that matter.

The misconceptions abound. I wonder how many people here who criticize marijuana have actually used it? I use it every day and I work my butt off. It's a nice way to relax after putting in an eight or nine hour day.

Perhaps the folks who oppose the decriminalization of marijuana would also like to reprohibit alcohol? Liquor has been proven to be far more destructive than marijuana.

And perhaps the folks who oppose it would mind commenting on the negatives surrounding marijuana's prohibition? Such as:

1. Disrespect for the law being bred by those who use it despite the prohibition
2. Enormous blood shed caused by the cartels and dealers who are empowered and created by drug laws
3. The oppression of families destroyed by draconian laws and fines for the victimless crime of marijuana use
4. The billions of unrecouped dollars spent on an obviously failed "war on drugs"
5. The unrealized billions of dollars in profit if it were decriminalized

There are no rational, realistic reasons for a naturally occuring plant to be prohibited by law. The rationale behind it's prohibition are founded in early 20th century xenophobia and lies propogated by industries endangered by hemp.

Let's grow up.

My brother was murdered because he got busted for Pot and the narcs used him for bait to bust other people. Pot needs to be legalized and the enforcers of our draconian drug policies need to get a real job! Get a clue – our drug war is the problem, not the drugs themselves! I get so angry every time I see our officuials using people as pawns in their phony war for profit.

It's too bad that President Obama laughed it off. It is a serious question that needs to be thought through and given serious consideration. Although I admit... the timing is not the best.

I support Pres. Obama on most things but not this one. It is exactly the type of thing to spur the economy. We wouldn't be spending millions on arresting people who use less marijuana than people who use alcohol and drive with 19 DUI's, and then they could only arrest people committing other crimes while using or selling to minors, the say way they do with alcohol and cigarettes. Imagine the cost-saving and the tax revenue that would be generated.

reply to FLORENCE MUTESASIRA,

This drug is not addictive!!!!! If it were, 4/5th of the country would be hooked. Its actually safer than alcohol, a drug that kills thousands of innocent victims yearly.

I guess the pot lobbyist are not giving up...

How is it that we can still criminalize marijuana? Head on collisions caused by excessive alcohol consumption have taken the lives of thousands of innocent people. Someone who is high on marijuana might miss their exit, but they won't cause the death and destruction of a drunk driver, nor will they ever overdose and die from using this naturally growing plant.

Thanks Charles. The other comments under this article show exactly why this country needs to have a better conversation when it comes to marijuana. The fact that there were so many other questions regarding marijuana shows that it is becoming a prominent issue. Arguing that it will fix the economy, I admit, probably isn't the best argument but not so ridiculous that it should just be laughed off. Prohibition of alcohol was repealed during the great depression to create revenue and end the great amount of violence that prohibition created. Sound familiar to today's economic situation and the violence in Mexico?

Its not the worst idea in the world. I mean there are far worse things that are legal already.........

It would be an incredible source of revenue. And by the way millions of Americans smoke pot, including doctors, lawyers, lawmakers, and yes, even religious clergy. You can't overdose on it like you can on alcohol, and widthdrawal is very easy, unlike alcohol, which people have died from lack of treatment during widthdrawal from alcohol. It would also save billions in our war on drugs which has been as wasteful as any program ever established, and does not work.

How about medical use? It has proven benefits that the Bush administration chose to ignore despite scientific evidence. I am also disappointed that he brushed aside this issue:

How many marijuana-related non-violent criminals are clogging up our already overflowing prisons?

How about hemp? It can be used for paper and grows a crop every year instead of our trees which take 10-20years and are disappearing acre by acre every year.

How about the Mexican drug war that's raging right now? It's not all over marijuana, but legalizing it would decrease demand on Mexican marijuana markets and give American farmers a new cash crop.

To Peter E: Do you know how many professors, doctors, lawyers smoke marijuana for quiet contemplation? They got off their buts and went to 4years of medical school and residency/law school and still managed to do fine.

To Florence: Marijuana is NOT physically addictive like heroine. It is psychologically addictive, and I agree this might not be the right time to introduce it for recreational use, but for medical use... it should have been legalized long ago.

To Sharon: That's a racist comment and you know it. Keep you're nasty thoughts off the internet please.

A brain is a terrible thing to waste. Its time for Americans to put their brains to work to come up new and innovative solutions to this economic crisis. There are a lot of other weeds Americans should be thinking of growing that can grow this economy other than pot. No, the president will not legalize crack cocaine either. He uses his brain.

People seem to under estimate the size of the marijuana legalization movement. The media is starting to take notice and running more marijuana friendly articles because they're so popular. The momentum is building and the marijuana lagalization movement will be a force Obama will need to deal with or it will dog him throughout his presidency.

Let's go the other way with this and outlaw alcohol and tobacco as well. Both are obvious stairstep drugs as almost all hard drug users started with alcohol and tobacco. Also think of all the people we could get off the streets and either into jails or hired into law enforcement or black market careers.

I cannot believe he laughed off the number one topic, well MULTIPLE number 1 topics. I thought he was all about change and to just scoff off all of those posts with a joke. Wow way to go, you just lost a lot of support Obama.

It's a shame that Obama made a joke out of a serious question that deserves serious discussion and consideration.

I still have yet to hear a single valid point against the legalization of marijuana. All of the dissenter's opinions are fueled by stereotypes, mis-information and lack of information.

