en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/299502 Comments by Bagel http://change.gov/open_government/entry/north_carolina_central_university_nccu/#IDComment13919140 Also, this is of particular interest since there was not a very adequate reply to the number one issue presented in the open questions section of change.gov... thehill.com reports on the open for questions number one voted issue as: " 'Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?' To anyone thinking the #1 question was some kind of fluke, consider this: More than a dozen of the top 50 vote-getting questions pertained to amending America’s drug policies." And after all of that, and after people made it clear what still seemed so illogical to them, the only response was a meager one sentence: "President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.” So the "question we wanted answered most" was met with a one sentence denial which neither explains the position nor addresses the issues posed by the constituents. If we are going for clear and effective communication please don't ignore the most requested issue. The video response by Robert Gibbs does not even address nor mention the top voted issue to my knowledge, and yet Gibbs repeats the phrase "...and vote for the ones they want to hear answered today." This seems to confirm thehill's statement that "Ironically but perhaps not surprisingly the top question for the new administration — as chosen on and voted by the general public — was one most politicians seem utterly unwilling to talk about." As an intoxicant we have found marijuana to be less intoxicating than alcohol. As a health deterrent we find marijuana to be more safe than both nicotine and alcohol. Please keep discussing this issue until someone is no longer "utterly unwilling" to talk about it. Thank you and good luck! Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:54:53 +0000 http://change.gov/open_government/entry/north_carolina_central_university_nccu/#IDComment13919140 http://change.gov/open_government/entry/north_carolina_central_university_nccu/#IDComment13898988 A well thought out and important request to review the obviously failing war on drugs. Why must money be spent on prohibition (which has never worked) instead of treatment and education for prevention (which has been the only lasting effective treatment)? Mon, 12 Jan 2009 01:07:38 +0000 http://change.gov/open_government/entry/north_carolina_central_university_nccu/#IDComment13898988