issues2000

Topics in the News: Marijuana


Joe Biden on Marijuana: (Drugs Oct 15, 2020)
Rehab but no jail time for drug use; decriminalize marijuana

I don't believe anybody should be going to jail for drug use. They should be going into mandatory rehabilitation. We should be building rehab centers to have these people housed. We should decriminalize marijuana, wipe out the record so you can actually say honesty, "You ever been arrested for murder for anything?" You can say no, because we're going to pass a law saying there is no background that you have to reveal relative to the use of marijuana.
Click for Joe Biden on other issues.   Source: Second 2020 Presidential Debate/ABC Town Hall Philadelphia

Kamala Harris on Marijuana: (Drugs Oct 7, 2020)
Will get rid of cash bail and decriminalize marijuana

We will, on the issue of criminal justice reform, get rid of private prisons and cash bail and we will decriminalize marijuana. And we will expunge the records of those who have been convicted of marijuana. This is a time for leadership on a tragic, tragic issue.
Click for Kamala Harris on other issues.   Source: 2020 Vice-Presidential Debate in Utah

Jo Jorgensen on Marijuana: (Drugs Aug 30, 2020)
Legalize marijuana; end war on drugs

Q: Decriminalize marijuana or keep illegal?

Jo Jorgensen: Legalize marijuana. Decriminalize all drug use. Pardon all victimless federal drug-law prisoners. End "war on drugs."

Howie Hawkins: Legalize. Supports "federal legislation to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana."

Joe Biden: Decriminalize use. Don't interfere with states. But doesn't support full federal legalization.

Donald Trump: Keep illegal. Proposed removing medical marijuana protections.

Click for Jo Jorgensen on other issues.   Source: CampusElect on 2020 presidential hopefuls

Joe Biden on Marijuana: (Drugs Aug 23, 2020)
Will fight for policy of decriminalizing marijuana

BIDEN: No one should be going to jail because they have a drug addiction. They should be going into mandatory drug treatment that's why I set up drug courts.

HARRIS: That's part of the policy and the platform, that a Biden-Harris administration is going to fight for. A Department of Justice, unlike what Bill Barr is under Donald Trump, that is actually investigating these cases and enforcing consent decrees. A policy that is going to be about decriminalizing marijuana. Having a policy that is about looking at having a centralized database in our country that tracks police officers that have been found to break the rules or break the law.

Click for Joe Biden on other issues.   Source: ABC This Week 2020 National Convention Biden/Harris Q&A

Kanye West on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 20, 2020)
Marijuana should be free

West invited a couple of young women from the audience to speak on stage about issues that concerned them, such as education inequity and police brutality. West also said that marijuana "should be free" and took questions from the audience before the hour-long event ended.
Click for Kanye West on other issues.   Source: ABC This Week coverage of 2020 presidential hopefuls

Tulsi Gabbard on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 18, 2020)
Relief for marijuana industry, including SBA assistance

A clutch of congresspeople are pushing for the marijuana industry to be included in the next round of government relief for businesses affected by the economic fallout of the coronavirus. The document bears the names of 34 members of the House. It's a bipartisan group which includes Democrats Katie Porter and Tulsi Gabbard, and Republican Matt Gaetz, asking in their letter that the sector also be permitted to receive financial assistance from the government's Small Business Administration (SBA)
Click for Tulsi Gabbard on other issues.   Source: The Motley Fool e-zine on 2020 HI-2 House race

Mike Bloomberg on Marijuana: (Drugs Feb 25, 2020)
Decriminalize possession, but wait on pot & kids

Q: You have called marijuana another addictive drug that we've never done research on.

BLOOMBERG: Look, the first thing you do is we should not make this a criminal thing if you have a small amount. For dealers, yes, but for the average person, no, and you should expunge the records of those that got caught up in this before. Number two, we're not going to take it away from states that have already done it. But, number three, you should listen to the scientists and the doctors. They say go very slowly. They haven't done enough research. And the evidence so far is worrisome, before we get all our kids, particularly kids in their late teens, boys even more than girls, where this may be damaging their brains. Until we know the science, it's just nonsensical to push ahead. But the cat's out of the bag. So some states have it, you're not going to take it away. Get rid of the--decriminalize the possession.

Click for Mike Bloomberg on other issues.   Source: 10th Democratic Primary debate on eve of S.C. primary

Amy Klobuchar on Marijuana: (Drugs Feb 18, 2020)
Legal marijuana: consider pardon, expunging criminal records

Q: If marijuana is legalized, would you consider a pardon or encourage states to seal or expunge those records?

KLOBUCHAR: Yes, I would. I think it's really important to look at it as a way of making changes to our drug policy and doing the right thing.

Click for Amy Klobuchar on other issues.   Source: CNN Town Hall on eve of 2020 S. C. primary

Pete Buttigieg on Marijuana: (Drugs Feb 8, 2020)
Fewer arrests than US, but more black arrests for pot

Buttigieg sidestepped a question about why the number of marijuana possession arrests among black residents in South Bend increased under his leadership. Rather than answer the question directly, Buttigieg instead said that that category of arrests was lower in his city than the national average. He then pivoted to discussing racism more broadly, before being called out by the moderator for deflecting.

When asked if Buttigieg's response was substantial, Warren replied simply, "No."

Click for Pete Buttigieg on other issues.   Source: CNBC.com excerpts of 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate

Elizabeth Warren on Marijuana: (Welfare & Poverty Feb 8, 2020)
Need race-conscious laws to overcome housing discrimination

Mayor Pete Buttigieg sidestepped a question about why the number of marijuana possession arrests among black residents in South Bend increased under his leadership. Rather than answer the question directly, Buttigieg instead said that that category of arrests was lower in his city than the national average. He then pivoted to discussing racism more broadly, before being called out by the moderator for deflecting.

When asked if Buttigieg's response was substantial, Warren replied simply, "No."

"It's important to own up to the facts about how race has totally permeated our criminal justice system," she said. Warren referenced her housing plan, saying that the United States needs to "start having race-conscious laws."

"It was the policy of the United States of America to discriminate against African Americans and any other people of color for buying homes until 1965," she said. "You can't just repeal that and say, 'Okay, now everything is even.' It's not."

Click for Elizabeth Warren on other issues.   Source: CNBC.com excerpts of 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate

Pete Buttigieg on Marijuana: (Crime Feb 7, 2020)
Systemic racism has penetrated into police departments

On my watch, drug arrests in South Bend were lower than the national average, and specifically to marijuana, lower than in Indiana. But there is no question that systemic racism has penetrated to every level of our system, and my city was not immune. I took a lot of heat for discussing systemic racism with my own police department, but we've got to confront the fact that there is no escaping how this is part of all of our policies.
Click for Pete Buttigieg on other issues.   Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH

Pete Buttigieg on Marijuana: (Crime Feb 7, 2020)
Legalize pot and help those incarcerated unfairly

I am calling for us to take up reforms that end incarceration as a response to possession and make sure that we legalize marijuana and do it retroactively with expungements to correct the harm done in so many cases of incarceration, disproportionately of black and brown Americans where the incarceration did far more harm than the offense it was intended to deal with.
Click for Pete Buttigieg on other issues.   Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH

Mike Bloomberg on Marijuana: (Crime Jan 20, 2020)
End cash bail; $2.5 billion for public defenders

Mike will fund $2.5 billion over 10 years for public defense--requiring grantees to have pay parity for defenders and prosecutors, as well as workload limits. Mike will also end federal cash bail and build new supervised release alternatives, end court fines and punitive fees, and propose a new federal sentencing structure to reverse an overly punitive legacy. He will de-criminalize the use and possession of marijuana, commute all existing sentences, and expunge all records.

Mike will launch a Department of Justice reform hub to evaluate and fund state-level criminal justice reform efforts, set a goal to reduce incarceration by 50% by 2030 and spread the use of alternatives to prison pioneered in New York. He will launch a national initiative to address unsanitary and inhumane prison conditions and will launch new education and job training programming. He will focus probation on re-integration, with a goal of cutting probation revocation by one-third nationally.

Click for Mike Bloomberg on other issues.   Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website MikeBloomberg.com

Deval Patrick on Marijuana: (Drugs Nov 27, 2019)
2012: As governor, opposed pot decriminalization

In July 2012, Patrick declared that "warehousing non-violent offenders is a costly policy failure" and proudly signed a bill that offered parole to a few hundred non-violent drug offenders. But despite the governor's rhetoric, Massachusetts continued rounding up and locking away vast numbers of people caught with prohibited substances. Patrick strongly opposed decriminalizing marijuana.
Click for Deval Patrick on other issues.   Source: USA Today on 2019 Democratic primary

Cory Booker on Marijuana: (Drugs Nov 20, 2019)
Deal with impact of pot on blacks not privileged whites

Marijuana is already legal for privileged people. The war on drugs has been a war on black and brown people. These are the kind of issues that mean a lot to our community. We lost in Wisconsin because of a massive diminution in the African-American vote. We need to have someone that can inspire, as Kamala said, to inspire African-Americans to the polls in record numbers.
Click for Cory Booker on other issues.   Source: November Democratic primary debate in Atlanta

Joe Biden on Marijuana: (Drugs Nov 20, 2019)
Black community supports decriminalizing marijuana

I think we should decriminalize marijuana. Anyone who has a record should be let out of jail, their records expunged. I do think it makes sense, based on data, that we should study what the long-term effects are for the use of marijuana. I come out of a black community, in terms of my support. If you notice, I have more people supporting me in the black community that have announced for me because they know me, they know who I am.
Click for Joe Biden on other issues.   Source: November Democratic primary debate in Atlanta

Joe Biden on Marijuana: (Drugs Nov 17, 2019)
Not nearly enough evidence on marijuana as gateway drug

Biden said, "The truth of the matter is, there's not nearly been enough evidence that has been acquired as to whether or not it is a gateway drug. It's a debate, and I want a lot more before I legalize it nationally. I want to make sure we know a lot more about the science behind it."

Biden said he thinks "states should be able to make a judgment to legalize marijuana." He added that he also supports medical marijuana and possession of the substance "should not be a crime."

Click for Joe Biden on other issues.   Source: BusinessInsider.com on 2019 Democratic primary

Beto O`Rourke on Marijuana: (Drugs Oct 15, 2019)
Decriminalize opioids; legalize marijuana

I remember a veteran telling me that he bought heroin off the street because he was originally prescribed an opioid at the VA. Imagine that veteran instead had been prescribed marijuana, because we made that legal in America, ensured the VA could prescribe it, and made sure that he was not prescribed something to which he would become addicted. Drug addiction is not a problem for the criminal justice system. They're an opportunity for our public health system.
Click for Beto O`Rourke on other issues.   Source: October Democratic CNN/NYTimes Primary debate

Kamala Harris on Marijuana: (Drugs Sep 12, 2019)
Opposed marijuana legalization, but currents have changed

Q: You used to oppose the legalization of marijuana; now you don't. You've said that you changed on this and other things because you were, "swimming against the current, and thankfully the currents have changed." But when you had the power, why didn't you try to effect change then?

HARRIS: I made a decision that, if I was going to have the ability to reform the system, I would try to do it from the inside. And so I took on the position that allowed me, without asking permission, to create one of the first in the nation initiatives that was a model and became a national model around people who were arrested for drugs and getting them jobs. I created one of the first in the nation trainings for a police officer on the issue of racial bias and the need to reform the system.

Click for Kamala Harris on other issues.   Source: September Democratic Primary debate in Houston

Tim Ryan on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 17, 2019)
Legalize marijuana, but no expungement

Ryan on Legalizing Marijuana: Legalize it.