BB, Just because a lot of people you know do it, doesn't mean it is a good thing to do. I don't know anyone who uses pot, anymore. My dad did for years after Vietnam and he died in his early 50's. Not saying pot was the cause, but it surely didn't help. I'm not against medicinal use, but I don't think it needs to be legal for the general population.

lol, @the comment about "putting down the pot and getting to work would spur economy".....LOL....really?......we already do, we pot smokers make up a huge percent of the workforce....we are your employees, bosses, lawmakers, mothers, fathers, CEO's, .....pot has been around longer than your family line.....MJ needs to be legalised and regulated like cigarettes and alchohol....ppl need to be educated on this matter and stop pretending marijuana is the boogeyman.....LOL...( "put down the pot and get to work", hahahahaha thats a good one...LOL)

Sadly, this was a legitimate question (actually there were several similar questions) that the President jokingly pushed aside. The violence occurring on our border should dictate that he and congress should deal with the legality or decriminilization of marijuana. The facts are that as long as there is prohibition there will be a black market that will sell to our youth, violence will continue and harmless users will be incarcerated

I love how so many people think that pot smokers are useless and sit around the house all day doing nothing.

I know a lot of educated, professional men and women who do smoke pot and lead a very normal and productive life.

And a lot of you would be surprised to find that many of your friends and neighbors do or have smoked pot. I know I was.

To each his/her own as long as they are not hurting anyone.

well i'm disappointed, not only could we release thousands of people with non violent drug convictions and save money on our prison system, allow police to actually go after dangerous people, and unburden some of the court system, and cut down on boarder violence, it would also be a multi billion dollar economic stimulus without having to use tax payer money and it would create so many jobs........maybe one day, and to those who say because of depression over lack of jobs, or abuse of the drug as a reason not to legalize it, well maybe they should be out in front to advocate for the abolition of cigs and alcohol which have way higher abuse rates, more addictive, and end so many more lives.

Hey Peter, has it ever occured to you that many computer geeks are actually working? Has it ever occured to you that much of the code for games that are created for Nintendo, Playstation, or X-Box was done while stoned?

Marijuana has been demonized for far too long. If you want to demonize something, lets go after alcohol. Now there is something that will mess you up.

Extremely disappointing answer from a president I respect greatly. The prohibition of marijuana is a joke, and the ban on hemp cultivation even more so.

Personally I feel that the Obama administration has responded to the marijuana issue appropriately. I don't for see the decriminalization of marijuana happening anytime in the near future, however the blind eye that the government is showing towards states that allow medical marijuana is a step in the right direction. Looking at marijuana from a strictly scientific perspective it is very clear that the long term effects of pot are minimal when compared to a legal drug like alcohol.

If the administration were to legalize pot I do think that despite the versatility of the marijuana plant, it would deter home growers because of the cheap, high quality, pot that the government would offer.

While I'm not an advocate for lowering drug awareness and enforcement. I do think that this issue is an important one that people have wrestled with for a long time and I'm glad that the administration is, at the very least, listening to our voices.

It makes you wonder what kind of brain some people are functioning on. Apprently, not much.

Drug minded individuals!

Why not legalize marijuana? Come to think of it alcohal & cigarettes are legal and they are less healthier rightand there is a hefty tax on smokes ...so why not?

I got news for you Peter E– like half the engineers at Google are probably high right now. Everyone uses marijuana.. it's not just what you believe are the "loser" types. EVERYONE uses it from doctors to lawyers - and they're doing just fine. Smoking that is way better than drinking for sure. I'd prefer to have a pot user handling my tax taxes than a hungover drunk.

obama just proved that he is ignorant. over 60-70% of the cartel's money is estimated to come from marijuana and is used to keep them stable, since the demand for marijuana is mainly constant. Americans and some politicians are beginning to acknowledge the fact that it is the best alternative to decreasing the amount of cash flow to mexico. The cash-flow to mexico is mainly marijuana money, not guns, like this administration would like you to believe so they could possibly push their agenda for tougher gun laws. Legalize marijuana, stop joking around about the most popular question in your poll and giving it less than 5% of your time than lesser popular questions. The time you spent on the most popular question is inversely related to the time spent on it. How stupid are you obama? However this analogy isn't true for all the other questions which were also highly voted on. This among other reasons will be the reason america will be saying "Obamamos" in 2012

Well If it ranked high on the chart then I guess it must be valid. How many more people do you need to realize that this is what America wants. Not that all Americans want it but there is enough to make it a reality. The people that don't want it really need to sit down and shut up because they wouldn't like it if we took some of their freedom away. This is not about drugs anymore it is about personal freedom that this country was founded on and now takes away. Yet it brags that this is the land of the free. I say that is bullpuckey. I don't feel free, And never will. I live in fear. Example.. My daughters dance instructors son fell and broke his leg. They rushed him to the hospital and low and behold DSS was right there to investigate to see if they needed to remove the child from his family. Tell you what, come and try to take my kids away and you will end up dead. Since when is it really anyone else's business what go's on in my house. Tell me where our freedoms went. Please tell me. You have your alcohol and your tobacco so give us our freedom. This country is a big lie and the recession we are in proves that this country was a lie. Nothing but Crooks riddle our past and ruined the average working mans life. The crooks are in the government and are so well hidden that it can not be proven (Cheyney and the secret energy meeting. Then gas prices go up to 4 dollars a gallon and now bush is out of office it is back down to about 2 dollars. come on now, you think we are all stupid. We the people just can't do anything about it).This stinks of corruption and has stunk of corruption of some sort or another for the past 100 years. Our forefathers are turning in their graves as we speak saying this is not how it is suppose to be. Up yours Dupont I hope you go broke and die.

To that say put down the pot and get up and get a job to help stimulate the economy, you have no idea what your talking about. The only people that spend money on marijuana are the end user, the small guy. Everyone else profits from it and then they take that money and more then likely spend it. Which helps stimulate the economy in its own right, but instead the of being able to tax that money the federal government never sees the money, only states with sales tax. Also what about the billions of dollar SPENT on trying to enforce the laws around it? That money could be spent elsewhere or on cocaine or herion raids. The legal and illegal marijuana business is probably a multi billion dollar industry just in the US. If that flow of cash was to leave in the snap of a finger, i believe the economy would fall apart. Legal or not legal, it already provides people with jobs and spending money.

