Politics

Maher calls Obama ‘such a disappointment’ on drug legalization

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
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HBO “Real Time” host Bill Maher has long been a proponent of marijuana legalization, and he has been critical of drug laws in the United States for more than a decade. Even though he donated $1 million to President Barack Obama’s super PAC last month, Maher clearly has some problems with the president’s handling of this particular issue.

During the online “Overtime” segment on his Friday night program, Maher read an emailed question that marked April 20, or “4/20,” a day associated in drug culture with the widespread consumption of marijuana. The questioner asked why the topic was a taboo for politicians.

Maher responded by expressing his disappointment in Obama’s failure to make drug legalization a reality.

“Why is the legalization of recreational drugs such a third rail in American politics?” Maher said. “Well, that’s certainly a good question. I don’t know — I mean 4/20, such a disappointment what this president said and I thought he was sort of sending out a signal about the second term. You know, a little read in between the lines.”

“His statement, as I was saying, you know the beginning of it, was ‘I can understand people’s frustration,’” Maher said. “‘We can have a conversation. We should, about —’ and then at the end, ‘but we’re not going to do that.”

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