18 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Bill de Blasio; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; John Hickenlooper; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Seth Moulton; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson; Andrew Yang.

Candidates supporting legalization argue that criminal penalties for marijuana possession have created far more harm than would come from treating it more like alcohol or tobacco.

Many candidates--including Sens. Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris--would go even further, calling for past criminal convictions for marijuana possession to be expunged.

Both former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee opposed their states successful 2012 referendums allowing recreational marijuana sales, but have since become champions of legalization.

Click for Tim Ryan on other issues.   Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"

Wayne Messam on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 17, 2019)
Let the states decide on legalizing marijuana

Messam on Legalizing Marijuana: Let the states decide.

TWO CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Steve Bullock; John Delaney.

The federal government has generally taken a hands-off approach to enforcing federal marijuana laws in states that have authorized medical or recreational markets. But that informal policy could be reversed by any administration at any moment. That's why some candidates have endorsed allowing state-legal markets to operate without fear of punishment from the federal government.

Click for Wayne Messam on other issues.   Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"

Seth Moulton on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 17, 2019)
Legalize marijuana, but no expungement

Moulton on Legalizing Marijuana: Legalize it.

18 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Bill de Blasio; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; John Hickenlooper; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Seth Moulton; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson; Andrew Yang.

Candidates supporting legalization argue that criminal penalties for marijuana possession have created far more harm than would come from treating it more like alcohol or tobacco.

Many candidates--including Sens. Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris--would go even further, calling for past criminal convictions for marijuana possession to be expunged.

Both former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee opposed their states successful 2012 referendums allowing recreational marijuana sales, but have since become champions of legalization.

Click for Seth Moulton on other issues.   Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"

Steve Bullock on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 17, 2019)
Let the states decide on legalizing marijuana

Bullock on Legalizing Marijuana: Let the states decide.

TWO CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: John Delaney; Wayne Messam.

The federal government has generally taken a hands-off approach to enforcing federal marijuana laws in states that have authorized medical or recreational markets. But that informal policy could be reversed by any administration at any moment. That's why some candidates have endorsed allowing state-legal markets to operate without fear of punishment from the federal government.

Click for Steve Bullock on other issues.   Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"

Marianne Williamson on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 17, 2019)
Legalize marijuana, but no expungement

Williamson on Legalizing Marijuana: Legalize it.

18 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Bill de Blasio; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; John Hickenlooper; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Seth Moulton; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Andrew Yang.

Candidates supporting legalization argue that criminal penalties for marijuana possession have created far more harm than would come from treating it more like alcohol or tobacco.

Many candidates--including Sens. Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris--would go even further, calling for past criminal convictions for marijuana possession to be expunged.

Both former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee opposed their states successful 2012 referendums allowing recreational marijuana sales, but have since become champions of legalization.

Click for Marianne Williamson on other issues.   Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"

Amy Klobuchar on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 17, 2019)
Legalize marijuana, but no expungement

Klobuchar on Legalizing Marijuana: Legalize it.

18 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Bill de Blasio; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; John Hickenlooper; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Seth Moulton; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson; Andrew Yang.

Candidates supporting legalization argue that criminal penalties for marijuana possession have created far more harm than would come from treating it more like alcohol or tobacco.

Many candidates--including Sens. Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris--would go even further, calling for past criminal convictions for marijuana possession to be expunged.

Both former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee opposed their states successful 2012 referendums allowing recreational marijuana sales, but have since become champions of legalization.

Click for Amy Klobuchar on other issues.   Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"

Mike Gravel on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 12, 2019)
Proposed a Constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana

The former senator is proposing a constitutional amendment to remove marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, thus legalizing it recreationally on the federal level. It's an unconventional approach to drug reform befitting of an unconventional presidential candidate, but Gravel argues that it would be the easiest way given the current congressional gridlock.
Click for Mike Gravel on other issues.   Source: Reason magazine, articles on 2020 candidates

Eric Swalwell on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 2, 2019)
Supports medical and recreational marijuana

Click for Eric Swalwell on other issues.   Source: Cannabis Voter Project report on 2020 candidates

Kamala Harris on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 2, 2019)
SAFE Banking Act: Decriminalize marijuana finances

Click for Kamala Harris on other issues.   Source: Cannabis Voter Project report on 2020 candidates

Cory Booker on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 2, 2019)
Marijuana Justice Act: decriminalize pot & expunge records

Click for Cory Booker on other issues.   Source: Cannabis Voter Project report on 2020 candidates

Steve Bullock on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 2, 2019)
Strongly supports medical marijuana

Click for Steve Bullock on other issues.   Source: Cannabis Voter Project report on 2020 candidates

Tim Ryan on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 2, 2019)
Supports medical and recreational marijuana

Click for Tim Ryan on other issues.   Source: Cannabis Voter Project report on 2020 candidates

Kirsten Gillibrand on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 2, 2019)
Supports medical and recreational marijuana

Click for Kirsten Gillibrand on other issues.   Source: Cannabis Voter Project report on 2020 candidates

Tulsi Gabbard on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 2, 2019)
Supports medical and recreational marijuana

Click for Tulsi Gabbard on other issues.   Source: Cannabis Voter Project report on 2020 candidates

Seth Moulton on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 2, 2019)
Supports medical and recreational marijuana

Click for Seth Moulton on other issues.   Source: Cannabis Voter Project report on 2020 candidates

Michael Bennet on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 2, 2019)
Supports medical and recreational marijuana

Click for Michael Bennet on other issues.   Source: Cannabis Voter Project report on 2020 candidates

Elizabeth Warren on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 2, 2019)
Legalize marijuana at both federal & state levels

Click for Elizabeth Warren on other issues.   Source: Cannabis Voter Project report on 2020 candidates

Cory Booker on Marijuana: (Drugs Jun 30, 2019)
The war on drugs has been a war on people

I came from Yale and Stanford, where people were using marijuana, using drugs, where there's no difference between drug usage and drug selling between blacks and whites. But African Americans are almost four times more likely to be incarcerated for those things. This war on drugs has been a war on people. We have had a 500% increase in the prison population since 1980, overwhelmingly black and brown. There's more African Americans under criminal supervision today than all the slaves in 1850.
Click for Cory Booker on other issues.   Source: Meet the Press 2019 interview series

Beto O`Rourke on Marijuana: (Crime Jun 26, 2019)
2.3M Americans behind bars is most in the world

In this country, you have 2.3 million of our fellow Americans behind bars. It's the largest prison population on the face of the planet. Many are there for nonviolent drug crimes, including possession of marijuana, at a time that more than half the states have legalized it or decriminalized it.
Click for Beto O`Rourke on other issues.   Source: June Democratic Primary debate (first night in Miami)

Howie Hawkins on Marijuana: (Drugs May 28, 2019)
Drug abuse treatment should be available on demand

Our campaign is about ending the war on drugs and mass incarceration. We call for the legalization of marijuana and the decriminalization of other drugs on the model of the Portuguese harm reduction policies. Drug abuse is a health problem, not a criminal problem. Criminalizing opioids contributes to the carnage of fatal overdoses. Addicts need help, not incarceration. Drug abuse treatment should be available on demand.
Click for Howie Hawkins on other issues.   Source: Declaration of Candidacy for the Green Party Nomination

Kirsten Gillibrand on Marijuana: (Drugs May 16, 2019)
Marijuana Justice Act: decriminalize pot & expunge records

Legalizing marijuana is an issue that has seen a steady uptick in support over the years. Fifteen states have decriminalized marijuana while 10 others and the District of Columbia have legalized the drug, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.

Many in the Democratic presidential primary field have issued full-throated support for legalizing the drug on the federal level. Earlier this year, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) reintroduced the Marijuana Justice Act, which would legalize marijuana on the federal level and expunge the records of those who have been charged with a crime for using or possessing the drug. Several Democratic presidential contenders have signed on as cosponsors of the measure: Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro are among the candidates that have also signaled support for legalization efforts.

Click for Kirsten Gillibrand on other issues.   Source: Denver CBS Local on 2020 Democratic presidential primary

John Hickenlooper on Marijuana: (Drugs May 16, 2019)
Decriminalize marijuana at state level, but not federally

Legalizing marijuana is an issue that has seen a steady uptick in support over the years. Fifteen states have decriminalized marijuana while 10 others and the District of Columbia have legalized the drug, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.

In a CNN town hall in March, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said while he would not pursue legalization on a federal level, but that he believes the states should be allowed to move forward. "I would not ask the federal government to legalize it for everyone," Hickenlooper said. "But I think where states do legalize marijuana with the voters or through their general assembly, the federal government should get out of the way and allow them to get banking, allow them to look at systems by which you can have this experiment go on successfully."

Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues.   Source: Denver CBS Local on 2020 Democratic presidential primary

Michael Bennet on Marijuana: (Drugs May 16, 2019)
Marijuana Justice Act: decriminalize pot & expunge records

Legalizing marijuana is an issue that has seen a steady uptick in support over the years. Fifteen states have decriminalized marijuana while 10 others and the District of Columbia have legalized the drug, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.

Many in the Democratic presidential primary field have issued full-throated support for legalizing the drug on the federal level. Earlier this year, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) reintroduced the Marijuana Justice Act, which would legalize marijuana on the federal level and expunge the records of those who have been charged with a crime for using or possessing the drug. Several Democratic presidential contenders have signed on as cosponsors of the measure: Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro are among the candidates that have also signaled support for legalization efforts.

Click for Michael Bennet on other issues.   Source: Denver CBS Local on 2020 Democratic presidential primary

Bernie Sanders on Marijuana: (Drugs May 16, 2019)
Marijuana Justice Act: decriminalize pot & expunge records

Legalizing marijuana is an issue that has seen a steady uptick in support over the years. Fifteen states have decriminalized marijuana while 10 others and the District of Columbia have legalized the drug, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.

Many in the Democratic presidential primary field have issued full-throated support for legalizing the drug on the federal level. Earlier this year, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) reintroduced the Marijuana Justice Act, which would legalize marijuana on the federal level and expunge the records of those who have been charged with a crime for using or possessing the drug. Several Democratic presidential contenders have signed on as cosponsors of the measure: Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro are among the candidates that have also signaled support for legalization efforts.

Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.   Source: Denver CBS Local on 2020 Democratic presidential primary

Joe Biden on Marijuana: (Drugs May 16, 2019)
Nobody should be in jail for smoking marijuana

Joe Biden supports decriminalizing marijuana, but isn't going as far as calling for the drug to be legalized on the federal level. "Nobody should be in jail for smoking marijuana," Biden told voters at a house party in NH.

Asked by CNN if the former vice president supports legalizing marijuana, a Biden campaign spokesman said Biden believes the drug should be decriminalized and that decisions on legalization should continue on the state level. "Vice President Biden does not believe anyone should be in jail simply for smoking or possessing marijuana. He supports decriminalizing marijuana and automatically expunging prior criminal records for marijuana possession, so those affected don't have to figure out how to petition for it or pay for a lawyer. He would allow states to continue to make their own choices regarding legalization and would seek to make it easier to conduct research on marijuana's positive and negative health impacts by rescheduling it as a schedule 2 drug," he added.

Click for Joe Biden on other issues.   Source: Denver CBS Local on 2020 Democratic presidential primary

Joe Biden on Marijuana: (Drugs May 16, 2019)
2000s: mandatory minimum for marijuana; 2019: decriminalize

[A Biden spokesman said that Biden believes that marijuana should be] "rescheduled as a schedule 2 drug." Marijuana, along with heroin, is classified as a schedule 1 drug, defined as having "no currently accepted medical use." Schedule 2 drugs, which include cocaine, do have accepted medical uses.

