Muscatine

Earlier this week, in an interview with the Washington Post, Tommy Chong was asked  what the average citizen can do to further the cause of decriminalization. "Check out the people you're voting for," Chong replied. "For instance, Joseph Biden comes off as a liberal Democrat, but he's the one who authored the bill that put me in jail. He wrote the law against shipping drug paraphernalia through the mail - which could be anything from a pipe to a clip or cigarette papers."

Barack Obama's V.P. selection Sen. Joe Biden also sponsored the Rave Act, which targets music events where drug use is allegedly prevalent. 

About medical marijuana, Biden said iin 2007: "We have not devoted nearly enough science or time to deal with the pain management and chronic pain management that exists. There's got to be a better answer than marijuana. There's got to be a better answer than that. There's got to be a better way for a humane society to figure out how to deal with that problem."

Biden coined the term "drug czar" and has championed the Office for National Drug Control Policy. 

On a more positive note, Biden introduced a bill that would eliminate the discrepancy between crack and cociane sentencing in federal cases. The curent ratio is 100:1. In other words, 500 grams of cocaine equals five grams of crack; possession of either is punishable by a five-year sentence

"I have long regarded Biden as an opponent of the cause for reasons like Tommy says, and more," offers Drug Policy Alliance executive director Ethan Nadelmann, "but I was surprised when he was the one who introduced the 1:1 crack/powder reform bill this year, which leapfrogged the more modest reforms put forward by Sens. Kennedy, Hatch and others. I'm not sure whether to take it as a sign of a more general opening up on his part, or just a play for the African-American vote in the primaries. But at least Biden isn't entirely bad news for drug policy."

What do you think of Obama's choice of Biden for his running mate?