Quote Originally Posted by zenneson
I??m sorry to say that although I approve of Obama I don??t think he is brave enough to legalize marijuana any time soon.
I don't think we will ever see this happen from any president. I don't think it's an issue of bravery so much as it is an issue of not wanting to spend all political capital on a single hot-button issue that is not demonstrably in their favor. I think the only true hope for legalization will come from the local and state level, and pressure will "bubble up" to the federal level.

Obama has taken a brave stance with being frank about past drug use and clear statements that the government should rethink their approach to marijuana, and while the new Justice Dept. policies regarding medical marijuana use are currently largely ineffective and actively ignored at many levels, these are small steps toward "normalization" and raising awareness that many other candidates would have been afraid to take.

I don't think it's reasonable to expect Obama to legalize marijuana, and I think there's much more he could do in that regard, but I do think he's some a little good.