His decriminalization position marks a bit of a shift for Biden. "Focusing significant resources on interdicting or convicting people for smoking marijuana is a waste of our resources," Biden said in interview with TIME in 2014. "That's different than [legalization]. Our policy for our Administration is still not legalization, and that is [and] continues to be our policy."

While in the Senate, Biden, who over the years expressed opposition to legalizing marijuana, was an architect or supporter of tough-on-crime legislation, including the creation of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, also known as the "drug czar," and establishing mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana.

Click for Joe Biden on other issues.   Source: Denver CBS Local on 2020 Democratic presidential primary

Julian Castro on Marijuana: (Drugs May 16, 2019)
Decriminalize and legalize marijuana

Legalizing marijuana is an issue that has seen a steady uptick in support over the years. Fifteen states have decriminalized marijuana while 10 others and the District of Columbia have legalized the drug, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.

Many in the Democratic presidential primary field have issued full-throated support for legalizing the drug on the federal level. Earlier this year, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) reintroduced the Marijuana Justice Act, which would legalize marijuana on the federal level and expunge the records of those who have been charged with a crime for using or possessing the drug. Several Democratic presidential contenders have signed on as cosponsors of the measure: Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro are among the candidates that have also signaled support for legalization efforts.

Click for Julian Castro on other issues.   Source: Denver CBS Local on 2020 Democratic presidential primary

Pete Buttigieg on Marijuana: (Drugs May 16, 2019)
Decriminalize and legalize marijuana

Legalizing marijuana is an issue that has seen a steady uptick in support over the years. Fifteen states have decriminalized marijuana while 10 others and the District of Columbia have legalized the drug, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.

Many in the Democratic presidential primary field have issued full-throated support for legalizing the drug on the federal level. Earlier this year, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) reintroduced the Marijuana Justice Act, which would legalize marijuana on the federal level and expunge the records of those who have been charged with a crime for using or possessing the drug. Several Democratic presidential contenders have signed on as cosponsors of the measure: Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro are among the candidates that have also signaled support for legalization efforts.

Click for Pete Buttigieg on other issues.   Source: Denver CBS Local on 2020 Democratic presidential primary

Elizabeth Warren on Marijuana: (Drugs May 16, 2019)
Marijuana Justice Act: decriminalize pot & expunge records

Legalizing marijuana is an issue that has seen a steady uptick in support over the years. Fifteen states have decriminalized marijuana while 10 others and the District of Columbia have legalized the drug, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.

Many in the Democratic presidential primary field have issued full-throated support for legalizing the drug on the federal level. Earlier this year, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) reintroduced the Marijuana Justice Act, which would legalize marijuana on the federal level and expunge the records of those who have been charged with a crime for using or possessing the drug. Several Democratic presidential contenders have signed on as cosponsors of the measure: Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro are among the candidates that have also signaled support for legalization efforts.

Click for Elizabeth Warren on other issues.   Source: Denver CBS Local on 2020 Democratic presidential primary

Elizabeth Warren on Marijuana: (Drugs May 8, 2019)
Co-sponsored federal legalization of marijuana

Signed on as a cosponsor of Cory Booker's Marijuana Justice Act to legalize weed at the federal level.
Click for Elizabeth Warren on other issues.   Source: Axios.com "What you need to know about 2020"

Kamala Harris on Marijuana: (Drugs May 7, 2019)
Co-sponsor of Marijuana Justice Act for legalization

She's declared her support for legalizing marijuana at the federal level, admitting in an interview that she had smoked a joint "a long time ago." Signed on as a cosponsor of Cory Booker's Marijuana Justice Act to legalize weed at the federal level.
Click for Kamala Harris on other issues.   Source: Axios.com "What you need to know about 2020"

Cory Booker on Marijuana: (Drugs May 6, 2019)
Legalize marijuana nationally including recreational use

He reintroduced a bill that would legalize marijuana on the federal level and supersede the patchwork of 10 states (and Washington, D.C.) that have legalized recreational marijuana.
Click for Cory Booker on other issues.   Source: Axios.com "What you need to know about 2020"

Pete Buttigieg on Marijuana: (Drugs May 6, 2019)
Marijuana is personal responsibility issue; move to legalize

Buttigieg says the U.S. should be working towards legalizing recreational marijuana, because of all the problems associated with current marijuana policy. This should be more of a personal responsibility issue, he argues. "You look at rates of incarceration, you look at the racial disparity that is attached to whether somebody is likely to experience incarceration as a consequence of a non-violent drug offense and all of it points us in the same direction," Buttigieg said.
Click for Pete Buttigieg on other issues.   Source: Indianapolis Star on 2020 presidential hopefuls

John Delaney on Marijuana: (Drugs May 2, 2019)
Remove marijuana from Schedule I; remake guidelines

A Delaney administration will work to:
Click for John Delaney on other issues.   Source: 2020 Presidential Campaign website JohnDelaney.com

Donald Trump on Marijuana: (Drugs May 2, 2019)
Opposed allowing vets access to legal cannabis

The House Veterans' Affairs Committee held a hearing on three bills. One bill would allow VA healthcare providers to write state-legal medical cannabis recommendations for veterans who qualify. A separate bill would direct the VA to conduct a clinical study on the risks and benefits of medical marijuana. A third would prevent the VA from stripping veterans of their benefits because they consume state-legal cannabis.

The Trump administration opposed all three.

Not too long ago, veterans could lose their lifelong military benefits if a drug test turned up evidence of cannabis use, no matter how legal. The VA reformed that policy in late 2017--but it's a policy subject to easy change, not a protection codified by law. President Trump opposes codifying it into law.

Click for Donald Trump on other issues.   Source: Bruce Barcott in Leafly.com on 2020 presidential hopefuls

Michael Bennet on Marijuana: (Drugs May 2, 2019)
Sponsored bill to end Federal ban on marijuana

Bennet sponsored a bill in February to "End Federal Prohibition of Marijuana."
Click for Michael Bennet on other issues.   Source: Axios.com "What you need to know about 2020"

Beto O`Rourke on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 29, 2019)
Decriminalize marijuana; expunge criminal records

He is in favor of decriminalization and expunging criminal records of cannabis-related offenses.
Click for Beto O`Rourke on other issues.   Source: Axios.com "What you need to know about 2020"

Joe Biden on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 25, 2019)
Supports marijuana decriminalization, not legalization

He has a long history of being anti-marijuana, calling it a "gateway drug." While vice president, Biden said that he supports decriminalization rather than legalization.
Click for Joe Biden on other issues.   Source: Axios.com "What you need to know about 2020"

John Hickenlooper on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 22, 2019)
As teen, grew his own marijuana before it was legal

One fun thing about John Hickenlooper:
Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues.   Source: Axios.com on 2020 Democratic primary

Elizabeth Warren on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 22, 2019)
Change to pro-legalization of marijuana

It makes no darn sense that we treat marijuana as a schedule 1 drug, which means in effect the federal government has determined that it has no medicinal use, that it can't have any good effects, no research is supposed to be done. [Then there's the] racial impact of the enforcement of marijuana laws. The best evidence suggests that African-Americans and whites use marijuana at about the same rates, and yet African-Americans are far more likely to be arrested for marijuana use than whites are.
Click for Elizabeth Warren on other issues.   Source: CNN Town Hall 2020: 5 candidates back-to-back

Bill Weld on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 15, 2019)
On board of cannabis company; supported medical marijuana

Weld sits on the board of directors of Acreage Holdings, a cannabis company looking to roll back federal regulations, the Washington Post reports. He has supported legalization of medical marijuana since 1992.
Click for Bill Weld on other issues.   Source: Axios.com "What you need to know about 2020"

Andrew Yang on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 14, 2019)
Decriminalize opiates & marijuana, but not cocaine

Q: What about legalizing pot?

A: If we just catch you with a quantity that suggests that you're just using it personally, then instead of referring you to a jail cell, we refer you to treatment. We need to decriminalize opiates for personal use. I'm also for the legalization of cannabis. We need to remove that from the federal controlled substance.

Q: What about cocaine?

A: Cocaine would not be on the list of substances I would engage in this, because the addiction has very different features.

Click for Andrew Yang on other issues.   Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls

Bernie Sanders on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 12, 2019)
Co-sponsored federal legalization of marijuana

He co-sponsored Sen. Cory Booker's recently reintroduced Marijuana Justice Act, that would legalize marijuana on the federal level.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.   Source: Axios.com "What you need to know about 2020"

Julian Castro on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 11, 2019)
Legalize and regulate marijuana; expunge criminal records

I actually support the legalization of marijuana. It's going to be regulated, right? People are not going to be able to do whatever they want, but a well-regulated, legalized system of marijuana, I think, makes sense. On top of that, we need to go back and expunge the records of people who were imprisoned because of using marijuana.
Click for Julian Castro on other issues.   Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls

Jay Inslee on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 10, 2019)
Opposed marijuana legalization; now sees it as success

I actually did not support the initiative when it came up several years ago because I was concerned about youthful usage -- but what we have found is that those fears have not come to pass. We have not had adverse health results with our young people. We've not had ramping criminality in the distribution of marijuana. And it has been helpful by providing about $700 million of revenue so that we can help the health of our children in schools for our children.

It's time for the United States to decriminalize and legalize marijuana. The drug war has been one of the elements of such racial disparities in our judicial system. That's one of the reasons I was the first governor to offer pardons to over 3,000 people with marijuana convictions because the drug war has resulted in too much racial disparity.

Click for Jay Inslee on other issues.   Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls

Kirsten Gillibrand on Marijuana: (Civil Rights Apr 9, 2019)
Let ex-cons vote; address racism in criminal justice

I support full restoration of felons' rights to vote. I also believe we have to take on institutional racism and particularly mass incarceration and take on institutional racism in criminal justice. It's one of the reasons why I'm for decriminalization & full legalization of marijuana, because of how it's applied in the criminal justice system as purely racist. I also support banning cash bail, because again, the way that is applied, it harms communities of color overwhelmingly and disproportionately.
Click for Kirsten Gillibrand on other issues.   Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls

Andrew Yang on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 7, 2019)
Legalize marijuana; pardon marijuana-related offenses

Marijuana legalization: Yang pledged to legalize marijuana and pardon all non-violent drug related offenses, then later clarified in an interview with George Stephanopoulos that he would only pardon marijuana-related offenses. Yang said he would still decriminalize opioids.
Click for Andrew Yang on other issues.   Source: Axios.com "What you need to know about 2020"

Andrew Yang on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 7, 2019)
Pardon non-violent drug offenders, focusing on marijuana

[VIDEO CLIP]: YANG: And I would pardon everyone who's in jail for a non-violent drug related offense. I would pardon them all on April 20th, 2021 and I would high five them on the way out of jail. [END CLIP]

Q: That include cocaine dealers, opioid dealers?

YANG: I would decriminalize opioids, but in that particular segment I was referring to marijuana related drug offenses specifically

Q: So only marijuana, not all non-violent drug offenders.

YANG: Yes, that's correct.