Florence: Marijuana is not a physically addictive drug. So people could not get hooked on it. Unlike nicotine and alcohol there are no physical withdraw simptoms with marijuana use.

Oh yah ! That's smart ! 2 suggest fixing a problem with a problem.

Obama, maybe it says "this is what we're thinking and hope that you'd address without a flippant remark".

To bad we can't get past the stigma of marijuana. It is not just a drug. Hemp can be used for many things including clothes (it is stronger and more long lasting than cotton with less environmental impact), food, alternative fuel (hemp seed oil), and paper (saving trees). People really need to do a little more research on this subject. The draconian laws we have now rate hemp the same as heroin. Lets stop wasting tax payers dollars on a drug war that is not working and makes us less safe. It also clogs our penitentiary system with nonviolent criminals. Lets start creating jobs in a new and potentially huge green industry. Educate yourselves and stop listening to the propaganda that has been put out by the government since prohibition.

Legalize pot and see the many benefits. Less violence, more control, tax revenue – less national debt, happier/healthier people – a whole new perspective. Sure have some governing laws – but make it like alcohol or ciggaretts. You do not see people dying or killing people for just smoking pot. Maybe combined with another substance. It would do some much for our ecconomy and government. It has done just that for the state of California. Wake up people!

i totally support legalization of marijuana it will stimulate the economy obamas an idiot when it comes to this topic unbelievable

I just rreally think that all people who decided to discuss the marijuana issue was really trying to get the President to say something really stupid. That way all of the people who want to see him fell at all cost will have something else to grip about. Now matter what he has done for the last 64-65 day in office so, many people are trying to find fault with it. I'm glad he spoke the TRUTH on this issue and I feel he spoke from his heart. When is this Nation go to realize that we finally has some INTELLIGENCE in the WHITE HOUSE.

I was a huge Obama supporter during the presidential race, but this speaking out against pot is the final straw for me. If any of you half-wits realized that cigarettes and alcohol are terribly more detrimental to peoples' lives than marijuana is, you'd realize it's a terrific solution not only to our economy, but to stopping Mexico's drug war dead in its tracks. This is coming from an extremely left-wing Democrat. I HOPE OBAMA FAILS! The one good solution to arise among the lard-based morons of this country, and everyone shuts it down. Typical.

he should consider making marijuana legal to spur job growth. Even GOOGLE is laying off people. Just announced it today. Wow. The u.s. needs all the help it can get.

The number of people using pot is astonishing. You are working with people who do it. They are computer programmers, mechanics, teachers, etc... the list goes on and on.

The only people who benefit from keeping it illegal are drug lords and drug dealers. They depend on the illicit income they get from selling pot.

Here's something else to think about: How many violent offenders are walking free right now because the jails are full of pot users?

As the previous comments indicate, ignorance abounds on this subject. However, this is a legitimate issue, and one President Obama should take seriously. The United States wastes billions of dollars every year trying to enforce antiquated drug policies and loses billions more in potential tax revenue in the process. History has demonstrated time and time again that regulation is a much more effective strategy than prohibition. Legalizing marijuana would cripple the violent drug cartels in Mexico and eradicate a dangerous and socially destructive black market in America. The list of reasons goes on and on. Everyone in America who wants to smoke weed does. It's about time the government acknowledges that reality and fixes the system.

This antiquated ideology that pot is bad for society needs to go. Sure pot can make you lethargic, but so does Benadryl. What it doesn't do is make you reckless, belligerent, or dangerous– be it in person or behind the wheel of a car. It IS a multi-billion dollar industry that the government is missing out on.

I agree, it's too soon for this and the country isn't ready for it, but eventually as our country turns wiser and older, pot will be legalized. It's non-cancer causing, non-addictive, and is an effective treatment for a laundry list of ailments and diseases. Compare that to our favorite legal vices– cigarettes and alcohol, which combined result in hundreds of thousands of deaths each year.

Just one perspective from a pot-smoking, contributing (that means working, Peter E) member of society. And Sharon LV– c'mon– comments like that are way more detrimental to society than pot will ever be.

I was very surprised that Obama treated the marijuana issue so lightly. I, as well as a lot of people are very serious about this issue. I am a 40-something mom and soon to be grandmother that believes it's time to legalize pot.I am addicted to vicodin that I have gotten from my doctor for over two years,but I guess that's ok,even though that is a huge problem with a lot of people.It has never been a problem with me or my husband keeping a job.I resent the talk that pot smokers don't work or anything else. C'mon,most of America feels the time is right for this to happen! I guess change doesn't happen overnight,but I hope that I live to see it!

I don't get it. What's the funny part? Spending billions on enforcement of an unwinnable war? Oh yeah, that is funny

As to peter E...you have no Idea how many people with steady jobs who are active in society smoke.

As to FLORENCE MUTESASIRA....little case study for you check out what FDR did in regards to alcohol prohibition during great depression and its results.

As to Mike...look at how many college students are denied financial aid because of cannabis convictions, regardless of whether or not they go to jail.

As to Sharon LV...Completely unnecessary comment. Really surprised CNN let this through.

Furthermore, I am less than 500 miles away from a war that is costing billions of dollars, and hundreds of lives. As SoS Clinton admitted. The USA is partly to blame for the raging war down south. Our insatiable desire for drugs is not going to go away. So pretending that STONERS are the only ones who would benefit from legalization is a farce.

I believe putting someone in prison for a drug that cause people relax and not fight like a drug such as Alcohol, is completely wrong. The cost alone to have these people in prison is more than what an average person makes a year. And the people that believe they don't know anyone that spokes weed are either blind or very self obsorbed. There are more successful hard working people in the work force than any even knows. I don't believe that it is a problem if someone works all day and wants to take a couple of puffs at night. Also what people don't realise is that just because its legal doesn't mean everyone is going to do it, people that don't smoke, and people that don't drink have the opportunity to do both because there legal but choose not to.

