With the current devastating situation of our economy, it has been almost effortless for the 2008 Presidential Candidates Barack Obama (D) and John McCain (R) to avoid voicing their opinions on drug use and laws. Obama has said at times that he supported decriminalization of marijuana use, but when confronted once again about the issue his administration declared that he didn’t believe marijuana offenders should go unpunished. This indecisive stand might be a result of admitting to previously using marijuana and cocaine. John McCain takes a somewhat more solid opinion saying that he wants to increase penalties for selling drugs. Yet neither candidate has made their views on the issue an important part of their campaign. Neither candidate is willing to take a radical stand whether it be legalizing it or giving maximum punishments for offenders, because they don’t want to risk losing votes by upsetting Americans.
On another note, they both seem to support the Plan Colombia, a 1.3 billion spending bill signed by President Clinton with the goal of funding Colombia in a war against drugs. This plan is very controversial, nothing seems to have changed. Drug is still being produced and exported massively from Colombia to other countries including the United States. This is why many believe that the U.S. aid is used in funding the FARC guerrilla. The FARC guerrilla is a terrorist group known for the kidnapping and killing of many who oppose the Colombian government. Has America become so blinded by other issues that we have forgotten about the war on drugs? So blind that we are even funding a terrorist cell and most Americans don’t even know it?
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7 comments:
You mention Obama has not taken a stance on the drug policy and that Mccain is in favor of stricter punishment for drug dealers, but I was just wondering what the policy is on drugs now. I know there is controversy over medical marijuana and whether or not it should be legal, but are there any other issues being dealt with as far as drugs go? Also what exactly is Plan Colombia. Are it's goals simply to stop drug trafficking, and how is it related to FARC guerrilla?
I agree that the drug war is an underrated and overlooked issue of this presidential race. My question is what demographic are the candidates targeting or avoiding by not taking a stance on drug policy? Obviously, the younger age groups and first time voters see the penalties for drug related crimes as a major issue, as drug use is prevalent in most schools. But for the older generations, what are the candidates gaining from taking such an ambiguous stance?
The drug-trafficking issue seems to have lost coverage over the years. A possible reason why the presidential candidates are not stating their stance on the issue is because it is known highly publicized. The media and American people have lost touch with this issue. The US government needs oversight on the Plan Colombia so the money will go to actually fight the war on drugs.
St3Vzla,
The issue of drugs is often buried in the soil of other issues, and you have effectively dug this issue out. However, judging from the first part of your blog post, you outline the drug war as a whole, yet in the last section, you detail Plan Colombia. Without your post's title, I could not discern what your blog will focus on. So, just for clarification, will Plan Colombia or the drug war be the focus on this blog? Thanks.
I do not agree that Obama hasn't taken taken a stance on the drug policy, I have seen and read on several occasions his views on the current drug policy and what he wishes to do...
Hey guys just posted a new blog hopefully it answers some of the questions. Please go check it out.
Daniel,
Thanks for your comment and sorry I took so long to answer, but I think that the candidates are not making drugs an important issue because it could potentially upset young and older voters. I think it’s an issue that affects all generations not only the young ones. Everyone has a personal opinion about it regardless of their age.
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