Talk about taking a political pot-shot at the president.
During an Internet town hall meeting today, President Obama had some fun with a question he was asked – saying he doesn’t think legalizing marijuana is a good strategy “to grow” the bad economy.
Obama told the audience gathered at the White House – and across the Web – that one of the most popular questions was whether legalization of the illicit drug would help pull the country out of the recession.
“I don’t think that is a good strategy to grow our economy,” he said.
Over 90,000 people submitted more than 104,000 questions and cast 3.6 million votes on which questions to ask Obama.
The top-rated question under the category of “fiscal stability” was about pot.
The question read, “Would you support the bill currently going through the California legislation to legalize and tax marijuana, boosting the economy and reducing drug cartel related violence?”
The top question in the budget category was similar.
“With over one out of 30 Americans controlled by the penal system, why not legalize, control, and tax marijuana to change the failed war on drugs into a money making, money saving boost to the economy?” the question read.
Obama was blunt in his response.
“I don’t know what this says about the online audience,” Obama said before he answered the questions.
In a short speech before the half-baked Q&A session, Obama said the precedent-setting online meeting was an “an important step” toward creating a broader avenue for information about his administration.
Obama said that as a candidate, he had “promised to open the White House for the American people. This is an important step toward achieving that goal.”
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was later asked whether the president, who admitted in his autobiography to experimenting with drugs as a youth, was leaving some wiggle room on the issue.
“The president opposes the legalization of marijuana,” Gibbs told reporters, emphasizing his seriousness. “He doesn’t think that’s the right plan for America.”