Click for Andrew Yang on other issues.   Source: ABC This Week 2019 interview of presidential hopefuls

Andrew Yang on Marijuana: (Drugs Mar 29, 2019)
Full legalization of marijuana; expunge federal convictions

I don't love marijuana. I'd rather people not use it heavily. But it's vastly safer than people becoming addicted to opiates like heroin. And our criminalization of it seems stupid and racist, particularly now that it's legal in some states. We should proceed with full legalization of marijuana and pardon those in jail for non-violent marijuana-related offenses. It's a safer, less addictive means to manage pain for many Americans.
Click for Andrew Yang on other issues.   Source: 2020 presidential campaign website Yang2020.com

Cory Booker on Marijuana: (Drugs Mar 27, 2019)
Decriminalize marijuana; expunge past criminal records

In this climate where many states are moving to legalize marijuana, I have a lot of frustrations. We fundamentally have different laws in this country that are treating people differently. There are still marijuana arrests. In 2017, there were more marijuana arrests in this country than all violent crime arrests combined. And marijuana enforcement is disproportionately impacting black and brown communities. There is no difference in America between using and even selling marijuana between blacks and whites. But if you're African American in this country, you're almost four times more likely to be arrested for that. That's why I fast put a bill into the Senate called the Marijuana Justice Act, which is about decriminalizing marijuana on the federal level, letting the states do what they want, but very importantly in the same breath, we've got to talk about expunging the records of everyone who is still suffering.
Click for Cory Booker on other issues.   Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls

John Hickenlooper on Marijuana: (Drugs Mar 20, 2019)
Marijuana legalization works, but leave it to states

On marijuana legalization: I was opposed to it originally. We were worried about teenage consumption going up. We were worried about the risks of people driving while high. Most of our fears haven't come true. We haven't seen a spike in consumption. It's so much better than the old system when we sent millions of kids to prison, most of them kids of color, and not only imprisoned them, but made them felons, made already difficult lives much, much harder.

I would not ask the federal government to legalize it for everyone. But I think where states do the federal government should get out of the way and allow them to be able to get banking, which we can't legally get in Colorado, so everything is supposed to go by cash. My dream would be the federal government to make sure that the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration regulate whether pesticides are used, that we get all the legal barriers to doing medical research around marijuana [removed].

Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues.   Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls

John Delaney on Marijuana: (Drugs Mar 10, 2019)
Let states regulate and tax marijuana

Having drugs being sold in the shadows is why there's a movement at the state level to legalize marijuana, to decriminalize it, and to allow it to be legal for medical purposes. The federal government should get out of the way and let that movement continue, because right now the federal government is blocking it by keeping marijuana as a scheduled substance. Get it into a market where it could be regulated, where we can make sure it's labeled and distributed appropriately, where we can tax it.
Click for John Delaney on other issues.   Source: CNN Town Hall on 2020 Democratic presidential primary

Tulsi Gabbard on Marijuana: (Drugs Mar 10, 2019)
End failed war on drugs, opioid addiction is medical crisis

We must end this failed war on drugs. I introduced bipartisan legislation that would end the federal prohibition on marijuana. This will have a great impact on the opioid crisis. In states where marijuana is legalized, we have seen a drop in opioid addiction, and a drop in opioid-related deaths. This will have an impact on our economy in so many different ways, as well as taking a huge bite out of our broken criminal justice system, where far too many nonviolent drug offenders are wasting away.
Click for Tulsi Gabbard on other issues.   Source: CNN Town Hall on 2020 Democratic presidential primary

Cory Booker on Marijuana: (Crime Mar 7, 2019)
Legalize marijuana; restore ex-con voting rights

Criminal justice reform is one of Booker's key policy areas in his presidential policy platform. He was a key force behind the FIRST STEP Act, which President Trump signed into law. Booker will soon introduce what he calls the Next Step Act, a package of further criminal justice changes. It includes provisions that would legalize marijuana at the federal level, eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine, and give felons [who have served their time] the right to vote.
Click for Cory Booker on other issues.   Source: NPR Morning Edition, "Election 2020: Opening Arguments"

Cory Booker on Marijuana: (Crime Mar 7, 2019)
Ended "three strike penalty"; more reform is needed

He was a key force behind the FIRST STEP Act. Among other things, that law ends the "three strike penalty," helps judges avoid mandatory minimum sentences, and gives prisoners more access to rehabilitation programs. Booker will introduce the Next Step Act, a package of further criminal justice changes. It includes provisions that would legalize marijuana at the federal level, eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine, and give [ex-]felons the right to vote.
Click for Cory Booker on other issues.   Source: NPR Morning Edition: Election 2020 Special Series

Tulsi Gabbard on Marijuana: (Drugs Mar 7, 2019)
Let states legalize marijuana; non-user supports free choice

Gabbard on marijuana legalization: "The fact that marijuana's still a Schedule I drug is unacceptable in the harm that it is causing to the people of our country and to taxpayers as well. The impact this has on individuals, potentially leading to criminal records that impact them, their families, their ability to get a job, housing, financial aid for college--the impacts of this are great. That's not to speak of the impact on states, small businesses and banks in those states that have legalized some level of marijuana."

She said that "freedom of choice" is a key reason she has focused so much on cannabis during her time on Capitol Hill. "I don't smoke marijuana. I never have," she said. "But I believe firmly in every person's freedom to make their own choices, and that people should not be thrown in jail and incarcerated or made into criminals for choosing to smoke marijuana whether it be for medicinal and non-medicinal purposes."

Click for Tulsi Gabbard on other issues.   Source: Forbes Magazine "Marijuana Nexus" on 2020 Democratic primary

John Hickenlooper on Marijuana: (Drugs Mar 6, 2019)
Supports states permitting marijuana, not federal reform

Hickenlooper advocated for federal reforms to marijuana but said he does not advocate for blanket laws to legalize marijuana nationally. "I don't think the federal government should come in and tell every state it should be legalized." Hickenlooper, who originally opposed legalizing the drug in his state, said "the things I feared six years ago have not come to pass." "The federal government should reclassify marijuana so it's not a schedule I narcotic," Hickenlooper said. The former governor also argued for banking reforms so that businesses handling marijuana money "don't have to do everything in cash." However, he stopped short of fully endorsing a measure to legalize marijuana at the federal level and did not address calls to expunge the criminal records of those charged with possession.
Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues.   Source: The Hill e-zine on 2020 Democratic primary

Joe Biden on Marijuana: (Drugs Feb 26, 2019)
Long record of opposing marijuana legalization

Biden remains one of very few prominent Democrats who've still failed to endorse cannabis legalization at the federal level. The last time he substantively addressed legalization appears to be 2010, in an ABC News interview: "There's a difference between sending someone to jail for a few ounces and legalizing it," he said. "The punishment should fit the crime. But I think legalization is a mistake. I still believe [marijuana] is a gateway drug."
Click for Joe Biden on other issues.   Source: David Bienenstock in Leafly.com on 2020 Democratic primary

Cory Booker on Marijuana: (Drugs Feb 11, 2019)
Legalize marijuana federally, plus state incentives

Kamala Harris' call for legalization of marijuana follow the lead of multiple others. Sen. Cory Booker, a NJ Democrat and one of Harris' top opponents for the party's nomination, introduced a bill in 2017 that would both legalize marijuana use at a federal level & encourage states to legalize it locally through incentives. By attaching the issue to himself early on, Booker--one of the early top prospects for the Democrats in 2020--all but forced contenders to take a stance on legalizing marijuana.
Click for Cory Booker on other issues.   Source: Politico.com, "Legalization," on 2020 presidential hopefuls

Kamala Harris on Marijuana: (Drugs Feb 11, 2019)
Legalize marijuana: it gives a lot of people joy

Sen. Kamala Harris called for the legalization of marijuana at a federal level: "Half my family's from Jamaica," the California Democrat said, laughing when asked to respond to those who think she's opposed to legalizing recreational use of the drug. "Are you kidding me?"

Harris also said she smoked a joint in college. "And I inhaled," she added, joking in reference to President Bill Clinton's comments on the campaign trail in 1992 that he smoked marijuana but "didn't inhale it."

When asked if she would smoke again if the federal government were to legalize the recreational use of the drug, Harris laughed and replied: "Listen, I think it gives a lot of people joy. And we need more joy."

Harris said legalization would have to come with some caveats, emphasizing a need for research on the effects of marijuana on the developing brain and a means for regulating use of the drug while driving.

Click for Kamala Harris on other issues.   Source: Politico.com, "Legalization," on 2020 presidential hopefuls

Kamala Harris on Marijuana: (Drugs Jan 8, 2019)
Dismantle War on Drugs; start with marijuana legalization

It's past time we get done dismantling the failed war on drugs--starting with legalizing marijuana. Between 2001 and 2010, more than seven million people were arrested for simple possession of marijuana. They are disproportionately black and brown. One stark example: during the first three months of 2018, 93 percent of the people the NYPD arrested for marijuana possession were people of color. These racial disparities are staggering and unconscionable. We need to legalize marijuana and regulate it. And we need to expunge nonviolent marijuana-related offenses from the records of the millions of people who have been arrested and incarcerated so they can get on with their lives.
Click for Kamala Harris on other issues.   Source: The Truths We Hold, by Kamala Harris, p. 66

Rocky De La Fuente on Marijuana: (Drugs Nov 1, 2018)
Focus on opioids rather than marijuana

Q: Would you support lifting the federal ban on recreational marijuana?

De La Fuente: : Yes

Q: Explain your position on lifting the recreational marijuana ban.

De La Fuente: Need to focus on opioid epidemic or opioid crisis

Click for Rocky De La Fuente on other issues.   Source: Palm Beach Post on 2018 Florida Senate race

Beto O`Rourke on Marijuana: (Drugs Oct 9, 2018)
Long-time advocate for marijuana legalization

Q: Legalize or decriminalize marijuana?

Ted Cruz (R): Personally opposed to legalization, but states should choose for themselves.

Beto O'Rourke (D): Yes. Long-time legalization advocate. Sponsored bill to end federal prohibition.

Click for Beto O`Rourke on other issues.   Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Texas Senate race

Beto O`Rourke on Marijuana: (Drugs Aug 27, 2018)
End prohibition on marijuana, expunge records of possessors

Second, we need to end the failed war on drugs that has long been a war on people, waged on some people over other people. Who is going to be the last man--more likely than not a black man--to languish behind bars for possessing or using marijuana when it is legal in more than half of the states in this country? We should end the federal prohibition on marijuana and expunge the records of those who were locked away for possessing it
Click for Beto O`Rourke on other issues.   Source: O'Rourke OpEd in Houston Chronicle: 2020 Democratic primary

Bernie Sanders on Marijuana: (Drugs May 4, 2018)
Why is marijuana treated legally equal to heroin?

After almost fifty years of the war on drugs, we can conclude that this was has been a dismal failure and, as in many other wars, countless lives have been destroyed. In 2018, the Controlled Substances Act continues to treat both marijuana and heroin equally as Schedule 1 substances. You may like marijuana or you may not, but very few informed people believe that marijuana should be treated similarly to a killer drug like heroin.

And yet, in 2016, there were approximately 587,000 arrests for marijuana--roughly one per minute.

Many states and cities are taking action to undo the damage caused by the war on drugs. More and more states are moving to decriminalize or legalize the possession of marijuana, and some have passed legislation to expunge prior misdemeanor convictions. The prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s was a failed policy. The prohibition of marijuana has also failed.

Addiction is not a crime. It is an illnesses, and should be treated as such.

Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.   Source: Where We Go From Here, by Bernie Sanders, p.196-7

Arvin Vohra on Marijuana: (Drugs Mar 30, 2018)
Drugs should be as legal as tomatoes

Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Marijuana is a gateway drug"?

A: Oppose. If elected, I will sponsor legislation to end the war on drugs. I want drugs to be as legal as tomatoes, so that drug businesses can settle disputes by calling their credit card companies, instead of resorting to violence. I want to end all drug related violence; I want there to be no more innocent bystanders. That comes from legalizing all drugs, so that disputes can be handled without violence.

