White House Strategizing National Marijuana Legalization in Summer of 2015
President Barack Obamaâs approval ratings havenât seemed to budge out of the 40% to 50% range much since he took office in 2009. His accomplishments donât seem to improve his approval ratings, while his scandals donât seem to hurt him. But with 2016 looming, andÂ presidential hopefuls already paying visits to Iowa and New Hampshire, Obamaâs White House seems to be looking toward establishing a legacy and ending his administration on a high noteâ¦ with emphasis on the word âhigh.â According to several sources inside the White House, President Obama instructed his staff over the weekend to begin plotting out a course for the nationwide legalization of both medical and recreational marijuana, cleaning up federal statutes, demobilizing the DEA from going after marijuana offenders, and incentivizing states to legalize the popular controlled substance. Obamaâs alleged goal is to have marijuana legalized, at least at the federal level, in the summer of 2015, and insiders say Obama is perfectly poised to get it done. âThe President is confident we can get marijuana legalized pretty easily, given our current political climate,â says one White House senior aide. âThis is a topic that Americans really care about. So the idea is to legalize it next summer, when the 2016 election cycle is just getting started. Republicans will have to support President Obama on this, because itâll kill them in their reelection campaigns or in the presidential race if they try to go after him. Theyâll sound like that `Reefer Madnessâ movie if they do. It would be a huge turnoff for voters, and thatâs how you win this fight.â But why does Obama want to legalize marijuana? Is it all just for the approval ratings? Another White House staffer explained. â[Obama] smoked pot in college. He knows it isnât dangerous, and the mild dangers it does pose are limited with some moderation. But yes, I do think his legacy matters to him. It matters to all of us. And thereâs no better way to set things up so he can walk away from his second term with strong approval ratings, and give a fellow Democrat a decent foothold for 2016 while heâs at it. Plus, the benefits for the economy would be over the top, especially if we were taxing it.â Statistician Nate Silver predicts that if Obama were to legalize marijuana, His job approval ratings would skyrocket. âHeâd most likely end the year in the upper-sixties, and by the summer of 2016 heâd have comfortable 70% to 75% approval ratings. That would be the new standard for the short duration of his time in office. I think heâd also start getting some credit for his accomplishments, too. His news coverage wouldnât just focus on his scandals.â For now, the Obama Administrationâs marijuana legalization efforts are limited to meetings and secretive discussions in the White House. None of the staffers who came forward to reveal those plans would speculate on when the White House might reveal the undertaking to the public.