Senator Barack Obama

Senator Obama has publicly promised that he would not use federal resources to circumvent state medical marijuana laws.  Sen. Obama also voted against the Coburn Amendment, an amendment in the U.S. Senate that was intended to undermine state medical marijuana laws and place medical cannabis patients at greater risk.  Senator Obama recently reiterated his promise to not undermine states' medical marijuana laws in his recent campaign stop through Oregon.

In a recent interview with the Willamette Week , Obama boldly and unequivocally stated that he would halt the federal Drug Enforcement Agency raids on Oregon medical marijuana providers, stating, "I would because I think our federal agents have better things to do, like catching criminals and preventing terrorism. The way I want to approach the issue of medical marijuana is to base it on science, and if there is sound science that supports the use of medical marijuana and if it is controlled and prescribed in a way that other medicine is prescribed, then it's something that I think we should consider."

Further, Sen. Obama has been one of the few major presidential campaigns to emphasize the injustice of our current criminal justice system.  He has promised to create a prison-to-work incentive program and give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence in drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than severe prison terms.

Senator Obama was given an "A" rating by the Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana , a project of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) , that pushes the presidential candidates of both major parties to take strong, public, positive positions on medical marijuana during the 2007-2008 primary campaign in New Hampshire.

 Senator Hillary Clinton

Senator Hillary Clinton recently stated that raiding medical marijuana grows would not be a high priority of her Justice Department.  telling the Willamette Week that she doesn't believe that it is "a good use of federal law-enforcement resources to be going after people who are supplying marijuana for medicinal purposes."  Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana also gave Sen. Clinton an "A" rating.

Senator John McCain

Senator McCain has pledged to continue the failed and mean-spirited raids against medical marijuana patients that have plagued us through the Bush Administration.  John W. McBush apparantly doesn't feel compassion for sick and disabled patients and is willing to waste limited federal law enforcement resourses to prevent patients from utilizing a beneficial medicine recommended by their doctor.  Sen. McCain deservedly received an "F" grade from Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana.  

Oregonians, remember  to vote in the presidential primary by May 20th.