article_snippet: But Barack Obama said that the US justice system was 'skewed' towards non-violent drug offenders and the 'disproportionate' prison sentence came at the huge cost to communities and the state.
article_snippet: Barack Obama has come out in favour of decriminalization as a way to tackle the US justice system but said Barack Obama felt that the issue was very separate from encouraging people to use marijuana .
article_snippet: We may actually be able to make progress on the decriminalization side,' Barack Obama added, 'At a certain point, if enough states end up decriminalizing, then Congress may then re-schedule marijuana.'
article_snippet: But while Barack Obama appeared to take steps towards decriminalization, Barack Obama warned legalization wasn't a 'panacea' and there will still many who had concerns about the drug's affect on society.
article_snippet: The Controlled Substances Act on 1970 listed marijuana as a Schedule
article_snippet: I drug making it illegal to manufacture, distribute or possess marijuana in the United States.
article_snippet: Punishment for people found in possession of the drug currently depends on the location people found in possession of the drug were caught.
article_snippet: The increasingly relaxed stance on the drug has seen a rise in the numbers of states looking to decriminalize or legalize the drug.
article_snippet: Only this month, a trio of senators unveiled a package of drug reforms that would effectively end the federal war on medical marijuana.
article_snippet: While it wouldn't legalize it, a package of drug reforms that would effectively end the federal war on medical marijuana would remove the threat of federal prosecution for patients who use a package of drug reforms that would effectively end the federal war on medical marijuana in states where a package of drug reforms that would effectively end the federal war on medical marijuana is legal.