Ummmmm...best leave any hopes on that topic for the second term.....nice to hear the feds are going to back off on stuffing our jails full of unfortunate (fairly harmless) pot smoking teens – prison population is, after all, our largest budget expense after medicare/medicaid

If we can't legalize pot then can someone please tell me why alchohol is legal? Hmmmm. Lobby and money maybe. Anyone for a pot lobby? Why dont we try and make alchohol illegal? Wonder what kind of outcry that would produce. We could save billions on alchohol related deaths while driving and treating alchohol related health issues. Just think of all the enforcement jobs it would create in DOJ and DEA. Stimulate the economy – ILLEGALIZE ALCHOHOL. Bottom line is there is no diff. Either make both legal or illegal.

a million jobs and a billion dollars. yessiree. read jack herer's " the emperor wears no clothes". he didn't write this stuff, he only collected the government evidence for you too decide for yourself.

Just like all aspects of Obama's philosophy, he doesn't think Americans can make these decisions on their own. If you think tabacco and alcohol should be legal, why not marijuana?

Same reason he is cutting tax deducations for charitable contributions. He thinks the government can decide where the money is spent better than average people. This isn't change, this is the same crap that the Democrats and Republicans have been pedaling for decades. Pro-choice means pro-choice.

Maybe it's not politically correct, but it should be decriminalized and taxed!

It's not addicting like alcohol is!

AND Sharon LV – you are a racist!!

While the decision shouldn't be made for purely economic reasons, it is incompatible with the concept of a free society that we continue to tell people at gunpoint what drugs they can and cannot use. And I say this as someone who never uses drugs and rarely drinks alcohol.

I'm all for keeping marijuana illegal, as long as we also prohibit alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. The way this country (and the world) categorizes one drug as illegal and sells another drug, just as addictive and harmful, from any store with a license is a joke.

Publicly anouncing that he would legalize marijuana would be political suicide. Firstly to peter M, many people who recreationally use marijuana do it to lessen the stress from work and they do it on their own time which is no concern of the governments, so next time you make a statement be sure to get rid of your own personal prejudices before generalizing 20 million people who use marijuana in the US.

President Obama knows that legalization is not going to happen overnight but he must realize that the war on drugs is failing and that marijuana prohabiton damages our economy from the billions of dollars we pour into enforcing it. He has taken steps to facilitate change such as the new drug czar who is far more common sense based then blind belief. The US should legalize marijuana within 5 years, if not we better have legitimated the reason behind this failed policy.

This makes me kind of angry. It's not like we activists are demanding that he put this issue in the forefront of the national consciousness.... But we are not children. This is not an issue that I take lightly.

I am a hard working contributing member of this society. The fact that I choose to relax by smoking a joint instead of drinking a beer is a CHOICE that I make. No one gets to tell me what I can and cannot put into my body.

So please Mr. President. Don't laugh it off.

Prohibition of Cannabis is far more destuctive than lagalizing it. I suggest those that are in denial about this fact, brush up on the history of the prohibiton of alcohol in this country. Serious consideration and thought should be given to the economic stimulus this could provide to our great country.

Yeah, because beer drinkers and alcohol drinkers are just so productive and perfect. Why beer and liquor are legal and marijuana is a jail sentance is ridiculous (and we won't even get into tobacco). Saying that someone that smokes marijuana is lazy and is the cause of the problems with the economy is ludicris! I would prefer to deal with someone that is high vs. someone that is drunk any day of the week.

Seems like an idea worth exploring. Tons of cash goes unaccounted for right now just on marijuana alone.

Peter E: Your stereotyping of pot smokers is duly noted. While I'm disappointed President Obama does support decriminalization, I'm confident that at some point it will happen. The war on drugs is a complete failure and decriminalization of marijuana would not only stimulate the economy but it would also ease the violence in Mexico. If one truly educates oneself on why pot is illegal in the first place it is hard to argue with the decriminalization point of view. I think though it must first start at the state level – let's go California! Legalize now!

That just made 70% of his voters mad!

the prez and the commentators here have it wrong. it is not about getting people hooked on marijuana, but stop prosecuting the ones that use. not everyone is addicted to alcohol, but they drink. not all who smoke are addicted. it would be a good way to reach across the red neck aisle to the hippy side and say they too can enjoy their drug of choice. you won't be seeing people smoking pot and running head on into other drivers, or getting mad and shooting their wives. you will see a bunch of quiet over indulgence (food mostly) folks that perhaps giggle too much. it is a personal choice, and NO I DO NOT SMOKE MARIJUANA.

explain to me why liquor is legal then would you please?

I guess its a good laugh when we Americans export Marijuana either from Canada or Mexico to serve them the billion dollar industry instead for our own gains. Sure lets keep taxing the private sector who cares right. I mean proabtion didnt work for alcohol what makes you think that we can stop the flow of marijuana into the country please give me a break. Anyways, lets get to the point there are more abusive in America for alcoholism or addication to pain killers which can lead to death. How many deaths are cause from smoking a natural plant? none- zero so you do the math. Legalize the plant tax it which the federal can turn around and pay our state troopers, sheriff departments, police force, etc. Wait a minute then all those who have been incarcerated for smoking weed would have to be release. Now the system has to find another way to make there money. This is an out rage I still cant beileve people are not allowed to smoke in a peaceful setting. Oh Marijuana is the gate way drug totally nonsense cigarettes are the gate way. The drug cartel profits from Marijuana are about 70%. Legalize that portion and you have already limitied that much power from the cartel. Oh no we cant do that but well just send money aid to Mexico another taxtation we gotta pay. LEGALIZE IT!!!!!!!!

