U.S. to expand clemency criteria for drug offenders

As much as I agree with the clemency thing, this really isn't fixing any problems. All this is doing is putting these people back on the street and you know what they will do? They will turn around and start using again (it's not like we helped them quit doing the drugs while they were incarcerated or anything). Heck they may even use harder things because prison is a GREAT system that introduces drugs to non-users or harder drugs to softer drug users. They'll get caught again and because they have a record now (I noticed Obama said nothing about expunging their records), they'll be RIGHT back where they started, probably with a longer sentence this time too since they will be repeat offenders now. This is all political posturing piggybacking on the marijuana legalization craze.

The FDA is a department of the DHS which is overseen by the executive branch. If Obama REALLY wanted to make a difference with the drug war, he'd declassify marijuana as a schedule 1 drug or have the FDA change enforcement policies of various drugs. However we get this. More of Obama appearing to do something while not actually accomplishing anything.

p.s. I feel for these people who will be given clemency and support their efforts to do so. My grief is with Obama's lackluster approach to this rather then with them.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

The hardest drugs available are prescribed by medical doctors.

It boils down to money, the states do not want to lose the federal drug enforcement money and the prisons do not want to lose 'talent.'

a reply to: jrod

Oh, I'm aware of all this. I'm well studied on the war on drugs or rather Prohibition 2.0.

a reply to: jrod

Yeah that's the tomato in the room, isn't it?