Click for Arvin Vohra on other issues.   Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Maryland Senate candidate

Michael Bennet on Marijuana: (Drugs Jan 24, 2018)
Let states experiment with marijuana; address racial issues

What we're having right now is a tremendous experiment in federalism, and that's what we should continue to do. The states should look at this and ultimately we should decide as a country what we want to do, but I don't know that we're there yet. I think the sentencing disparities suggest important issues that have to be addressed.
Click for Michael Bennet on other issues.   Source: The Atlantic, "Immigration," on 2020 Democratic primary

John Hickenlooper on Marijuana: (Drugs Jan 11, 2018)
National model for marijuana legalization

We were the first state to legalize recreational marijuana while creating a roadmap for other states. By the way--we're not wild about Washington telling us what's best for us. We expect the federal government will respect the will of Colorado voters.
Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues.   Source: 2018 State of the State address to the Colorado legislature

Donald Trump on Marijuana: (Drugs Jan 4, 2018)
2016: let states decide on pot; 2018: feds over state law

While on the campaign trail, President Trump was asked his view on state marijuana policy reform, and he consistently said it should be a states' rights decision.

29 states have enacted effective medical marijuana laws. Marijuana is legal and regulated for adults in 8 states.

[But Trump's] Attorney General Jeff Sessions has rescinded the Department of Justice policy that directed federal law enforcement not to target individuals or businesses that are in compliance with state law.

From August 2013 until yesterday, the Department of Justice policy had been not to enforce federal marijuana laws against individuals or businesses in states that are complying with state medical or adult-use marijuana laws, provided that one of eight federal priorities is not implicated.

Click for Donald Trump on other issues.   Source: MPP.org on 2018 Trump Administration

Cory Booker on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 1, 2017)
Opposes Drug War, but control border for opioid precursors

BROKEN PROMISE: : Booker had adopted a strongly progressive stance on drugs -supporting medical marijuana; supporting treatment instead of incarceration for drug possession; opposing drug enforcement is racially biased; and opposing the War on Drugs in general. He "evolved" and signed on to the War on Opioids, seeking international treaty restrictions on opioid precursor trafficking.

ANALYSIS: : Some progressives and minority voters would consider the "opioid epidemic" just the latest application of biased enforce-ment, and would expect Booker to apply his racial-bias philosophy to a general rejection of drug enforcement. Booker would differentiate opioids as more dangerous than marijuana - which critics would say follows in the scare-tactic footsteps of Demon Rum and Reefer Madness. Booker's proposed border interdiction above is a standard proposal of Drug Warriors--just involving international institutions as a novel feature.

Click for Cory Booker on other issues.   Source: Cory Booker 'Promises Broken,' by Jesse Gordon, p. 30

Stacey Abrams on Marijuana: (Drugs Mar 30, 2017)
Expand list of conditions for medical marijuana

HB 65: Expands the list of conditions for which a patient may register with the Low THC Oil Patient Registry. HB 65 expands the list to include Tourette's syndrome, autism, intractable pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer's disease, human immunodeficiency virus, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome. MY VOTE: YES
Click for Stacey Abrams on other issues.   Source: 2018 Georgia governor campaign website StaceyAbrams.com

John Kasich on Marijuana: (Drugs Mar 30, 2017)
No mixed message: don't do opioids & don't do marijuana

Gov. John Kasich said he doesn't think Ohio's new medical marijuana program will help mitigate the state's opioid crisis, though recent studies indicate otherwise.

Kasich was asked at a news conference announcing new opioid prescription limits what role medical marijuana might play in addressing the growing number of opiate overdose deaths in Ohio. Kasich said telling kids not to do drugs but that marijuana is OK sends a mixed message. "I know it's not recreational marijuana, not recreational use, but I don't see a role for it in this at all," Kasich said.

Studies have shown opioid overdoses and deaths have decreased in states that allow medical marijuana, which is far less addictive and lethal. Republicans and Democrats cited the opioid crisis as a reason to pass Ohio's medical marijuana law last year.

"I don't like the whole thing -- medical marijuana," Kasich said. "It got passed because somebody was going to have a broader law."

Click for John Kasich on other issues.   Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer on 2018 Ohio gubernatorial race

John Kasich on Marijuana: (Drugs Mar 30, 2017)
2016: Legalized medical marijuana, with tight regulations

Twenty-eight states and Washington D.C. have legalized medical marijuana use. Ohio's medical marijuana law, signed by Kasich last June, allows patients with one of 21 medical conditions to buy and use marijuana if recommended to them by a physician. Smoking marijuana and growing it at home are not allowed.

Three state agencies are in the process of establishing a tightly regulated program to grow and sell medical marijuana in limited amounts.

Studies have shown marijuana can alleviate pain. The most recent study found hospitalization rates for painkiller addiction and abuse dropped 23% on average in states after they allowed medical marijuana use. Hospitalization rates for overdoses dropped 13%, according to the report published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

"I don't like the whole thing -- medical marijuana," Kasich said. "It got passed because somebody was going to have a broader law."

Click for John Kasich on other issues.   Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer on 2018 Ohio gubernatorial race

John Hickenlooper on Marijuana: (Drugs Feb 26, 2017)
Voters passed legal pot, and I will uphold the voter's will

Q: Jeff Sessions as a senator was opposed to marijuana. Is Jeff Sessions as the new Attorney-General going to enforce federal law and shut down Colorado's recreational-use marijuana businesses?

HICKENLOOPER: You know, at first, I opposed it. But our voters passed it 55-45. It's in our constitution. I took a solemn oath to support our constitution. The states have sovereignty [on this issue].

Q: You don't think it's clear that the federal government could stop you?

HICKENLOOPER: I don't think it is. It's never my choice to be in conflict with federal law. That being said, Senator Sessions said [in his confirmation hearings], "Enforcement of marijuana is not going to be a priority." Over 60% of American people are now in a state where either medical or recreational marijuana is legalized. It's become one of the great social experiments of our time.

Q: If this were on a ballot today, would you support it?

HICKENLOOPER: Well, I'm getting close.

Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues.   Source: Meet the Press 2017 interview by Chuck Todd

John Hickenlooper on Marijuana: (Welfare & Poverty Jan 12, 2017)
Use marijuana tax revenue to address chronic homelessness

Almost two thirds of Americans now live in a state that has legalized marijuana in some form. We need to address some of the unintended consequences of legalization. There's no question that marijuana and other drugs--in combination with mental illness or other disabling conditions--are essential contributors to chronic homelessness. Tax revenue from marijuana sales can and should be used to help those who fall through the cracks, including hundreds of homeless vets, helping them find stable, supportive housing.

We currently spend more than $40,000 per person to perpetuate lives of misery among the chronically homeless. But for less than a third of that we could invest up front in housing, wraparound supportive services and job training. In every booming economy in the country--like ours--homelessness of all types is a growing concern.

Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues.   Source: 2017 State of the State address to Colorado Legislature

Bernie Sanders on Marijuana: (Crime Jul 9, 2016)
End mass incarceration & reform criminal justice

[At the 2016 convention preparation], we were victorious in including amendments in the platform that made it the policy of the Democratic Party to fight for:
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.   Source: Where We Go From Here, by B. Sanders, p.16-7, on 2016 DNC

John Hickenlooper on Marijuana: (Drugs May 24, 2016)
First state to regulate legal sale of marijuana

[With the 2013 legislative session] We became the first state in the nation to pass laws to regulate the legal sale of marijuana. Every other regulated industry has benefited from years of trial and error, and could look to other states or even other countries for models of what has worked and what has not. That was not an option here.

The General Assembly agreed to a 15 percent excise tax to an initial 10 percent sales tax for recreational marijuana. For the sake of public safety, we set a legal limit of active THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana, that drivers can have in their blood so that juries have a benchmark to judge whether someone was too high to drive. The Colorado Department of Revenue created an innovative seed-to-sale tracking system. The rules were written. Recreational sales of marijuana would begin on January 1, 2014.

Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues.   Source: The Opposite of Woe, by John Hickenlooper, p.317

Donald Trump on Marijuana: (Principles & Values Feb 29, 2016)
Agrees with Hillary on marijuana, campaign finance, trade

Hillary and Trump do agree on some, including:The bottom line: If you prefer a polar opposite to Hillary, Trump should not be your chosen candidate. And if you prefer someone who will dismantle forever the Bush legacy, Hillary should not be your chosen candidate. Neither is the extremist their opponents make them out to be.
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.   Source: Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton On The Issues, by J. Gordon

Cory Booker on Marijuana: (Drugs Feb 16, 2016)
Drug war isn't waged in privileged communities

I knew, from living in the relatively privileged communities I grew up in, that the drug war wasn't waged in those places like it was in Newark. I was coming from college campuses and towns where marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine, and other drugs were widespread and often used openly, with little fear of the police.

The war on drugs has turned out to be a war on PEOPLE--and far too often a war on people of color and the poor. Marijuana use, for example, is roughly equal among blacks and whites, yet blacks are 3.7 times more likely to be arrested for possession than whites.

Further, there is no difference between blacks and whites in dealing drugs. In fact, some studies show that whites are more likely than blacks to sell drugs, even though blacks are far more likely to be arrested for it.

Click for Cory Booker on other issues.   Source: United, by Senator Cory Booker, p.181

Elizabeth Warren on Marijuana: (Drugs Feb 13, 2016)
Legalizing marijuana will reduce opioid deaths

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to explore the use of medical marijuana as an alternative to the powerful opioid painkillers that kill thousands of people each year. In a letter to CDC chief Tom Friedan, the Massachusetts Democrat also asks the agency to look into "the impact of the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana on opioid overdose deaths."
Click for Elizabeth Warren on other issues.   Source: Washington Post on 2016 Veepstakes: "Legalizing marijuana"

Bernie Sanders on Marijuana: (Crime Feb 11, 2016)
Whites & blacks smoke pot equally, but blacks go to jail

What we have to do is end over-policing in African- American neighborhoods. The African-American community and the white community do marijuana at about equal rates. The reality is four times as many blacks get arrested for marijuana. Far more blacks get stopped for traffic violations. We need fundamental police reform when we talk about a criminal justice system. What we have got to do is make it clear that any police officer who breaks the law will be held accountable.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.   Source: 2016 PBS Democratic debate in Wisconsin

Hillary Clinton on Marijuana: (Budget & Economy Feb 4, 2016)
Committed to reducing corporate power not only Wall St

SANDERS: Wall Street is perhaps the most powerful political force in this country. You have companies like Goldman Sachs, who paid a fine for $5 billion for defrauding investors. It was one of those companies whose illegal activity helped destroy our economy. Kid gets caught with marijuana, that kid has a police record. A Wall Street executive destroys the economy, no criminal record. That is what power is. That is what has to change.

CLINTON: Of course it has to change. That's why I have a plan. It's been judged to be the most effective. I do not believe that that is enough. We now have power under the Dodd-Frank legislation to break up banks. I've said I will use that power if they pose a systemic risk. But I want to go further, because it was investment banks, it was insurance companies, it was mortgage companies, all of which contributed. Let's not just be narrowly focused on one part of the problem. We have a lot of issues with corporate power that have to be addressed.

Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.   Source: MSNBC Democratic primary debate in New Hampshire

Hillary Clinton on Marijuana: (Principles & Values Jan 30, 2016)
Disagrees with Bernie on crime, drugs & foreign intervention

Where do Hillary and Bernie disagree on the issues? This list comprises legitimate differences on issues, not just differences of fervency or recency:
Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.   Source: Bernie vs. Hillary On The Issues, by Jesse Gordon

Bernie Sanders on Marijuana: (Drugs Jan 17, 2016)
Why police records for marijuana but not white collar crime?

CLINTON: One out of three African American men may well end up going to prison.

SANDERS: Let me respond to what the secretary said. We have a criminal justice system which is broken. Who in America is satisfied that we have more people in jail than any other country on Earth, including China? Disproportionately African American, and Latino. Who is satisfied that 51% of African American young people are either unemployed, or underemployed? Who is satisfied that millions of people have police records for possessing marijuana when the CEO's of Wall Street companies who destroyed our economy have no police records. We need to take a very hard look at our criminal justice system, investing in jobs and education, not in jails and incarceration.

Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.   Source: 2016 NBC Democratic presidential primary debate

John Hickenlooper on Marijuana: (Drugs Jan 14, 2016)
Regulatory regime to marijuana needs to be strengthened

Coloradans voted to legalize marijuana three years ago and we had to build a regulatory system from scratch. We should continue to look at lessons learned from alcohol and tobacco as we monitor and update marijuana regulations. Back in the day, candy cigarettes desensitized kids to the dangers of tobacco--and today, pot-infused gummy bears send the wrong message to our kids about marijuana.
Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues.   Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Colorado legislature

Bernie Sanders on Marijuana: (Drugs Dec 19, 2015)
Take marijuana out of the controlled substances list

Q: What to do about drug addiction?

CLINTON: Heroin is a major epidemic. I would like the federal government to offer $10 billion over ten years to work with states.

O'MALLEY: The number of heroin deaths is growing significantly. We have to tell doctors who are prescribing opiates that we cannot have this huge number of opiates out there.

SANDERS: Today we have more people in jail than any other country on earth, 2.2 million people. Predominantly African-American and Hispanic. We are spending $80 billion a year locking up Americans. I think we need a major effort to come together and end institutional racism. We need major reforms of a broken criminal justice system. What does that mean? It means that we have to rethink the so-called war on drugs which has destroyed the lives of millions of people, which is why I have taken marijuana out of the Controlled Substance Act. So that it will not be a federal crime.

Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.   Source: 2015 ABC/WMUR Democratic primary debate in N.H.

Lincoln Chafee on Marijuana: (Drugs Nov 11, 2015)
Uruguay is leading the way on legalizing & regulating pot

Click for Lincoln Chafee on other issues.   Source: Marijuana Policy Project on 2016 presidential hopefuls

Donald Trump on Marijuana: (Drugs Oct 29, 2015)
Yes to medical marijuana; otherwise, decide state by state

In terms of marijuana and legalization, I think that should be a state issue, state-by-state. Marijuana is such a big thing. I think medical should. And then I really believe we should leave it up to the states. And of course you have Colorado. There's a question as to how it's all working out there, you know? That's not going exactly trouble-free.
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.   Source: Washington Post 2015 coverage of 2016 presidential hopefuls

Hillary Clinton on Marijuana: (Drugs Oct 13, 2015)
Stop imprisoning marijuana users

Q: When asked about legalizing recreational marijuana, you said let's wait and see how it plays out in Colorado and Washington. It's been more than a year since you've said that. Are you ready to take a position tonight?

CLINTON: No. I think that we have the opportunity through the states that are pursuing recreational marijuana to find out a lot more than we know today. I do support the use of medical marijuana, and I think even there we need to do a lot more research so that we know exactly how we're going to help people for whom medical marijuana provides relief. So, I think we're just at the beginning, but I agree completely with the idea that we have got to stop imprisoning people who use marijuana. Therefore, we need more states, cities, and the federal government to begin to address this so that we don't have this terrible result of a huge population in our prisons for nonviolent, low-level offenses that are primarily due to marijuana.[1]

Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.   Source: 2015 CNN Democratic primary debate in Las Vegas

Bernie Sanders on Marijuana: (Drugs Oct 13, 2015)
I would vote for recreational marijuana, to reduce jailings

Q: In Nevada, there will be a measure to legalize recreational marijuana on the 2016 ballot. If you were a Nevada resident, how would you vote?

A: I would vote yes because I am seeing too many lives being destroyed for non-violent offenses. We have a criminal justice system that lets CEOs on Wall Street walk away, and yet we are imprisoning young people who are smoking marijuana. I think we have to think through this war on drugs which has done an enormous amount of damage.

Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.   Source: 2015 CNN Democratic primary debate in Las Vegas

Mike Pence on Marijuana: (Drugs Sep 8, 2015)
Do not legalize: pot is a gateway drug

In late March 2013, in response to Gov. Pence's criticism of legislation that rewrites Indiana's criminal code to lower drug penalties, a Senate committee amended the criminal code reform bill to make punishment for marijuana crimes tougher than the legislation's Republican authors had originally proposed. House Bill 1006 supporters say the intent of the bill is divert drug users out of state prisons and into treatment programs, while reserving the prisons for the worst offenders. Pence waited till mid-March to weigh in on House Bill 1006 and did so at a press briefing with TV and radio reporters, telling them, "I think we need to focus on reducing crime, not reducing penalties."

During a 2012 gubernatorial debate in Zionsville, Gov. Mike Pence said he opposed any marijuana law reforms and viewed marijuana as a "gateway" drug. His Democrat opponent John Gregg generally agreed, but added that medical marijuana would be worth studying.

Click for Mike Pence on other issues.   Source: Howey politics on 2016 Indiana gubernatorial race

Bernie Sanders on Marijuana: (Drugs Sep 5, 2015)
Decriminalize marijuana and study recreational legalization

Q: What about medical marijuana?

A: Bernie supports the medical use of marijuana and the rights of states to determine its legality. He co-sponsored the States' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act in 2001

Q: And recreational pot?

A: Bernie wants to learn more about the impact that recreational legalization will have in states such as Colorado in order to determine whether or not he supports it: "Vermont voted to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana and I support that. And when I was mayor of Burlington, in a city with a large population, very few people were arrested for smoking marijuana. Our police had more important things to do."

Q: Has Bernie ever inhaled?

A: Bernie has inhaled! But, he wasn't a fan, personally: "Because I coughed a lot. I smoked marijuana twice, didn't quite work for me. It's not my thing, but it is the thing of a whole lot of people."

Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.   Source: 2016 grassroots campaign website FeelTheBern.org, "Issues"

Lincoln Chafee on Marijuana: (Drugs Jun 3, 2015)
Decriminalized small amounts of marijuana as governor

Chafee would decriminalize possession of small amounts. From the governor's desk in Rhode Island, Chafee signed legislation that decriminalized small amounts of marijuana, making possession of any amount lower than an ounce punishable by a fine instead of as a criminal charge. Last year, Chafee said there is appeal in increased state revenues from legalizing marijuana and he wants to watch how things progress in states like Colorado where the law has changed.
Click for Lincoln Chafee on other issues.   Source: PBS News Hour "2016 Candidate Stands" series

Kamala Harris on Marijuana: (Drugs May 20, 2015)
Recognize the war on drugs was a failure

In 2014 Kamala Harris was asked for her opinion on legalizing recreational marijuana. Her response, which incensed the pro-pot crowd to no end, was laughter. What a difference a year makes. Now she's running for a US Senate seat. And she's changed her tune from laughter to support for an end of the federal prohibition on medical marijuana.

At the 2015 Democratic State Convention, here's what she said, "Standing up for the people means challenging the policy of mass incarceration by recognizing the war on drugs was a failure. Now is the time to end the federal ban on medical marijuana."

Harris' own pronouncements on cannabis have been evolving. Last fall she lashed out at feds' continued crackdowns in medical marijuana states, saying, "An overly broad federal enforcement campaign will make it more difficult for legitimate patients to access physician-recommended medicine." Late last year, she also said she believed that recreational pot legalization in California was inevitable.

Click for Kamala Harris on other issues.   Source: LA Weekly coverage of 2015 California Senate race

Mike Bloomberg on Marijuana: (Drugs Feb 9, 2015)
No legalization; pot lowers IQ by 5 to 10 points

When an audience member at the Aspen Institute asked Bloomberg about Colorado marijuana, he responded that it was a terrible idea, one that is hurting the developing minds of children. Though he admitted to smoking a joint in the 1960s, he said the drug is more accessible and more damaging today: "What are we going to say in 10 years when we see all these kids whose IQs are 5 and 10 points lower than they would have been?" he asked. "I couldn't feel more strongly about it, and my girlfriend says it's no different than alcohol. It is different than alcohol. This is one of the stupider things that's happening across our country."
Click for Mike Bloomberg on other issues.   Source: Aspen Times 2015 coverage of 2016 Presidential hopefuls

John Hickenlooper on Marijuana: (Drugs Oct 6, 2014)
Voters were "reckless" to legalize retail marijuana

Colorado voters were "reckless" for legalizing retail marijuana, Gov. John Hickenlooper said during a pair of debates marked by candidates who dealt with uneasy positions and pivots. "I'm not saying it was reckless because I'll get quoted everywhere, but if it was up to me, I wouldn't have done it, right?" he said during the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce debates. "I opposed it from the very beginning. Oh, what the hell, I'll say it was reckless."

The lunchtime debates between Hickenlooper and his gubernatorial challenger Bob Beauprez, and later Sen. Mark Udall and his Senate challenger Rep. Cory Gardner, were meant to focus on economic issues. The governor explained that he believed Coloradans lacked enough data about health effects in voting for retail pot, and suggested other states should take heed.

Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues.   Source: Denver Post on 2014 Colorado Gubernatorial debate

Hillary Clinton on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 31, 2014)
Medical marijuana now; wait-and-see on recreational pot

When CNN hosted a town hall with Clinton last month, interviewer Christiane Amanpour asked her about marijuana. Clinton said she was "committing radical candor" in her answer, a reference to the newfound freedom she said she was enjoying. Clinton said it should be available medicinally for people with "extreme conditions" and that she wants to "wait and see" the evidence in states legalizing it for recreational use before taking a position.
Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.   Source: Politico.com, "Clinton Book Tour"

John Hickenlooper on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 1, 2014)
Failed War on Drugs paved way for pot legalization

[On marijuana legalization]: "Let's face it, the War on Drugs was a disaster. It may be well intentioned but it sent millions of kids to prison, gave them felonies often times when they had no violent crimes. I was against this, but I can see why so many people supported it."
Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues.   Source: The Atlantic, "Legalization," on 2020 presidential hopefuls

Hillary Clinton on Marijuana: (Drugs Jun 14, 2014)
Medical marijuana maybe ok; states decide recreational use

[This week], New York lawmakers approved legislation that would make it the 23rd state in the country to permit medical marijuana use, according to the Marijuana Policy Project. Voters in Alaska and possibly Oregon will decide in November whether to join Colorado and Washington in allowing the sale of marijuana for recreational use.

As the momentum behind marijuana legalization grows, the issue is becoming inescapable for potential presidential contenders in 2016. The latest to weigh in was Hillary Clinton, who was asked about marijuana last week during her book tour. She seemed slightly more open to medical marijuana than she was during the 2008 campaign, saying it was appropriate in limited cases, but that more research was necessary.

"On recreational, you know, states are the laboratories of democracy," Mrs. Clinton told CNN interviewer Christiane Amanpour. "We have at least two states that are experimenting with that right now. I want to wait and see what the evidence is."

Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.   Source: Beth Reinhard in Wall Street Journal, "Third Way"

Mike Pence on Marijuana: (Drugs Feb 23, 2014)
I don't support legalization of marijuana

Q: Colorado and Washington state have legalized recreational use of small amounts of marijuana. Big pot of money there with taxes--is this is something you'd consider?

PENCE: No.

Q: Why not?

PENCE: Well, I don't support legalization of marijuana and that's been my position for a long time and will continue to be.

Q: Has the National Governors Association considered the state revenue implications?

PENCE: There is some common ground that you see at the National Governors Association and it's the focus that Gov. Mary Fallin and others placed on workforce development. Here in Indiana, we've initiated an effort to make career and vocational education a priority in every high school. And at the National Governors Association, it seems to be a recurring theme that making sure that we have not only the best educated, but the best skilled workforce as a pathway toward higher wages. It's a pathway toward a growing economy and it's a pathway toward a real renewal of the industrial Midwest.

Click for Mike Pence on other issues.   Source: 2014 CNN "State of the Union" interview of Mike Pence

Bill de Blasio on Marijuana: (Drugs Oct 22, 2013)
50,000 arrests for marijuana possession unjust and wrong

In New York City, nearly 50,000 people were arrested last year for marijuana possession. Low-level marijuana possession arrests have disastrous consequences for individuals and their families. These arrests limit one's ability to qualify for student financial aid and undermine one's ability to find stable housing and good jobs. What's more, recent studies demonstrate clear racial bias in arrests for low-level possession, with African-Americans arrested four times more frequently as whites--despite roughly equal usage rates.

This policy is unjust and wrong. First-time offenses for possession of small amounts of marijuana are supposed to be punishable by fine only, unless publicly displayed. However, too many young African-Americans and Hispanics--without prior convictions--are still arrested for marijuana possession after being stopped and frisked by police, who then treat it as public display. Bill de Blasio will direct the NYPD to stop these misguided prosecutions.

Click for Bill de Blasio on other issues.   Source: 2013 Mayoral campaign website, www.billdeblasio.com

John Hickenlooper on Marijuana: (Drugs Jan 10, 2013)
Now it's legal, but keep marijuana out of the reach of kids

Now it's legal, but keep marijuana out of the reach of kids Some other amendments passed in November... one on federal campaign finance reform... and another, for the life of me I can't remember the third one. Oh yeah, Amendment 64. [legalizing medical marijuana].

Now it's legal, but keep marijuana out of the reach of kids We need to expand our DUI law to keep our highways safe from those driving while impaired, and we must put in place consumer and

Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues.   Source: 2013 Colorado State of the State address

Cory Booker on Marijuana: (Drugs Jul 16, 2012)
The war on drugs has failed; support medical marijuana

Newark Mayor Cory Booker took to Reddit Sunday to criticize the war on drugs, saying it was ineffective and "represents big overgrown government at its worst."

The Democrat wrote during the Reddit "ask me anything" chat: "The so called War on Drugs has not succeeded in making significant reductions in drug use, drug arrests or violence. We are pouring huge amounts of our public resources into this current effort that are bleeding our public treasury and unnecessarily undermining human potential."

Booker then called drug arrests a "game": "My police in Newark are involved in an almost ridiculous game of arresting the same people over and over again and when you talk to these men they have little belief that there is help or hope for them to break out of this cycle," he wrote.

Booker has said he supports medical marijuana, and outlined programs he has implemented to lower drug arrests: reentry, court reform, jobs, treatment and legal aid.

Click for Cory Booker on other issues.   Source: Huffington Post, "Cory Booker & Drug War"

Elizabeth Warren on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 10, 2012)
Opposes the outright legalization of marijuana

Sen. Scott Brown and his chief Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren are both declining to say whether they support or oppose a ballot question that would legalize the medical use of marijuana in Massachusetts. Brown said Tuesday he'd like to learn more about the proposal before taking a position on it. The Massachusetts Republican described the ballot question as "a state issue." Warren also declined to stake out a position.

Warren said Monday she looked forward to a public hearing on the ballot question. Warren said she opposes the outright legalization of marijuana.

The Legislature's Committee on Public Health held a hearing Tuesday on the question that would allow patients with debilitating medical conditions such as cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis to get permission from their doctors to use marijuana.

Click for Elizabeth Warren on other issues.   Source: Boston Globe, "Pot Question"

Lincoln Chafee on Marijuana: (Drugs Nov 30, 2011)
Legalize medical marijuana to relieve pain

Medical organizations throughout the country including the Rhode Island Medical Society and the American Medical Association have come to recognize the potential benefits of marijuana for medical use. Patients, many of whom are in tremendous pain, stand to experience some relief. Governor Gregoire and I are taking this step to urge the Federal Government to consider allowing the safe, reliable, regulated use of marijuana for patients who are suffering.
Click for Lincoln Chafee on other issues.   Source: Rhode Island 2011 gubernatorial press release

Mike Bloomberg on Marijuana: (Drugs Nov 29, 2011)
You bet I smoked pot, and I enjoyed it; but.

In 2010, over 50,000 New Yorkers were arrested for marijuana possession. Of those arrested, 86 percent were Black and Latino, even though national surveys show that Whites use in greater numbers.

The crackdown on marijuana crimes in New York has taken place during the term of Michael Bloomberg, who when asked if he had used marijuana responded, "You bet I did, and I enjoyed it." The injustice of a white man--one who has admitted to using, and enjoying, marijuana--overseeing the most zealous campaign of marijuana prosecution in the world (no other city prosecutes more of its citizens for this offense), one that ends up disproportionately impacting Blacks and Latinos, is glaring. And to add insult to injury, New Yorkers must pay, through taxes, the price to make all of these arrests. The cost of prosecuting this offense in New York City alone is estimated to range from $53 million to $88 million annually.

Click for Mike Bloomberg on other issues.   Source: Dealing Death and Drugs, by Beto O'Rourke, p. 91

Beto O`Rourke on Marijuana: (Drugs Nov 29, 2011)
Low price of pot means low crime rate

Once marijuana [is smuggled across the Mexican border] to El Paso, it is valued at $240 a pound. The [raw drugs] are typically transported to stash houses where they are consolidated, repackaged, and shipped to markets nationwide. That's where the real profits are. Street values of drugs in El Paso are much lower than in larger markets where most of the product transited through Juarez is headed.

The El Paso region's role in the drug trade is mostly limited to warehouse and distribution to other larger, more profitable American markets. This is similar to El Paso's role in the maquilla sector, where goods are manufactured in Juarez then shipped to El Paso for distribution to U.S. markets. The relatively low value of the retail drug trade in El Paso might be one reason that the murder rate here is so low compared to other, more lucrative destination markets. The average murder rate for [U.S. destination] cities was 16 murders per 100,000 in 2010; in El Paso it was 0.8 per 100,000.

Click for Beto O`Rourke on other issues.   Source: Dealing Death and Drugs, by Beto O'Rourke, p. 36-7

Beto O`Rourke on Marijuana: (Drugs Nov 29, 2011)
Mexico estimates US pot market at $3B; US says $14B

The Mexican government estimates that the cartels take of the marijuana market in the U.S. is between $750 million to $3 billion. For cocaine, they estimate between $1.65 billion to $4.8 billion. Heroin brings in between $300 to $700 million and methamphetamine between $160 million to $480 million.

The United States government is much more bullish about the revenues made Mexican drug cartels, estimating that Mexican cartels bring home between $15 billion to $30 billion annually from illicit drug sales. At one point, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy estimated that more than 60 percent of the cartels' revenue--$8.6 billion out of $13.8 billion in 2006--came from U.S. marijuana sales. They retracted those estimates in 2010, but continue to assert that marijuana is the top revenue generator for Mexican drug cartels.

Click for Beto O`Rourke on other issues.   Source: Dealing Death and Drugs, by Beto O'Rourke, p. 42

Beto O`Rourke on Marijuana: (Drugs Nov 29, 2011)
Regulating drug market would bring in billions of revenue

The cost to prosecute marijuana prohibition is not cheap. Nationally, is close to $9 billion annually. On the other side of the ledger, states could expect to collect almost $3 billion in new taxes and the federal government nearly $6 billion if marijuana was taxed at rates comparable to alcohol and tobacco.

As governments at all levels desperately search for services to cut and revenues to raise, a rational policy of regulation and taxation of marijuana sales could provide much needed help. Think of the number of local police officers, federal agents, judges, court personnel, prison guards and parole officers involved in attempting to uphold this prohibition against marijuana. Regulating and controlling the market would reduce the police power of the government for what is widely recognized as a trifling crime, allow it to focus resources on greater need, and generate additional tax revenue.

Click for Beto O`Rourke on other issues.   Source: Dealing Death and Drugs, by Beto O'Rourke, p. 92

Beto O`Rourke on Marijuana: (Drugs Nov 29, 2011)
Legalization closes "gateway" effect of marijuana

A popular theory is that marijuana is a "gateway drug," meaning that the use of this drug will lead to the use of other, harder drugs. To buy marijuana in the U.S., you must purchase it from an illegal drug dealer. There is a good chance that the same dealer is also selling other, harder drugs like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines. It is in his interests to get you to buy these other offerings.

If you buy dope in a coffee shop in Amsterdam,˙where marijuana is decriminalized, you can only add a coffee or a hot chocolate to your order. In the U.S., your choices often include an array of toxic recreational drugs. It is no wonder that in the Netherlands the lifetime prevalence of cocaine use is 2 percent while in the U.S. it is 16 percent. The Dutch have effectively closed the gateway from marijuana to other drugs.

Regulate marijuana and you remove other more pernicious options from the 42 percent of Americans who try marijuana in their lifetime.

Click for Beto O`Rourke on other issues.   Source: Dealing Death and Drugs, by Beto O'Rourke, p. 94

Beto O`Rourke on Marijuana: (Drugs Nov 29, 2011)
2009: US arrested 758,000 adult citizens for pot possession

In 2009, the United States arrested 758,593 of its own adult citizens for merely possessing marijuana. That a negotiation of goods for money--between two consenting adults--can result in the arrest of both parties, is stunning.

These arrestees are now permanently scarred and marked in the systems of justice, employment, and social standing. Their chance of becoming productive members of society is now diminished. And the alternatives of crime and illicit activity become more obvious.

Click for Beto O`Rourke on other issues.   Source: Dealing Death and Drugs, by Beto O'Rourke, p. 89-90

Joe Biden on Marijuana: (Drugs Dec 24, 2010)
Marijuana is a gateway drug; legalization is a mistake

Leave it to the White House to take a position to the right of Pat Robertson, who questioned the nation's pot laws this week.

VP Joe Biden tells ABC, "There's a difference between sending (someone) to jail for a few ounces and legalizing it. The punishment should fit the crime. But I think legalization is a mistake. I still believe it's a gateway drug. I've spent a lot of my life as chairman of the Judiciary Committee dealing with this. I think it would be a mistake to legalize."

This comment comes on the heels of Robertson's statement: "I just believe that criminalizing marijuana, criminalizing the possession of a few ounces of pot, that kinda thing (is) costing us a fortune and it's ruining young people. Young people go into prisons - they go in as youths and come out as hardened criminals. That's not a good thing."

Click for Joe Biden on other issues.   Source: CelebStoner.com Entertainment News

Jesse Ventura on Marijuana: (Drugs Mar 8, 2010)
Banks & prison-industrial complex gets rich on the drug war

Federal law still considers marijuana a dangerous illegal drug, although 14 states have now enacted laws allowing for some use for medical purposes.