I do agree that this issue should not be top of mind for the president or his administration. However, I take issue with the two posters who wrongly imply that marijuana users do not actively contribute to society/the economy or are unable to provide for themselves. There are thousands of educated, responsible adults who use marijuana on their own time, in the same manner that one might enjoy a beer while watching the NCAA tournament. These educated, responsible adults hold down decent jobs, pay their taxes, make purchases and contribute to the economy and their communities. You probably know a few of them, and don't know that they occasionally enjoy marijuana in a responsible manner. These educated, responsible adults have the right to ask these questions of their government. The questions are valid and the issue has many sides, both positive and negative, that should be considered and discussed in an open forum like the one that was provided today.

It is a shame too. Decriminilization would go a long way to solving the problems with Mexico as well. A great way to take a bite out of the drug lords' profits is to remove the demand for their product by producing it ourselves.

And this comes from some who is NOT a pot user. I'm just smart enough to realize when a policy has failed.

Where is the CNN poll for this topic? I'd like to see that the general public would lean towards. No doubt about it, the tax revenue alone would be tremendous, along with the street violence reduction, stiffer penalties, its already pleantiful in our country as it is. It is easier to get then Claritan, and should be monitored as such, usage would remain the same.

The drug war is not a joke – we're imprisoning hundreds of thousands of non-violent users. Who are we letting out of jail to keep these people in? Why are so many Americans interested in a nanny state, anyway?

@ peter E: Do your reserach. Pot is the number one cash crop in both CA and KY. More than Corn And Soy combined. It's a billion dollar industry. There is also a huge industry built around the consuption of pot. Pipes, papers, cigars, ect. Theres also the hemp industry.

Do you even know why pot is illegal? It's political, not based on any real evidence of danger.

I was extremely upset that the president ignored the demand of the American people on this issue. While it may be the easy thing to do, politically, dismissing this issue as a joke is wrong. It is a legitimate issue and deserves a fair debate in the public arena. We cannot continue to wage a silent war on the American people. You cannot pick and choose where to apply the constitution.

Florence- For the record- Marijuana is not physically addictive. Coffee and cigarettes are more addictive than marijuana. Somehow people believe Oxycontin, Vicoden or Fentanol are less harmful. They may be legal but they are extremely dangerous narcotics. There is no comparison between these pharmaceutical legal drugs and marijuana.

The only conceivable way you could overdose on marijuana is eating a tremedous amount- you're more likely in that case to die of a bowel obstruction.

It's definitely time. I know plenty of people that work the 9-5 grind and go home and light one up to relax. Much safer than alcohol or cigarettes. There's really no good reason for it to be illegal to begin with.

Obama's answer only demonstrates that he's as much in the pocket of big oil, timber and synthetics as all of the politicians before him. It also demonstrates a complete ignorance of the benefits the hemp plant could have for everyone, from food to fuel, textiles, medicines, paper, the list goes on. Obama is truly a disappointment.

Even if he was for it. In the first 4 years it would be political suicide to suuport this now. Maybe if he is re-elected near the end of his term. That is unless the petrochemical industry gets to him

I guess it's time for the prohibition of alcohol again.
If these drunks would stop calling in sick with a hangover, that would help stimulate the economy.
If they'd stop getting scerosis of the liver that would also help the economy.
If drunk drivers would stop killing people, I'm sure that would help the economy.
If they'd stop beating their wives, and going to jail. That would save alot of money.

Florence – Marijuana is not an addictive drug. Get your facts straight before you voice your opinion.

How about states such as North Dakota who have industrial hemp legislation? Where farmers can apply for and receive a state permit to grow industrial hemp, but the federal DEA is opposed to permits for industrial hemp (though ironically the DEA does issue permits for growing marijuana at the University of Mississippi).

So, if North Dakota law allows for growing industrial hemp, Attorney General Eric Holder's statement should allow for the DEA to issue permits to ND who have applied for permits, but have been delayed and turned down.

More information on industrial hemp at Global Hemp website.

Sharon,

The amount of racism that your comment is dripping with is surprising. I didn't think inbreds could work a computer.

To Peter E-

Plenty of pot users have jobs.

Wow....I'm a bit upset but I understand the reasoning. Oh well, maybe after he gets re-elected.

Hmm... it's incredible that Obama could sound so intolerant. First we laugh at "retards" and now we laugh at users of herb?

Good Obama... I voted for you before. Certainly won't again. You will be surprised how much your support will dry up by 2012.

Americans are tired or lies and abuse.

I have said for years this would help bring money into the country. I am 19 and don't smoke anything or do any drugs but have seen a lot of people "high." I think it would be best to set it up like a hunting permit. Make people fill out forms to qualify for a permet to carry and use marijuana, and have limits on how much each peroson can carry. Have a regular users permit for a small amount, with a larger permit for stores and "sellers." They could also charge to grow, say a $100 per ten plants that way they could limit the ammount per company. If anyone is over there limit they can do as they do everything else, take the excess and slap them with a heavy fine. The effects of marijuana are similar to drinking and a lot better for you than tabaco. There are allready hundreds of thousands of people who do it and more people might do it if it was legal because of the ease of obtaining it. 100,000+ people at say $50 a year plus a 10% tax on it would be a lot of money, money which this country is short of. Plus all the good that would come out of reduced number of court cases from possesion and possably free up some room in an overcrouded prison system.

This issue is the elephant in the room nobody in the white house wants to touch right now, it's obvious the U.S. drug prohibition is a failure and is the main reason mexico is seeing so much violence. I say legalize all drugs and take away the black markets. tax and regulate them, and punish drug abusers who violate REAL laws not just laws that take away our personal freedoms to put anything we want into OUR bodies.

Obama said off-handedly at the town hall. "I don't know what that says about the online audience."

Really? They were probably high when they voted for you.

