Senator Barack Obama made very encouraging remarks to the Willamette Week regarding his intention to stop wasting our federal resources by arresting, prosecuting, and jailing medical marijuana patients and their providers in states that have legalized medical cannabis.  In his strongest and most clear pledge yet, Obama stated that he would stop the federal Drug Enforcement Agency's raids on Oregon's medical marijuana providers because "our federal agents have better things to do, like catching criminals and preventing terrorism."

Further, Senator Obama stated that he wanted to base his policies on medical cannabis on science and not politics.  He informed WW reporter James Pitkin that, "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."

The Republican National Committee, on the other hand, wants the next president to continue the failed Bush Administration policy of wasting our limited resources by targeting patients and providers and ignoring scientific evidence.  The RNC attacked Obama with a press release stating that his policy based upon science and common sense "reveals that Barack Obama doesn’t have the experience necessary to do the job of President, or that he fundamentally lacks the judgment to carry out the most basic functions of the Executive Branch."   The RNC not only ignores science and sound policy, but as Bruce Mirken of the Marijuana Policy Project told The New York Times , also the fact that “15 Republicans voted last year for the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment to cut off funding for Justice Department medical marijuana raids, including such flaming liberals as Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Dana Rohrabacher of California, a former Reagan staffer.”  Furthermore, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul also is a supporter of allowing states to determine their own medical marijuana laws.

It seems that today’s Republican Party establishment not only ignores science and common sense, but also the principle of limited government, a principle that the party once believed in.   Unfortunately,  Republicans  who follow the tradition and principles of Barry Goldwater are now  demonized and attacked right along with Barack Obama.