Let me cite a few statistics that I find mind-boggling. According to NORML, an advocacy group for legalizing marijuana, more than 700,000 of America's estimated 20 million pot-smokers got arrested in 2008. About HALF of the 200,000 inmates in our federal prisons are in there for drug-related offenses. Between 1970 and 2007, we saw a 547% increase in our prison population, mainly because of our drug policies. Of course, that's just fine with the new prison-industrial complex, where corporations are now running the show. We as taxpayers shell out $68 billion every year for prisons, & a lot of that end up going into private contractors' pockets!

Of course, they're not the only ones getting rich. Well-documented federal reports lead to the conclusion that American banks are "collectively the world's largest financial beneficiary of the drug trade."

Click for Jesse Ventura on other issues.   Source: American Conspiracies, by Jesse Ventura, p.114

Jesse Ventura on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 1, 2008)
Let states decide medical marijuana laws

Early in 2001 Bush stated that he was a strong believer in giving more power to the states, which I applaud. He was going to be, he said, an old-style Federalist president. I believed him.

Yet just about every move he's made since that day has taken power away from the states. Cases in point: 12 states have now passed laws to allow the medical use of marijuana. The federal government under Bush says no way, it won't let the states do this. 2 states have voted for dignity in death. If I'm living in MN and terminally ill, I could have the option of moving to Oregon and fulfill my wishes not to prolong the agony. Again, the Bush administration says, oh no, you can't.

Click for Jesse Ventura on other issues.   Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 67

Jesse Ventura on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 1, 2008)
Treat marijuana like we treat alcohol and tobacco

I wish that Canada and Mexico would legalize marijuana, because that would put the US on an island. You'd have two countries proving, like the city of Amsterdam has, that making drugs legal is not a negative formula, but the best way to deal with the problem. Making something illegal doesn't mean it goes away, it just means criminals are going to run it.

Why not treat marijuana in the same way as alcohol or tobacco? It's so widely used, and it has medical purposes that are denied by the US Food and Drug Administration. Numerous doctors and private studies have clearly shown that medicinal marijuana is a painkiller that can help cancer and AIDS patients and can also be used to treat glaucoma.

The fact is growing hemp for industrial purposes would make it a very useful plant. It can be a fiber for clothing, a source of paper, even an alternative fuel. Canada is already using hemp this way. I simply don't see that cannabis grows wild on earth just so humans can eradicate it.

Click for Jesse Ventura on other issues.   Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.189-190

Jesse Ventura on Marijuana: (Principles & Values Apr 1, 2008)
Supports libertarianism with a small "l"

Describing himself as a libertarian with a small "I"--liberal on social issues, conservative on fiscal issues---ex-Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura today set forth an independent platform that included ending the "so-called war on drugs" by legalizing marijuana and bringing home all American troops from military bases around the world--"unless these countries want to compensate us for guarding their borders."
Click for Jesse Ventura on other issues.   Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.307

Mike Gravel on Marijuana: (Drugs Nov 11, 2007)
War on drugs is a total failure

On certain facets of social policy, Gravel happily goes out on a limb that the mainstream candidates, whatever their personal views, would never dare test. On the war on drugs: “I think the American people realize the war on drugs is a total failure--waste of time, waste of money. What’s wrong with marijuana? You can go out to buy a fifth of gin and do more damage to yourself.”
Click for Mike Gravel on other issues.   Source: The Contenders, by Laura Flanders, p.197-198

Barack Obama on Marijuana: (Drugs Aug 14, 2007)
Experimented with cocaine but turned down heroin

The teenage years mark a period of rebellion for males, and Obama’s racial turmoil only exacerbated those natural feelings. He was always a solid B student, but by his senior year, he was slacking off in his schoolwork in favor of basketball, beach time parties. He also, as he described it later, “dabbled in drugs and alcohol.” He would buy a six-pack of Heineken after school and polish off the bottles while shooting baskets. He also smoked marijuana and experimented with snorting cocaine but demurred from heroin when he said a drug supplier seemed far too eager to have him experience it. Later, Obama noted that white kids, Hawaiian kids and wealthy kids also turn to drugs to soothe whatever causes them pain.

His grandmother recalled that she and he husband discussed Barry’s declining grades and grew concerned about his possible drug use and overall lack of direction. Obama, however, questioned his elderly grandmother’s memory, [claiming it] was a very transitory period in his life.

Click for Barack Obama on other issues.   Source: From Promise to Power, by David Mendell, p. 45-46

Mike Gravel on Marijuana: (Drugs Aug 9, 2007)
Allow buying marijuana at liquor stores

We have to address the whole drug issue. I see no reason between marijuana and booze or alcohol, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to go to a liquor store and buy marijuana. It has recuperative powers.
Click for Mike Gravel on other issues.   Source: 2007 HRC/LOGO debate on gay issues

Mike Gravel on Marijuana: (Drugs Feb 26, 2007)
Legalize the use and possession of marijuana

Senator Gravel advocates for the legalization of the use and possession of marijuana and ending the war on drugs and treating drugs as a medical problem rather than a criminal problem.
Click for Mike Gravel on other issues.   Source: Wikipedia.org article on Mike Gravel campaign

Barack Obama on Marijuana: (Drugs Jan 3, 2007)
Admitted marijuana use in high school & college

Long before he was in the national media spotlight, Barack Obama had this to say about himself: “Junkie. Pothead. That’s where I’d been headed: the final, fatal role of the young would-be black man... I got high [to] push questions of who I was out of my mind.” Obama’s revelations were not an issue during his Senate campaign two years ago. But now his open narrative of early, bad choices, including drug use starting in high school and ending in college, are sure to receive new scrutiny.
Click for Barack Obama on other issues.   Source: Lois Romano, Washington Post, p. A1 on 2008 election

Bill Weld on Marijuana: (Drugs Aug 25, 2005)
Favors medical marijuana and needle-exchange programs

Although he has favored medical marijuana and needle-exchange programs, he does not, as is occasionally assumed, support drug legalization and has bragged about prosecuting "drug thugs" while serving in the Reagan Justice Department.
Click for Bill Weld on other issues.   Source: W. James Antle III in Spectator Magazine

Mike Bloomberg on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 10, 2002)
You bet I smoked pot; and I enjoyed it

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Foundation, (NORML), launched a new $500,000 ad campaign in New York City this week, urging an end to the massive number of arrests of pot smokers in this city, and features NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s quote on his own use of pot. “You bet I did. And I enjoyed it,” said then Mayoral candidate Bloomberg just before the elections last year when a New York magazine reporter asked about his pot use.

“I’m not thrilled they’re using my name. I suppose there’s that First Amendment that gets in the way of me stopping it,“ Bloomberg told reporters when informed of the NORML ads graced with His Honor’s face and attributing the quote to him. But Bloomberg added that the NYPD will continue to vigorously enforce the laws. The campaign includes a full-page ad in the New York Times, as well as posters for bus stops, buses, and phone booths. There are also two 60-second radio ads that will be played by the top stations in the city.

Click for Mike Bloomberg on other issues.   Source: Preston Peet, www.drugwar.com

Mike Bloomberg on Marijuana: (Drugs Apr 10, 2002)
NYPD will continue to vigorously enforce drug laws

[When he learned that NORML would use his image and his words on pro-marijuana advertisements, Bloomberg said] that the NYPD will continue to vigorously enforce the laws [against marijuana use]. In 1992, when former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani took office, there were just 2,000 arrests of pot smokers. Until that time, cops would usually issue a ticket and fine instead of arresting people, yet by 2000, NYC was arresting approximately 50,000 people for simple use and possession every year, nearly a 1,000 a week. The NYPD now runs most every pot smoker they catch through the criminal court system, which can take anywhere from 24 to 72 hours, or longer, subjecting marijuana users to dangers far above and beyond any resulting from their simple use of pot, and the city will oftentimes attempt to coerce those arrested to plea out to charges they don’t deserve under the law.
Click for Mike Bloomberg on other issues.   Source: Preston Peet, www.drugwar.com

John Kasich on Marijuana: (Drugs Oct 19, 1999)
Educate students that marijuana is a gateway drug

I first heard Jessica Hulsey speak at the President's Summit for America's Future in April 1997, and her account of her childhood on the streets of Long Beach, California, with addicts for parents.

Jessica hates the drugs but not the abusers. Although she opposes any legalization of drugs, she thinks treatment, not jail, is the answer for most drug abusers. If people must be jailed, she thinks, they must receive treatment there.

She thinks more anti-drug education, starting at earlier ages, is needed in the schools. She warns students that marijuana is both addictive and a "gateway" to other drugs. She would like to see tougher laws against drunk driving. Based on her own life experience, she wants to see drug abuse treated more as a public health problem.

I have no doubt we will hear more of Jessica and her war on drugs.

Click for John Kasich on other issues.   Source: Courage is Contagious, by John Kasich, p. 69&79-80

Lincoln Chafee on Marijuana: (Drugs Aug 23, 1999)
Lobbied DEA to reclassify marijuana for medical use

If you weren't told Chafee had been a Republican and just looked at all of his positions, you'd think he was a Democrat anyway (pro-choice, pro-gun control, pro-minimum wage increases, and eventually pro-Barack Obama). He has lobbied the Drug Enforcement Agency to reclassify marijuana so that doctors could legally prescribe it as medication.
Click for Lincoln Chafee on other issues.   Source: Reason magazine on 2020 presidential hopefuls

Jesse Ventura on Marijuana: (Drugs Jan 1, 1999)
Stop being so afraid of marijuana; some uses are OK

Our government has the weirdest bias against cannabis. There’s no reason for everybody to be so afraid of it. It’s not the antichrist the DEA makes it out to be. Industrial hemp is a very useful plant. I challenged the attorney general to get rid of the criminal stigma associated with hemp so we can look at it in terms of how it might be useful. And government has no business telling us what we can and can’t use for pain relief.
Click for Jesse Ventura on other issues.   Source: Ain’t Got Time To Bleed, p. 38

Bill Weld on Marijuana: (Drugs Oct 19, 1996)
Less welfare for drug users; tougher sentences for offenders

A high school student asked the candidates to lay out specific plans to reduce marijuana use among minors. "You need massive education," said Kerry, who reiterated his support for after-school programs in public schools to keep kids off the streets.

In response, Weld went after his opponent, accusing Kerry of funding welfare payments to drug users. "You're not doing the addicts any favors if you're giving them cash," the governor said. Kerry denied the charge.

Weld said his solution to the state's drug problem includes tougher sentences for drug offenders and education programs aimed at seven- to nine-year-olds.

Click for Bill Weld on other issues.   Source: Harvard Crimson on Kerry/Weld debates

Hillary Clinton on Marijuana: (Drugs Sep 25, 1996)
Involved parents most influential in reducing teen drug use

Some factors that increase the risk of substance abuse in adolescents deserve emphasis. Casual attitudes towards marijuana and minors’ access to cigarettes raise the likelihood that teenagers will make a sad progression to more serious drug use & earlier sexual activity. Dropping out of school puts the child at greater risk, as does having a parent who is an abuser of alcohol or drugs.

One reason my husband is adamant about curbing smoking is the fact that he learned firsthand in his own family, about the slippery slope that begins with the use of one addictive substance and leads to other destructive behaviors.

The characteristics that keep kids from using drugs are hard to quantify but not to understand. Children who truly grasp tha they have a choice to make in the matter are more likely to make a responsible one. So are children with high self-esteem. Most influential of all is the optimism & awareness that comes from knowing their parents are interested & involved in their lives.

Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.   Source: It Takes A Village, by Hillary Clinton, p.152-153

  • Additional quotations related to Marijuana issues can be found under Drugs.
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