I am a war vet. and i think,MR.Obama is doing more than i can remember any other president has done, i mean before, when the new pres. was in office you never saw him or heard a word of what was going on. At least now we have a man willing to stepup to the plate and tell it how it really is,and going out and doing something instead of doing,--- as his past predisiosiors.We all have to understand change dosen't happen overnight,but it takes time and effort among all,I recall a phrase WE THE PEOPLE what happened did we loose sight of everything,by falling back and only thinking about me,and not use. FOR IT IS WE AND USE who make this place we call home.P.S don't forget we crawl before we walk. UNITED WE STAND DEVIDED WE FALL that was something that was instiled im me when i went to fight for my country, I know I'm just a speck on this earth but if more of us were on the same page we just might see the big picture.untill we allmeet again GOD BLESS US ALL

I doubt that decriminalization of pot would create "millions of jobs" . The tobacco industry doesn't even have 1/2 million.

It would be hard to regulate marijuana since anyone can grow the plants just about anywhere and advoid the taxes, which is why I believe it's the number one reason that government have not legalized it years ago.

Whoa. Dude. It's like, totally about pot. And the economy and stuff. But, like, pot will totally fix that.

I have not heard one good reason as to why Marijuana should not be legal. The old argument that its bad for you is stupid, I can list lots of things that are bad for you but still legal...Alcohol comes to mind. Marijuana would not only make money but it would free up money so cops could spend more time getting serious drugs off the streets. Its a no brainer for Marijuana to be legal, especially if Alcohol is. Obama knows this but he didnt want to take heat from the public against a drug less harmful than Alcohol.

"Pot" is a multi-billion dollar a year industry, whether you like it or not. Right now, the people reaping the benefits of this "economy" are drug lords and their affiliated cartels in Mexico and other areas around the world. At this point in time there is a huge surge in violence in the region as a result of our "War on Drugs" whih threatens to topple the Mexican government. We can continue to turn a blind eye to this multi-billion dollar industry, keep spending billions locking people up for it's recreational use, fueling these murderous drug cartels with the money to continue terrorizing their citizens, spending billions to fight these cartels, law enforcement, etc.. OR, we can legalize, tax, and regulte. This will generate billions in annual revenue and save billions annually by decreasing the budget of those agencies fighting it. Be realistic, this isn't "Half Baked" and not all "Pot heads" are lazy, unmotivated, un-productive members of society. They're your doctors, lawyers, police, business owners, etc.

Think about why alcohol is legal and then think about why marijuana is not. I would like to here some explanations.

I agree with Obama here for now and here's why. If we are to legalize marijuana the decision shouldn't be made under pressure for tax revenues. This decision should be made based on it's overall impact on society. Studies have shown that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol or cigarettes but there's a lot of other issues with legalization.

Furthermore, I think the idea the that this will raise a lot of tax revenue is blown out of proportion. Marjuana is a weed and grows just about anywhere. It's easy and cheap to grow and obtain right now. If the government taxes it and regulates it, thus raising the price and reducing availability, why wouldn't people just continue to get it from other people. They can't stop it right now and certainly if you change the laws around it, the penalties for possessing and growing it become more lenient therefore encouraging more people to do so. So rather than people going to a store to buy it and contributing to state and federal revenues ,they grow it themselves and the black market continues to flourish. The more regulations you put on it the more likely it will remain a black market drug. The less regulations you put on it the more it's available- and there's no way people will allow marijuana to be easily available to everyone. But legalizing it in any way will do that. I just don't believe it will be easy to regulate. The only real revenue stream you'll get will be from savings in prisons. That may be enough.

I agree with Obama on this one. Legalizing marijuana would not help the economy, bc people would actually stop buying it. When will people learn that once the government gets involved with a business, the products cost more and the quality of the product lowers.

Understand the difference between illegal and criminal.

Illegal means people like Eric Cantor and Chris Dodd and Steve King and Charlie Rangel wrote a law.

Criminal acts can be perfectly legal. Take what happened on Wall St. We are told little can be done because nothing they did was "illegal" even though we all know that what they did was criminal.

Murder is a criminal act and is wrong. If we never bothered to write a law against it, it would be legal. Would that make murder right or any less criminal?

15 years ago, it was "illegal" to receive local channels (NBC, CBS, etc) on a satellite mini-dish (with a few exemptions) because a law was written to protect the interests of the cable companies from the new found threat of DirecTV. Does that mean it was criminal to do it then? What about now when millions get NBC from a dish?

Smoking pot is illegal. It is not criminal.

Putting people in jail for doing it....is.

Obama is right...period.

It would certainly do wonders for the potato chip and fast food industry.

This is what needs to happen if a whole county can survive off of marijuana why cant tha country.Mr.President if you do tha facts and see how much money this country will make maybe you can use that money to pay off our debt instead of puttin it on tha american people.Now that would be change I blieve in and b able to keep that change in my pocket lol.

This is a hard topic for Obama to tackle, I voted for him and I love him with all of my American heart, but being a Black American I can see the double edge sword this topic can be. If he legalize marijuana this will defiantly help the economy and help end some of the drug related violence we have here in American (remember prohibition?), and since marijuana is one of the largest cash crops in America and a multibillion dollar industry the tax revenue can be enormous. However, if the first black president legalizes a "drug" that just give the republicans more ammo to call him every name in the book and he will go down in history as being a drug promoter. Thus he has no choice but to find more orthodox solutions to our problem.

Barak's answer to legalizing marijuana was kind of Special Olympics.

Pot is no more dangerous than alcohol. If we had some big businesses like the alcohol and tabacco industries pushing it, I'll bet we could all enjoy a legal doobie by next week.

WHAT.... can I change my vote now ;~)

He will change his mind as soon as someone tells him how to tax it.

Frankly, legalizing marijuana is not a bad idea. It could mean additional revenue for the govt and less money spent on arrests, courts, and prisons for those using and selling the "drug". I am a 33 year old mother suggesting this, not a teenager. Just my two cents.

And help control the boarder war in Mexico!

This is not only an economic issue, but it is also relates to crime. legalizing drugs will take away street value, and reduce the crimes that follow.

