A tidbit of lighthearted news came out of President Obama's hike on the Koko Head Crater Stairs in Hawaii. Known as the “Stairs of Doom” or the “Stairmaster from Hell,” it's one of the most popular hiking spots in the state and is known for its grueling intensity and extreme elevation gain of 1,208 feet.
While on vacation for the holidays, President Obama hiked the trail with his family and security detail, rewarding unsuspecting hikers with the surprise of a Barry O. sighting in the wild. Many hikers stopped to say hello and snap a picture of the president as he traversed the steep terrain.
One such hiker made an unusual request during his brief, recorded encounter with the commander in chief. “Thank you for your service, Mr. President,” the hiker says from behind the camera as Obama passes him on the trail. And then, just before the president is out of earshot, the unidentified hiker quickly takes advantage of the opportunity and yells out “Legalize it on your way out!”
The video, posted to My Kailua’s Facebook page, has since taken off, going viral in the cannabis community for its support for legalizing cannabis at a federal level. The White House has yet to change its official stance on cannabis, however, and a careful reviewing of the Hawaiian hiker’s video shows that President Obama doesn't so much as register the suggestion.
It never hurts to try, though, and we can only hope that this hiker may have planted a seed that could bring about big change before the end of Obama’s term in 2017. After all, he already has a strain named after him!
Lisa is a former associate editor at Leafly, where she specialized in legislative cannabis policy and industry topics.
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