What does the most decorated Olympian, Michael Phelps, have to do with Obama’s user-generated voting tool from Change.gov, Open for Questions?

Funnily enough, they both found themselves near dangerous waters. Face-to-face with America’s drug policy laws.

On January 31^st – Michael Phelps was caught on camera using a marijuana bong. Not six days later, Kellogg suspended his contract. And now, groups like NORML have been given a new platform to bring up the most voted on question on Barack Obama’s Transition Web site, Change.gov:

“Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age imits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?”

That question, which has been voted on by more than 7,900 people and got this response:

“President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.
Transition Team, Washington, D.C.

Ok – but engage the 7,947 who took Change.gov’s Web 2.0 tool seriously enough to use it: Can you provide more information?

On January 20^th, NORML, a non-for-profit that works to decriminalize marijuana offenses, published a blog post that stated the information for marijuana policy was “invisible” on Obama’s post-transition Web site, Whitehouse.Gov.

NORML was partially correct in their blog post when they said info was invisible. The search function on Whitehouse.gov does not turn up anything for “marijuana,” “drugs” or “cannabis.” On the other hand – there is one place the Administration addresses drug policy, albeit brief:

• Eliminate Sentencing Disparities: President Obama and Vice President Biden believe the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated.
• Expand Use of Drug Courts: President Obama and Vice President Biden will give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior.

But nothing on marijuana, which leaves me to wonder: What is the Transition team doing with the information they polled from interactive users on Open for Questions, particularly in regard to the #1?

UPDATE: Seattle Policy Chief is Obama’s Drug Czar Choice, Associated Press, March 11, 2009