It is time to legalize pot now, for many people who need medical marijuana for a quality of life. Pot is harmless, contrary to alchol and tobacco which kills millions! Please can everyone wake up, and go after real criminals, and save tax payers billions of dollars incarcerating innocent victims of puffing on a joint. This is totally ridiculous, all this trouble to eradicate something that is harmless, pot is not on the same field as hard drugs, and should not be treated like a demon weed. The kings and priests smoked pot thousands of years ago to get enlightened, there are so many health benefits to mention. Make pot legal so Canada can follow your example!

Pot usually leads to other things.

Its unfortunate that the President laughed off this very serious question without giving reasons as to why legalizing marijuana is such a bad idea. I'm sure there was once a time during prohibition where alcohol carried the same stigma that marijuana does now, but now we have politicians chugging beers during campaign stops without raising an eyebrow.
Its unfortunate that this president of "change" has chosen not to be more open-minded on this issue.

What a shame! Obama is starting to look like just another politician. The LD50 (a type of toxicity test) for Cannabis makes it one of the most benign substances on the planet; really. Go ahead and Google it; it's true. Politicians (and Obama) know this. So, when they refuse to make a logical policy choice and instead make a political policy choice, they are really not acting in the best interests of the American public.

Bad Decision. To blow it off in laughter is not what any president should do when they all they preach is open-mindedness. I smell hypocrisy already.

Legalize it, tax it, reduce our unreducable debt and put the real criminals in prison, not 18 yr old Chet who was caught with a dime bag.

I don't believe strongly in the prohibition of marijuana, but I find the idea that the marijuana industry would be in any way better than the cigarette industry laughable. If marijuana was legalized the cigarette companies would be in the best position to capitalize on it. I think if you asked the average person whether they wanted to double the business of the cigarette companies this year, most would say no.

It's too bad that the President was so flippant about the question. He praises himself as being pro-science, and yet he shies away from a rational and honest discussion of a legitimate subject. If he were to actually had the courage to study and then inform the American public about the costs of our war on marijuana, both in terms of enforcement and incarceration (not to mention the potential tax revenue loss), he'd do his part towards improving our economy.

I am a big supporter of Obama, soI am suprised and disappointed that he dismissed such a logical idea out of hand. Aside from the obvious benefits of jobs, tax revenue and control over an adult substance, it would literally strip the power from the Mexican cartel he was just speaking out against Tuesday evening! No one will spend their money on black market marijuanna when a cheaper alternative is available at their corner store. Prohibition gives the black market its power, and out hard earned taxable dollars.

Well well... what a surprise.
Perhaps if he wasn't under such fire from the obsolete already.
Whether he wanted to or not, it wouldn't have happened.
The US will just have to stick with their beloved libation: Alcohol.
You can basically find a liquor store within a stones throw in any direction where I grew up in upstate NY. But thats ok... alcohol is harmless.

I absolutely would support decriminalizing marijuana. This falls into the same category as cigarettes and alcohol. Alcohol causes much more damage to your body and impairs you to the point where a person cannot function properly. Why should this be treated any differently? Not only would we create a new major sector in the economy, we would save billions on court costs, jail costs, and so much more. The country could make billions and save billions!

Needless to say, the country would need many more cookie dough factories...once again...marijuana contributing to the economy in indirect ways!

Prohibition doesn't work. It causes everything to go underground and breeds violence and corruption.

"I don't know what that says about the online audience"...........

It actually speaks volumes about your group, the college aged stoners,the same ones who at various voting places couldn't answer SIMPLE questions on why they uh, uh, uh, uh, uh voted for you last election.

All these college geniuses could muster up was Hope and uh, uh, uh Change and that mean lady has a daughter who is pregnant.

Sorry, these are the FACTS, not an opinion by your better, but FACTS.

Churchill put it best: "He who is not a liberal in their twenties has no heart, he who still is one in their forties has no brains".

See you geniuses after you actually get up every morning and go to work, pay a few bills yourself, buy your own home, raise children etc, etc.

Your whole world view of being taxed to pay for do nothing Obama type disciples will have LONG changed in about twenty years.

Until then, smokem if you gottem...........................

No, of course he's not going to legalize marijuana. Obama wouldn't want to pursue policies that ACTUALLY WORK!

Instead, he wants to plunge our country further and further into hyperinflation hell!

The question here should be whether the money we have spent in the war on drugs, particularly marajuana, is having the effects we've intended.

Most of the problems we see with Marajuana are on the supply side because of its illegal nature. Crime and violence mostly are resulting from the illegality of it, just like alcohol during prohibition.

Legalization/de-criminalization would allow us to redirect resources to real crime, tax the use of marajuana, and regulate it under the FDA to make it safer.

Its a legitimate question, but one that I wouldn't expect Obama to address because of the socio-political ramifications of recognizing that marajuana being illegal causes more problems than marajuana itself.

And lets not forget the pharmaceutical companies and their lobbies who have the world to lose if a plant thats a natural pain killer were to become legal. Watch the profits from percoset and vicoden go down down down

Legalizing the drug trade could kill two birds with one stone. We could keep the money in the US and put a damper on all this Mexican drug war buisness. People are gonna keep using drugs regarless of the law. The most hypicritacal part of the whole thing is the federal govrnment has no problem collecting the tax money from the medical marijuana shops here in California.

This is just another example of the old way of thinking. Alcohol and tobacco are far more destructive than pot yet both are legal.

I used to smoke back in my college days. And while I could live without it the rest of my life I do wish we had politicians willing to take up this cause. I guess maybe it should be a state issue. It would be a huge money generator though.

Why no stories on the new, unveiled gop budget – the one that they were delivering in a detailed way today? I do not understand why you're not putting out a story on this???? Ha!

