Former Gov. Gary Johnson of New Mexico, one of the dark horses in the pack of Republican presidential candidates, attacked President Barack Obama earlier in the week over the legalization of marijuana.
Johnson, who served two terms as governor of New Mexico, has been a vocal proponent of legalizing marijuana. Since launching his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, Johnson has struggled in the polls -- so much so that he was left out of the Iowa Republican straw poll in Ames. Johnsons bid has also been undermined by the fact that U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, a fellow libertarian who the former New Mexico governor backed in 2008, remains strong in the polls.
During his tour of the Midwest this week, Obama was confronted with a question on medical marijuana. At a town hall event in Cannon Falls, Minn., a woman asked the president about rising drug costs and medical marijuana.
My question is, is there something we can do about the rising cost of prescription drugs? asked the woman. And No. 2, if you cant legalize marijuana, why cant we just legalize medical marijuana to help the people who need it?
Obama offered a quick response to the womans question on medical marijuana before tackling drug costs.
Well, a lot of states are making decisions about medical marijuana, said the president. As a controlled substance, the issue then is, is it being prescribed by a doctor as opposed to -- well, Ill leave it at that.
That wasnt good enough for Johnson who pointed to an article by David Edwards at the Raw Story entitled Obama dodges medical marijuana question in Minnesota.
He [Obama] dodged it because there is no rational basis for federal government to interfere with states who adopt perfectly reasonable and compassionate laws, insisted Johnson on Tuesday.
Insisting that he still is in the race despite failing to show up in Ames, Johnson seems to be picking up the pace of his campaign activities. He is heading off to New Hampshire, home of the first presidential primary, to campaign this weekend. He will continue to campaign in New Hampshire and Maine for the rest of the month.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