No, it's not...but it could be part of a larger stategy to spur our economy.
And I know what you guys are thinking. I know the question you want me to answer. And the answer is yes

I have never touched the stuff never would but seriously just legalize it. We spend billions to fight its import in a system that clearly has not worked. The Mexicans cartels are fighting a war on our southern boarder because of it and seriously what harm does it cause. Who does it hurt. Is it that much worse than tobacco or alcohol. Plus taxing it takes the money out of the drug lords hands and puts it in the hands of government.

There may be money in weed, but legalizing something that makes people lazy and stupid is probably not the best way to go to help econoomic growth.

Also, the last time I was at a party where weed was being smoked, most people sat around in a stupor being boring as crap. I'll take a couple of India pale ales and good conversation any day of the week.

All in all though, I do appreciate Obama's attempts at promoting dialouge between Americans and their government.

Obama...

Why have you resorted to being politically correct? What are you so afraid of?

Step up, be yourself, and be BRAVE! We fell in love with you as a country because that's what we saw up until the election. That's what we need now, still, as a country. We need a leader who isn't afraid.

Please, be that man.

President Obama continues to disappoint America each and every day. Maybe if he would stop trying to please the retards in the GOP, and start paying attention to the American people like he said he would, he might grow a pair of balls and do what needs to be done in this country as he promised!

Unfortunately President Obama didn't take this question as seriously as he should have. Of course a room of nurses and teachers is going to scoff at this question. But the bottom line here is, there is a huge and fast growing movement of people with common sense that will soon be the majority. Apparently our Government and the Media don't see what all the recent polls are showing them and whats coming soon. CHANGE!!

Over half the people in jail are there for drug related offences.
If you make pot and hash legal then you can tax it and make BILLIONS upon BILLIONS in tax revenue. Making it legal stops alot of crimes related to selling and buying it on the black market.
You would spure the agricultural industry as some farms would start to grow it for legal income.

I totally agree with the President. As clever as some people think they might be, it is not an ethical question – its a question of long term sustainability. Simply put, mayijuana makes you stupid.

I don't mind marijuana. I think it's as bad as cigarettes and alcohol in the sense that "they" know its bad for you but let you do it so "they" can tax and profit from it. My state, CA, has spent billions over the years trying to destroy our marijuana empire but in that time production has actually gone up. Statistically, the more the gov spends on imprisoning and destroying pot farms the more pot farms spring up. Your choice America. Once you open that door it will be hard to close.

While I agree with the President on the first question, this is not the #1 question from the legit marijuana community. (i.e NORML) I have never heard of this question from any smart marijuana user, nor is it the question on minds of users for example, on Obama's change.org website. Of course that question would get laughed at, its like asking if beer is going to improve the economy... it's a waste of time and I don't understand why Obama didn't answer the REAL question.

The true question, which should have been asked, is the second you mentioned about the regulation, age limits, etc from GreenMachine. This would surely get no laughs from educated people on the subject, as it surely will make a millions, if not billions of tax dollars.

I wish uninformed people would not be so quick to judge about this subject, and wish they would read up on it and get their facts straight before debating.

Marijuana is safer than alcohol and tobacco, fact.

Of course it should be legal. It may not be a good way to "stimulate the economy" but it should still be legal.

I would like him to answer the question of legallity, not just if it's part of the economic plan.

We all know the truth though...he would love to have it legal but he is scared of the backlash, pure and simple.

The legalization of Medicinal marijuana is a power left to the individual States.

"I don't know what that says about the online audience."
It says that we are practical people. I'm not a person that does any drugs and I can still see the benefits of legalizing marijuana. Not only would it boost the economy by creating jobs, but the government could impose taxes on it, we would stop sending millions of American dollars outside the country every year that are supporting a lot of the drug violence in Mexico. It would clear up a lot of space in prisions and jails across the nation, also saving taxpayers money. And more importantly it would make it harder for underage kids to get ahold of. When I was underage, had I wanted any drugs, there were half a dozen people I knew I could call to easily get anything I wanted. Alcohol however was a completely different story. Because it is regulated by the government and legal it is much, much more difficult for kids to get their hands on alcohol than marijuana right now. If marijuana was legalized and controlled like alcohol and cigarettes, it would be much harder for kids to get their hands on.

How is it not an effective strategy???

Good answer. We are transgressing through some difficult times--legalizing drugs for recreational use--it will only add to the difficulty–that is a one way street with no comeback for redemeption.

If these pot users put that pot down and got up from their computer and started actually working THAT would stimulate the economy!

I think the presiden is so right, it is the wrong timing for the country to legalize weed, because most people are going through a tough time and are depressed, so chances of being hooked on this drug are high. My advise to green machine is talk to people who are addicted to this drug and find out how it has stimulated their house economy.

I was surprised at the number of very similar pot-related questions. It felt like a coordinated effort by someone to get this one issue highlighted. I was pleased, though, that the President chose to address it - it showed that he really was paying attention to the results of the online question-gathering! And I think he answered it correctly.

While prosecuting pot smokers or possessors is not high on my agenda, neither is decriminalization or the tremendous political distractions that would bring. The only move that I think is easy and supportable is the one that Holder has already taken, to have the Feds back off on those following state laws regarding pot for medical purposes. I think we've hit the right balance here.

Osama's not legalizing marijuana? pretty sure he will legalize crack cocaine

It's dissapointing to see the President, who claims to be "open-minded", laugh off such a suggestion. While I dont personally believe an all out legalization would benefit America, this is something that should at least be considered and discussed as it has potential to bring in millions of tax revenue. President Obama treated this as a joke and derrided online viewers as some metephorical "stoners". What a shame.

Sure glad that we have a President who gets laughs even on the Jay Leno Show. How blessed we are!

I see the ban on marijuana to be our own modern day version of prohibition. I do not use it, nor have I ever, but nearly everyone else I know does (including college students, firemen, and elementry school principals). Making it illegal has not made it taboo or hard to get.